Written by James Kibler Jr., professor emeritus of English in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the book contrasts American writing outside the South, which attacked or consciously undermined the classics, with a Southern literature that staunchly adhered to the eternal verities of the classical tradition.
The work treats both major and minor Southern writers throughout four centuries.
“If I were to teach my courses in Southern and American literature again today I would use the thesis unfolded in this volume as the organizing principle of the surveys,” said Kibler. “My former students over a period of 39 years may use the book as the latest chapter in my teaching of them.”
The Classical Origins of Southern Literature can be purchased online from barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.