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This companion contains more than 500 entries on such subjects as themes, genres, historical events, people, and customs as they pertain to the literature of the American South, which the editors define very broadly. For example, there is an entry on Shakespeare, noting in particular how Prospero, in The Tempest, might have been seen in the past as the ideal "enlightened slave owner." Coeditors Flora (English, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; ed., Southern Writers: A Biographical Dictionary) and MacKethan (English, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh; Daughters of Time: Creating Women's Voice in Southern Story) are widely published scholars on Southern literature, and the contributors are a good mix of scholars, graduate students, and writers. The alphabetically arranged entries, which generally provide brief, up-to-date bibliographies, include "Uncle Tom," "Rebel Yell," "Scopes Trial," "Elvis," and "Poetry, 1820-1900." However, because author information is easily found in many other books, only 14 authors are included here. The simple, alphabetical table of contents is supplemented by a 22-section classified table of contents that groups entries by a shared subject (e.g., music or religion). Unlike The Encyclopedia of Southern Literature, a more conventional work that focuses on authors, this unique compilation shoots off in all sorts of interesting directions. An excellent addition to libraries that support studies of Southern literature. Peter Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
In the 1980s and 1990s, Flora coedited a four-volume series on southern writers published by Greenwood Press. Now he has teamed with a fellow English professor to compile this sourcebook that explores the multifaceted aspects of the "southern experience as it is depicted in literature." Focusing on common threads that run through southern writing and set it apart from the literature of other regions, the more than 500 alphabetical entries cover a wide range of topics, including themes, genres, customs, locales, stereotypes, historical events and entities, places and regions, colleges and universities, and periodicals and other publications. Although the editors stress that this is not a biographical volume, they do include a limited number of entries on individuals, covering 12 major southern authors (such as Faulkner and Welty) and an eclectic assortment of 29 other figures (e.g., Harriet Beecher Stowe, Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley) whose works or lives are inextricably linked with southern literature.
Written primarily by scholars representing a wide range of academic institutions, the entries are signed, and most conclude with cross-references to related articles and a brief list of bibliographic references. Treatment ranges from the lighthearted and folksy approach in shorter entries such as Grits, Sears Catalog, and Yellow-dog Democrat to the scholarly, more serious tone of longer articles like Art and artists, Conservatism, and Slave narrative. Some of the longest articles (4 to 10 pages) are those that explore the literary history of each southern state. Although it is disquieting to see an entry for "Nigger," the scholarly and reasoned article provides a valuable overview of the history of the term and its usage by both black and white authors. Facilitating access to the entries are a subject guide near the beginning of the volume that groups article titles by broad categories, such as "Customs, Rituals and Icons," "Literature by Period," and "Religion," and a detailed index that is invaluable for locating references to individual authors.
Superior in quality and scope to Encyclopedia of Southern Literature (ABC-CLIO, 1997), this volume serves as a greatly expanded and updated extension to the "Literature" section of the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, edited by Charles Reagan Wilson and William R. Ferris (University of North Carolina, 1989). Well-written, meticulously edited, and thoughtfully organized, The Companion to Southern Literature is an excellent resource for anyone who is studying or reading southern literature. It is highly recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB
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