Defining Southern literature
Hey, y'all! We made it to Nashville, (Ahead of schedule because time zones are magical things that actually make the time, you know, different between Tennessee and Maryland. Crazy.) and our hotel is lovely. I have high hopes the rest of the city won't disappoint.
OK, so I realized after we decided to focus on Southern literature this week, that I wasn't sure exactly how to define the term. What makes a novel Southern? Or an author, even?
So, of course, I turned to the experts. Lucky for me, the Southern Literary Review has an entire section devoted to "What Makes Southern Literature Southern?
They define the South as extending from Virginia, down the coast and then as far West as Missouri.
Missouri! The homestate of Mark Twain, the self-proclaimed father of Southern literature! Isn't that interesting, Dave? Don't worry, you'll always have that Mark Twain house in Hartford. And it is a beauty!
So what do you think? Does the Southern Literary Review's definition get it right?
(Photo courtesy of marktwainhouse.org)
Comments
I've always found a deep sense of loss permeating Southern novels -- often related to the War of Northern Aggression or to the vanishing agrarian lifestyle. And my friend Flinch, the English teacher, would add this characteristic: self-deprecating irony amid a deep love of language.
p.s. Twain lived in Connecticut, wrote in Connecticut and died in Connecticut. 'Nuff said. Next thing you know, the South will be laying claim to Garrison Keillor as a Southern writer.
Posted by: Dave | August 12, 2008 10:27 AM