I did find these depictions of Appalachian people problematic, with Frost’s being much more so than Harney’s. Frost, even if all of his statements about the people of Appalachia (or the mountain whites as he calls them) were true, certainly romanticized and patronized his subjects, while Harney, it seems, only fell into the romantic trap, rather than the patronizing one.

Frost seemed “concerned” for the people of Appalachia, which I suppose is a noble enough sentiment, but one that certainly grates on your mind when reading. He felt sorry for and yes superior to these “great patriarchs and woodsmen.” To paint an entire society and way of life as backward and in need of complete overhaul, while at the same time praising the “colonial” attributes that makes them that way, makes him seem like he wants to turn the mountains into a caricature of themselves, a sanitized Disney version of their way of life.

Harney on the other hand doesn’t feel the need to change the Appalachian people, and in fact seems to find a great deal of solace in the mountains. I had a bit more difficulty understanding the point of his text, but it seemed to lean closer to fictionalized memoir than travelogue.