I’m in the process of composing my paper for the Norman Mailer Society’s annual conference. Here’s the proposal:
I moved to the American South almost six years ago. About that time, I was introduced to Norman Mailer’s work. Both gave me an interesting perspective on America, its values and its problems (sometimes stemming from said values). This presentation will examine Southern religious values (mostly conservative Baptist) vis-a-vis those of Norman Mailer, particularly in his later work, including The Gospel According to the Son and On God. I will include a short multimedia presentation that documents some of my experiences, interviews members of the Baptist church, and attempts to come to terms with seemingly disparate perceptions on the place of religion in America.
The images I’m collecting are part of the multimedia presentation. I think I’m going to focus more on digital technology as a metaphor for the devil. Still thinking about it. But, if you have some images of church marquis, especially those that link religion with consumerism, I’d love to borrow them.
