Table Of ContentFaulker and the Great
Depression: Aesthetics,
Ideology, and Cultural
Politics
Ted Atkinson
The University of Georgia Press
faulkner and the great depression
ted atkinson
Faulkner and the
Great Depression
Aesthetics, Ideology, and Cultural Politics
TheUniversityofGeorgiaPress|AthensandLondon
©2006byTheUniversityofGeorgiaPress
Athens,Georgia30602
Allrightsreserved
DesignedbyMindyBasingerHill
SetinSabonbyBookcomp,Inc.
PrintedandboundbyThomson-Shore
Thepaperinthisbookmeetstheguidelinesfor
permanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeon
ProductionGuidelinesforBookLongevityofthe
CouncilonLibraryResources.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
09 08 07 06 05 c 5 4 3 2 1
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Atkinson,Ted,1967–
FaulknerandtheGreatDepression:aesthetics,
ideology,andculturalpolitics/TedAtkinson.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn-13:978-0-8203-2750-1(alk.paper)
isbn-10:0-8203-2750-6(alk.paper)
1.Faulkner,William,1897–1962—Knowledge—
History. 2.Literatureandhistory—UnitedStates—
History—20thcentury. 3.Faulkner,William,
1897–1962—Politicalandsocialviews. 4.Literature
andsociety—UnitedStates—History—20thcentury.
5.Socialproblemsinliterature. 6.Depressionsin
literature. 7.Historyinliterature. I.Title.
ps3511.a86z5872005
813'.52—dc22 2005014070
BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataavailable
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
ListofAbbreviations xi
introduction
PlacementandPerspective:Faulknerandthe
GreatDepression 1
chapter one
HistoryandCulture:FaulknerinPoliticalContext 16
chapter two
DecadenceandDispossession:Faulknerandthe
“LiteraryClassWar” 55
vi Contents
chapter three
PowerbyDesign:Faulknerandthe
SpecterofFascism 115
chapter four
RevolutionandRestraint:Faulkner’s
AmbivalentAgrarianism 173
conclusion
DestructionandReconstruction:Faulkner’sCivilWar
andthePoliticsofRecovery 221
Notes 237
Bibliography 247
Index 261
Acknowledgments
AsIhavecometorealizeinmystudyofliterature,theproduction
ofabookinvolvesmuchmorethanthesolitaryexperienceofwriting.A
widerangeofinfluencesactsonanauthorbeforeandduringthewriting
process to make the work possible. Bearing that in mind, I want to ac-
knowledge those who have helped in myriad ways to bring this book to
light.
First of all, I owe a debt of gratitude to the dedicated teachers who
fosteredmyloveoflanguage,literature,andhistoryovertheyears.Betty
Simmons, Joan King, Ted Ownby, and Jack Barbera immediately come
tomindwhenIthinkofinfluentialteachers.DoreenFowlergavememy
first tour of Yoknapatawpha while I was enrolled in her undergraduate
course on Faulkner at Ole Miss. It was nothing short of an epiphany
vii
viii Acknowledgments
to discover Mississippi’s eighty-third county. Jay Watson continued the
tour,demonstratinganenthusiasmforFaulknerandforteachingthatstill
servesasamodeltomeinmyresearchandpedagogy.
I have benefited greatly from the advice of readers at various stages
in the writing process. Without the initial guidance and the continued
support of Panthea Reid, this book simply would not have been possi-
ble. I also wish to thank Richard C. Moreland and Patrick McGee for
their careful reading and thoughtful responses in the early going. Susan
Donaldson’sinsightfulcommentsandsuggestionshelpedmetodefinethe
scope of this project more clearly and thus to improve its consistency. I
appreciate as well her collegiality and kind words of support during my
search for stable ground in academia. I also wish to thank Philip Cohen
for his careful reading and constructive criticism during the review and
revisionphase.Hisadvicehelpedmetosharpentheinterdisciplinaryfocus
ofthisstudy.HughRuppersburgsteppedinasareaderlateinthegame,
andIamgratefulforhistimeandeffortatacrucialstage.JeanéeLedoux
is an extraordinary copyeditor. Her attention to detail and diagnosis of
my “not only...but also” disease enabled my manuscript to become
morereaderfriendly.
The scholarly community in Faulkner studies has been a valuable re-
source. Along the way, Faulkner scholars have offered intellectual stim-
ulation, inspiration, and encouragement—sometimes knowingly, some-
times not. I want to thank the Faulkner Journal for publishing an essay
thatIrevisedandincorporatedintochapter1.TheWilliamFaulknerSoci-
etyandtheFaulknerandYoknapatawphaConferencegavemeopportu-
nitiestopresentmaterialassociatedwiththisprojectandtoreceiveuseful
feedbackfromotherFaulknerians.IamgratefultoAnneGoodwynJones
andKevinRaileyfortheirgenuineexpressionsofinterestandencourage-
ment.ThescholarlycontributionsofJohnMatthews,EricSundquist,and
RichardGoddentothefieldofFaulknerstudieshavebeensoinfluential
thatIconsiderthemexofficioadvisers.
WorkingwiththestaffattheUniversityofGeorgiaPresshasbeenade-
light. I appreciate Nancy Grayson’s enthusiastic response to this project
Acknowledgments ix
from the outset and her always prompt, thorough, and straightforward
mannerofkeepingmepostedandrespondingtoquestions.Ialsowishto
thankJonDavies,anexceptionalprojecteditor,SandraHudson,Patrick
Allen,JohnMcLeod,AndrewBerzanskis,andJaneKobresfortheircour-
tesy,creativity,andprofessionalismindealingwithafirst-timer.
OvertheyearsIhavebeenfortunatetoworkwithmanywonderfulpeo-
ple.WhenIreflectontheprocessofwritingthisbook,Irealizejusthow
instrumentaltheyhavebeen.TheLSUcrew—AndreaAdolph,MegWat-
sonBarrett,Anne-MarieThomas,ChristineCleveland,andJudiKemerait
Livingston—hasprovidedmuchsupport,firstasgraduateschoolcohorts
and now as longtime friends. Lillie Johnson, chair of the Department of
Languages,Literature,andCommunicationsatAugustaStateUniversity,
gave me a port in the storm so that I could finish this project. For that
I am more grateful than words can express. Mary McCormack, Grace
Heck, and Betty House are kind and wise mentors to the junior faculty,
and I appreciate their always taking the time to ask, “How’s the book
coming?” Christina Heckman and Christie Launius are ideal colleagues
andthebestoffriends.
Imustacknowledgethesupportoffamilyandmy“family.”Myparents
both work with numbers, and so I am all the more grateful to them for
acceptingmyloveofwordsandfornotmakingtoomuchofafusswhenI
actedonitbyshiftingprofessionalgearsdramatically.CarolineLangston
Jarboehasbeenaconstantsourceofwisdom,grace,andhumorinmylife.
Sheis,intheimmortalwordsofE.B.White,thatrarestofcombinations:
“a true friend and a good writer.” To the “ka-tet” in Augusta and to
PeterConroy,thanksforaskingaboutthebookandthenhelpingtotake
my mind off of it. I offer my heartfelt appreciation to Douglas Joubert
forthemanyvotesofconfidenceandrecognitionsofachievementduring
anuncertainbutultimatelytransformativejourney.Finally,Iamgrateful
to Grant Williams for helping me to reach the end of this book and to
imagineanewbeginning.
Description:?“Remarkably, writes Ted Atkinson, ?“during a period roughly corresponding to the Great Depression, Faulkner wrote the novels and stories most often read, taught, and examined by scholars. This is the first comprehensive study to consider his most acclaimed works in the context of those hard tim
