What ’ s lit got to do with it ? Deconstructing the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
burg ’ s ) very simple lifestyle is appropriately preserved in this modest home .” In this sense , the house was seen as “ normal ” particularly in contrast to the nearby Biltmore . “ The house is low key and charming , a HUGE contrast with the excess and opulence of the Biltmore , which isn ’ t too far away ,” wrote one reviewer . Thus , visitors appeared to be engaging in their own deconstruction of the area ’ s attractions . In other words , the meaning of the site ( the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site ) was derived , in part , from the meaning of a neighboring site ( the Biltmore Estate ). For many , this was enjoyable ; “ a nice change from the Biltmore ” as one woman from Maryland put it .
Also located in the home , the gift shop in the basement emerged as an important factor contributing to the experiences of a number of visitors . Some reported that they had enjoyed exploring the items in the gift shop ( consisting of postcards , several of Sandburg ’ s texts , books about the history of the local and surrounding areas , t-shirts featuring various natural motifs , trinkets made by local artisans , and of course , goat-related items such as goat milk cheeses , goat milk fudge , goat milk , and a stuffed-goat toy ). Exemplifying this interest in the gift shop was one woman ’ s review that read “ I was also referred to several important books in the Gift Shop and I was happy to discover that any book purchase receives the National Park Carl Sandburg embossed book stamp inside it . I will treasure my purchases for a long time .”
Sandburg
Only a handful of visitors indicated having any sort of existing knowledge of either Sandburg or his texts . “ My guess is that 9 out of 10 people won ’ t know who Carl Sandburg was ( and 99 out of 100 have never read anything he wrote ),” estimated one astute visitor . Yet , many reviewers reported having
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