Wandering the South:

Literary Excursions through Southern Literature

When I returned to the South after almost twenty years in South Texas and after a

career as a professor and scholar of 19th-century American literature, I set myself the

task of reading Southern literature. Going where my whims took me, picking up books

recommended by family and friends, I am trying to get at what makes Southern

literature “Southern.” By considering natural, social, and spiritual ecologies, I am coming

to some understanding and appreciation of the South’s voices.

There is no route I follow, no end in sight; I just travel where I like and think my own

quirky thoughts. I began this excursion, of course, with William Faulkner. I had taken a

course on Faulkner taught by Floyd Watkins in graduate school, the semester after my

son was born. I remember rocking the baby in the wee hours and reading Faulkner, the

writer’s indelible voice rocking me through the night. Next, I read Eudora Welty, the

other great Mississippi writer, feeling the atmospheres of her stories. I rounded out the

trio of great Mississippi writers by diving into Richard Wrght’s stories and autobiography.

These three writers grounded my investigations and set me off on themes that become

signposts of the Southern literary road.

I invite you to follow along with me on this journey of exploration.