Date of Award:
12-2013
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
English
Committee Chair(s)
Evelyn I. Funda
Committee
Evelyn I. Funda
Committee
John C. Allen
Committee
Lynne McNeill
Abstract
This investigation of the ritualized tradition of shivaree found in the isolated ranching community of Park Valley, Utah presents a unique version of the practice. The marriage custom of charivari/shivaree evolved from a punitive form of social control in Europe and Great Britain, to a raucous American celebration that welcomed newlyweds into a community. The cultural landscape combined with the contemporary rural society sets the backdrop to argue that Park Valley’s impromptu performances went beyond just offering a hand of welcome; their shivarees, performed after the formal marriage festivities, functioned as a complex rite of social acceptance.
The analysis of twenty-five primary interviews offers a distinctive view of a rural American community-clan who descended from six pioneer families and how they interact with each other. The shivaree they performed offers a new function built from other historical examples found in Europe and America.
Checksum
3ebff5189fd1427149cf62e5d25ffe84
Recommended Citation
Thornley, Rosa Lee, "Park Valley, Utah's Shivaree Tradition: A Rite of Social Acceptance" (2013). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 1943.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1943
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