Apocalypse South

199 Pages·2012·0.6 MB·English

Apocalypse South
Judgment, Cataclysm, and Resistance in the
Regional Imaginary
Anthony Dyer Hoefer
The OhiO ST aTe UniverSiTy PreSS • COl UmbUS
Copyright © 2012 by The Ohio State University.
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Hoefer, Anthony Dyer, 1978–
Apocalypse south : judgment, cataclysm, and resistance in the regional imaginary /
Anthony Dyer Hoefer. — (Literature, religion, and postsecular studies)
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-1201-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8142-1201-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-9303-4 (cd-rom)
1. Apocalyptic literature—History and criticism. 2. Apocalypse in literature. 3.
American literature—Southern States—History and criticism. 4. Faulkner, William,
1897–1962—Criticism and interpretation. 5. Wright, Richard, 1908–1960—Criticism
and interpretation. 6. Kenan, Randall—Criticism and interpretation. 7. Allison, Doro-
thy—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. II. Series (Literature, religion, and postsecu-
lar studies)
PS374.A65H64 2012
813'.009353—dc23
2012006529
Cover design by James A. Baumann
Text design by Juliet Williams
Type set in Goudy Old Style
Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials. ANSI Z39.48–1992.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In memory of John Cobb and Larry McGehee,
two great teachers who were there at the start.
And for Kate and Cora,
without whom I could not have gotten this far.

Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction Tracing the Apocalyptic Imaginary 1
A Note on Structure 14
PART I
Chapter 1 Southern Jeremiad, American Jeremiad:
Region, Nation, and Apocalypse in Faulkner’s
Light in August 21
“A walking pollution in God’s own face”:
The Apocalyptic Logic of Blood, Contamination, and Purity 24
The Apocalyptic Ritual of Lynching 37
“Lincoln and the negro and Moses and the children of Israel”:
American Millenarianism and the Burden Narrative 44
Percy Grimm: Nationalizing the Southern Apocalyptic Imaginary 48
Modernism, the Cataclysm of Meaning, and the Possibility of
Revelation 51
Chapter 2 “Tearing Down the Temple”: Prophetic Time and
Richard Wright’s Eschatology of Resistance 61
“We git erlong widout time”:
The Ahistorical Condition of Jim Crow 66
Typology and the Apocalyptic Structure of Uncle Tom’s Children 77
Revising the Teleology:
The Possibility of Rupture, Revelation, and Rebirth 85
Conclusion: Writing New Endings 95
vi • COnTenTS
PART II
Chapter 3 “Some Say Ain’t No Earthly Explanation”:
Excavating the Apocalyptic Landscape of
Randall Kenan’s Tims Creek 101
Tims Creek and the Eschatology of Place 104
Apocalypse as Alternative Discursive Space 111
The Possibility of Revelation: Excavating Apocalypse 120
The Uses of the Past 128
Chapter 4 “An’t It Time the Lord Did Something?”:
Vindication and the Practices of Place in
Bastard Out of Carolina 130
The Limits and Restraints of Southern Spaces 133
The Boatwrights’ Attempts at Narrative Resistance 138
The Alternative Narrative Space of Apocalypse 145
Epilogue A pocalypse South, Redux—
Searching for Meaning after the Flood 154
“Playing the Blame Game”:
Condemnation and Scapegoating after the Flood 156
Katrina and the (African) American Jeremiad 160
The Possibility of Revelation and Renewal 162
Justice, Deliverance, and Resistance 168
Bibliography 173
Index 182
Acknowledgments
During the years that I’ve been thinking about the questions and problems
addressed in this book, I’ve been fortunate to belong to several intellectu-
ally rich communities and to have the friendship, guidance, and support of
many kind, smart people. Without their generosity, insight, advice, men-
toring, feedback, poking, prodding, and cajoling, this book would not exist.
At Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina: I owe particular
debts to Bernie Dunlap and Talmage Skinner, as well as the late John
Cobb and Larry McGehee. The department of American Studies at the
University of Alabama helped begin my career as a scholar and teacher;
in particular, Stacy Morgan is due much appreciation. At LSU, the mem-
bers of my dissertation committee—Brannon Costello, Edward Hender-
son, Katherine Henninger, Jerry Kennedy, and Rick Moreland—provided
exceptionally useful comments on the earliest versions of this project;
thanks also to Anna Nardo, who did more to improve the quality of my
writing than any one since elementary school. No dissertation advisor
could have been more gracious with his time than John Lowe: over the last
eight years, he has shepherded this project though all of its many stages,
beginning with an essay written for his “Native Sons/Native Daughters”
seminar in 2004. I’m also grateful for the support, friendship, and thought-
ful discussion provided by all of my LSU colleagues and tailgate team—in
particular, Courtney George, Scott Gage, and Scott Whiddon. From my
time at Georgia Tech: thanks to my fellow Brittain Fellows Jürgen Grandt,
Matt Paproth, Jen Parrott, and Nirmal Trivedi. Thanks also to the entire
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crew from Success Programs (now the Success Center), particularly Eric
Moschella for his friendship and guidance.
For the last two years, I’ve had been humbled by the generosity, com-
mitment, and vision of my colleagues in the Honors College at George
Mason University—simply the best team I’ve ever joined. Particular
thanks to our fearless leader and dean Zofia Burr, who took a chance on
me and then made it possible for me to take this project across the finish
line. Much appreciation to my great and wonderful students, who never
cease to challenge and impress me.
I owe a singular and strange debt to my friend Mason Brown. Eight
years ago, he made a compilation CD (when one still did such things), filled
with strange and creepy blues, gospel, and folk tunes. He called it “Apoca-
lypse Southern,” and everything began when I played it.
Many thanks to the great team at The Ohio State University Press—
Sandy Crooms, Eugene O’Connor, and Ed Hatton.
My greatest debts, of course, are owed to the members of my family; I
was born into a family in which love, encouragement, and thoughtful dis-
cussion were the norm, and then, I had the good fortune to I marry into
another one. Thanks to my parents, Nancy and Anthony, and my siblings,
Paul and Emily, for supporting me throughout my career – and for not
blinking when I told them I’d likely be in school for all of my 20s; thanks
to my parents-in-law, John and Len, for their support – and for not blink-
ing when their daughter brought home someone who’d been in school for
all of his 20s. Finally: Kate, I could not have done this without your love,
patience, and encouragement—I’m lucky and grateful to have you as my
partner. Cora, I hope that one day you’ll read this, understand what I was
doing on my laptop all those nights, and maybe even enjoy it. In the mean-
time, though, please don’t color in this book.
The Great Question before us is: Are we doomed? The Great
Question before us is: Will the Past Release us? The Great
Question before us is: Can we Change? In Time? And we all
desire that Change will come.
—Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika.
Act I, Scene 1.