ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For all that "acknowledgments" have become so much de rigueur as to risk rigor mortis, I usually read them in other people's books, and so I dare hope other people may be interested in reading them in mine. It's a pleasure in any case to thank at least some of the many who have helped with this book.

Donald Bahr, David Brumble, Paul John Eakin, Dell Hymes, Anthony Mattina, Julian Rice, and Brian Swann have provided friendship and encouragement of a variety of kinds over a good many years and I am much in their debt. Thanks are also due my Sarah Lawrence colleagues Tara Fitzpatrick and Peter Whiteley, both of whom read early drafts of several of these chapters and not only offered pointed criticism, but kept me up to date in areas I might otherwise have ignored. I am grateful as well for talks with Betty Bergland, Marla and William Powers, Jana Sequoya, and Shamoon Zamir. Mellon Foundation grants for research help at Sarah Lawrence—a very labor-intensive place—helped pay for the services of my student assistants Jess Buckley, Brian McCreight, Erica Metzger, and West Moss, services without which I would, at the least, still be waiting to use the copying machine. A Summer Stipend and a Grant for College Teachers from the National Endowment for the Humanities gave me time to patch parts of the book I might otherwise have left even more leaky than they may still be. Without the help of Janet Alexander and Judy Kicinski of the Sarah Lawrence College Library, I would have been severely constrained in all aspects of research. My appreciation for the warmth and wisdom of Carter Revard's reading of these chapters and for Gerald Vizenor's advice and friendship is indicated by the dedication of this book. Finally, I offer special thanks to Roy Harvey Pearce whose support has long encouraged me in this work.

A.K.
GARDINER, NEW YORK
OCTOBER, 1990