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Grace Metalious's highly popular 1956 book Peyton Place became an overnight hit that challenged our perceptions of small town New England life. Metalious's fictional town of Peyton Place, loosely based on the real New Hampshire town of Gilmanton, shows that slightly behind the manicured greens, fresh air and friendly people lurks stories of lust, vice, incest, violence, even rape and murder. Through the pages of Peyton Place, we explore the good, the bad and the ugly of small town life in New Hampshire.
Join our discussion about Peyton Place and about the differences between the image and reality of small town life. Log in or register a free account on NHPR.org to share your thoughts, insights and experiences. Note: comments are moderated, so they won't appear right away. |
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From the Project Coordinator: A little behind the microphone insight as to how we put together our series. Granite State Stories was spawned from a series we did 3 1/2 years ago called "Storylines New England". It pretty much was put together by the same crew which does G.S.S. I produced it, Laura Knoy and Kevin Gardner (who does a lot of our readings) hosted and Project Humanist David Watters was the advisor. It too took a look at our region through its literature with 13 books set in and about New England. One of those books was Peyton Place. Click here if you'd like to check it out.
The first time we discussed Peyton Place, we looked at New England small town life... how its changed and how its stayed the same. What struck me reading this book again 3 1/2 years later is how much "time" has as much to do with this story as "place".
In our first discussion we explored how in Peyton Place there are two depictions of New England. The first is the "outer shell" so to speak of pristine chapels, manicured town greens, and polite Yankee townsfolk. The second, the underbelly, with racism, broken homes, nasty gossip and even rape and murder.
Maybe its because of the statewide celebration of the 50th anniversary of this novel, that I started thinking about commentary I've read on the time of this novel too... the 1950s. Many have suggested that this decade also had two sides. The "outer shell" of "Leave it to Beaver" families, kids in whiffle haircuts playing baseball, safe neighborhoods, and a more "simple" time. Then the second, had that underbelly, of McCarthyism, the Red Scare, "separate but equal", and Cold War fear. What are your thoughts?
In the late 1950s, about 30 of my senior high school male classmates and I were in the "boys room" listening to George B. read passages from this unbelievably racy book, when the principal walked in and hauled us all to his office. I never saw George move so fast as he hid the book in his shirt, even though he was a member of the football team.
I can't remember if Mr. Radley ever found out what we were doing!!! I know I didn't tell.