Document Information

• Section & Chapter: Part One, Chapter 20
• Scene: Description of the house fair before the fight.
• Draft: Hand written chapter
• File location: Box 3, folder 3

Discussion Questions

1. The third sentence of the written page is revised in the typescript. Why might these changes have been made to the third sentence for the final draft? Was it edited for clarity or to make the sentences sound more cohesive? Explain your thoughts on the revision.
2. Gaines edits out Marshall from the typescript to just include Bonbon. Why do you think he decided to omit Marshall’s presence from the typescript? Was this exclusion of this character important to the plot? Was this a correction to stay within the plot?

20

The quarter have two fairs every Saturday night. Mrs. Laura Mae gives one up the quarter and Josie Henderson gives one down the quarter. Mrs. Laura Mae is a very good Christian, so her fairs are quite and orderly. There isn’t any music, and only good people go there. Her food’s better than Josie’s—her pralines her cookies, her gumbo—and I think she gives you more for your money. Sitle Still most everybody go to Josie’s fair, and only a few go to Mrs. Laura Mae. And here's two reasons. Josie Henderson has loud music. She had her a loud speaker hung up on the gallery, so no matter where in the quarter you’re at you can tell something’s going on. She had her gambling in one room, and she had a little cot in another room. Josie has a whole house all to herself. Some say she got the house because she used to be Marshall’s old lady. Others say she [illegible]. Marshall and Bon Bon [illegible] of the profits she made at her parties.

Document Information

• Section & Chapter: Part One, Chapter 20
• Scene: House fair before the fight.
• Draft: Early-to-mid typescript
• File location: Box 3, folder 22

Discussion Questions

1. Throughout the paragraph, the “s” is marked through on the words “quarters.” Is this considered a grammatical correction? Do you think Gaines always pronounced “quarter” as “quarters”? Could this be an example of Southern dialogue?
2. The typescript contains a misspelling of the word “pralines,” did this mistake make it into the published version of Of Love and Dust?
3. In the seventh sentence of the paragraph, Gaines adds “woman or man” to the sentence. What is the significance of this change? What does it emphasize about Josie?

Chapter Twenty

The quarters have two kkkkk house fairs every Saturday night. Mrs. Laura Mae gives one up the quarters and Josie Henderson gives one down the quarters. Mrs. Laura Mae’s fair is quiet and orderly. She don’t have any music and only good people--usually Christians--go there. Her food is better than Josie’s food--her plarines, her cookie, her gumbo--and I think she even gives you more for your money. Still, most of the people go to Josie’s fair because Josie’s got music. She’s even got an old loud speaker hung up on the gallery so you can hear the music all over the plantation. Josie got another room for gambling, and still another room with a bed for--well, you can guess for what. Josie is the only single person on the plantation, woman or man, who’s got a whole house to herself. According to the people in the quarters, Bonbon had something to do with that, too. He was getting a cut out of everything Josie was bringing in.