Author of such classics of 20th-century popular American
literature as "Tobacco Road" (1932) and "God's Little Acre" (1933),
Erskine Caldwell was something of a celebrity nearly all his life.
But he was also a serious writer, one whose merits are as
considerable as they remain underexplored. In the 1930s, he
startled the literary world with his frank portrayals of the poor
whites of the South. Beginning in the early 1940s, critics grew
suspicious that he had exhausted his originality and his talent. In
the late 1960s, some scholars began an effort, which continues
intermittently today, to reconsider Caldwell's achievement. This
collection of reviews, critical essays, and book excerpts provides
a chronological portrait of the often contradictory and unfailingly
colorful critical response to Caldwell from 1931 to the
present.
The 57 pieces collected in this volume were chosen to represent
all sides and perspectives in the evolving critical opinion of
Caldwell's work. The items are grouped in sections representing
three chronological periods that encompass the prevailing critical
moods concerning his writings: the 1930s, when readers of many
persuasions found him promising and held out great hopes for his
development; 1940 to 1968, when increasing critical scrutiny led to
his dismissal as a writer of significance; and 1969 to the present,
when there have been several substantial efforts to reconsider
Caldwell's achievement. An introductory essay argues that Caldwell
remains largely absent from our critical consciousness today
because of a prevailing willingness among academics to rely on
largely negative received opinions about his books in place of
primary experience with them. The introduction is followed by a
chronology, and the volume concludes with an extensive selected
bibliography.
General
Imprint: |
Greenwood Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Critical Responses in Arts and Letters |
Release date: |
August 1997 |
First published: |
August 1997 |
Authors: |
Robert McDonald
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 22mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
336 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-313-30072-1 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-313-30072-0 |
Barcode: |
9780313300721 |
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