Fifty Southern Writers Before 1900: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook

(Hardback)

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This collection deserves a long review in order to get the attention it has earned. But how would a reviewer do rounded justice in, say, five hundred words to fifty entries by fifty different scholar-critics on `Southerners whose careers ended before 1900 or thereabouts' Furthermore, each entry was required to follow a five-part pattern: `a biographical sketch, a discussion of major themes, an assessment of the scholarship . . . a chronological list of the author's works, and a bibliography of selected criticism.' That pattern reinforces a reference-work effect that the precise and experienced editors intended. Only a pedant will quible--yet will also regulary use the book and send students to it. It will outlast any reviewer now alive. American Literature A companion volume to Fifty Southern Writers After 1900, this collection focuses on the work of writers whose careers ended before or about 1900, whose works are often anthologized, and whose writing figures prominently in the history of Southern letters. Each essay, written by a specialist in the field, contains five parts: a biographical sketch, a discussion of the author's major themes, an assessment of the scholarship on the author's works, a chronological list of works, and a bibliography of selected criticism. The selected essays treat the individual writers in substantial detail and offer a fresh attempt to estimate the achievements of the authors included as well as a valuable assessment of the secondary work and scholarship to date.

Reviews

These companion volumes are at once sweeping and comprehensive. Noted scholars examine the lives and literature of 100 Southern authors, providing for each a brief biography, discussion of major themes, review of criticism, a bibliography on published works, and selected criticism. Volume 1 begins with 17th-century authors and works its way through the Revolutionary Period, but the bulk of the essays concentrate on the 19th century. An excellent segment deals with the neglected Southwest humorists and devotes attention to such black authors as George Moses Horton and Albert A. Whitman. Volume 2 purports to start with the Southern renascence. . . . The scholarship is meticulous and the essays are lucid and perceptive. Both volumes serve as valuable reference tools on a region of writers have universal appeal.-Library Journal
This collection deserves a long review in order to get the attention it has earned. But how would a reviewer do rounded justice in, say, five hundred words to fifty entries by fifty different scholar-critics on 'Southerners whose careers ended before 1900 or thereabouts' Furthermore, each entry was required to follow a five-part pattern: 'a biographical sketch, a discussion of major themes, an assessment of the scholarship . . . a chronological list of the author's works, and a bibliography of selected criticism.' That pattern reinforces a reference-work effect that the precise and experienced editors intended. Only a pedant will quible -- yet will also regularly use the book and send students to it. It will outlast any reviewer now alive.-American Literature
"This collection deserves a long review in order to get the attention it has earned. But how would a reviewer do rounded justice in, say, five hundred words to fifty entries by fifty different scholar-critics on 'Southerners whose careers ended before 1900 or thereabouts' Furthermore, each entry was required to follow a five-part pattern: 'a biographical sketch, a discussion of major themes, an assessment of the scholarship . . . a chronological list of the author's works, and a bibliography of selected criticism.' That pattern reinforces a reference-work effect that the precise and experienced editors intended. Only a pedant will quible -- yet will also regularly use the book and send students to it. It will outlast any reviewer now alive."-American Literature
"These companion volumes are at once sweeping and comprehensive. Noted scholars examine the lives and literature of 100 Southern authors, providing for each a brief biography, discussion of major themes, review of criticism, a bibliography on published works, and selected criticism. Volume 1 begins with 17th-century authors and works its way through the Revolutionary Period, but the bulk of the essays concentrate on the 19th century. An excellent segment deals with the neglected Southwest humorists and devotes attention to such black authors as George Moses Horton and Albert A. Whitman. Volume 2 purports to start with the Southern renascence. . . . The scholarship is meticulous and the essays are lucid and perceptive. Both volumes serve as valuable reference tools on a region of writers have universal appeal."-Library Journal

Author Bio

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