American Audacity: Literary Essays North and South (Writers on Writing)

One of the foremost critics in contemporary American letters, Christopher Benfey has long been known for his brilliant and incisive essays. Appearing in such publications as the New York Review of Books , the New Republic , and the Times Literary Supplement , Benfey's writings have helped us reimagine the American literary canon. In American Audacity , Benfey gathers his finest writings on eminent American authors (including Emerson, Dickinson, Whitman, Millay, Faulkner, Frost, and Welty), bringing to his subjects---as the New York Times Book Review has said of his earlier work---"a scholar's thoroughness, a critic's astuteness and a storyteller's sense of drama." Although Benfey's interests range from art to literature to social history, this collection focuses on particular American writers and the various ways in which an American identity and culture inform their work. Broken into three sections, "Northerners," "Southerners," and "The Union Reconsidered," American Audacity explores a variety of canonical works, old (Emerson, Dickinson, Millay, Whitman), modern (Faulkner, Dos Passos), and more contemporary (Gary Snyder, E. L. Doctorow). Christopher Benfey is the author of numerous highly regarded books, including Emily Dickinson: Lives of a Poet ; The Double Life of Stephen Crane ; Degas in New Orleans: Encounters in the Creole World of Kate Chopin and George Washington Cable ; and, most recently, The Great Wave: Gilded Age Misfits, Japanese Eccentrics, and the Opening of Old Japan ; and A Summer of Hummingbirds . Benfey's poems have appeared in the Paris Review , Pequod , and Ploughshares . He has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. Currently he is Mellon Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College. "A gifted literary historian and critic." --- The New York Review of Books "Longer than book reviews and shorter than lengthy reappraisals of a poet or critic, the individual essays exhibit a confident, if modest, touch . . . His unadorned sentences . . . will encourage readers to buy books by the bibliographers and scholars he reviews as well as return readers to the audacious figures that comprise America's literary history." ---Larry T. Shillock, Bloomsbury Review "In its vigorous and original criticism of American writers, Christopher Benfey's American Audacities displays its own audacities on every page." ---William H. Pritchard One of the foremost critics in contemporary American letters, Christopher Benfey has long been known for his brilliant and incisive essays. Appearing in such publications as the New York Review of Books, the New Republic, and the Times Literary Supplement, Benfey's writings have helped us reimagine the American literary canon. In American Audacity, Benfey gathers his finest writings on eminent American authors (including Emerson, Dickinson, Whitman, Millay, Faulkner, Frost, and Welty), bringing to his subjects---as the New York Times Book Review has said of his earlier work---'a scholar's thoroughness, a critic's astuteness and a storyteller's sense of drama.'Although Benfey's interests range from art to literature to social history, this collection focuses on particular American writers and the various ways in which an American identity and culture inform their work. Broken into three sections,'Northerners,''Southerners,'and'The Union Reconsidered,'American Audacity explores a variety of canonical works, old (Emerson, Dickinson, Millay, Whitman), modern (Faulkner, Dos Passos), and more contemporary (Gary Snyder, E. L. Doctorow). Christopher Benfey is the author of numerous highly regarded books, including Emily Dickinson: Lives of a Poet; The Double Life of Stephen Crane; Degas in New Orleans: Encounters in the Creole World of Kate Chopin and George Washington Cable; and, most recently, The Great Wave: Gilded Age Misfits, Japanese Eccentrics, and the Opening of Old Japan. Benfey's poems have appeared in the Paris Review, Pequod, and Ploughshares. He has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. Currently he is Mellon Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College.'In its vigorous and original criticism of American writers, Christopher Benfey's American Audacity displays its own audacities on every page.'---William H. Pritchard One of the foremost critics in contemporary American letters, Christopher Benfey has long been known for his brilliant and incisive essays. Appearing in such publications as theNew York Review of Books, theNew Republic, and theTimes Literary Supplement, Benfey's writings have helped us reimagine the American literary canon. InAmerican Audacity, Benfey gathers his finest writings on eminent American authors (including Emerson, Dickinson, Whitman, Millay, Faulkner, Frost, and Welty), bringing to his subjects---as theNew York Times Book Reviewhas said of his earlier work---"a scholar's thoroughness, a critic's astuteness and a storyteller's sense of drama." Although Benfey's interests range from art to literature to social history, this collection focuses on particular American writers and the various ways in which an American identity and culture inform their work. Broken into three sections, "Northerners,""Southerners," and "The Union Reconsidered,"American Audacityexplores a variety of canonical works, old (Emerson, Dickinson, Millay, Whitman), modern (Faulkner, Dos Passos), and more contemporary (Gary Snyder, E. L. Doctorow). Christopher Benfey is the author of numerous highly regarded books, includingEmily Dickinson: Lives of a Poet;The Double Life of Stephen Crane;Degas in New Orleans:Encounters in the Creole World of Kate Chopin and George Washington Cable; and, most recently,The Great Wave: Gilded Age Misfits, Japanese Eccentrics, and the Opening of Old Japan. Benfey's poems have appeared in theParis Review,Pequod, andPloughshares. He has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. Currently he is Mellon Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College. "In its vigorous and original criticism of American writers, Christopher Benfey'sAmerican Audacitydisplays its own audacities on every page."---William H. Pritchard One Of The Foremost Critics In Contemporary American Letters, Christopher Benfey Has Long Been Known For His Brilliant And Incisive Essays. Benfey's Writings Have Helped Us Reimagine The American Literary Canon. In American Audacity, Benfey Gathers His Finest Work On Eminent American Authors, Bringing To His Subjects - As The New York Times Book Review Has Said Of His Earlier Work - A Scholar's Thoroughness, A Critic's Astuteness And A Storyteller's Sense Of Drama. Although Benfey's Interests Range From Art To Literature To Social History, This Collection Focuses On Particular American Writers And The Various Ways In Which An American Identity And Culture Inform Their Work.--jacket. Northerners -- Emerson At Age Two Hundred -- Hawthorne's Smile -- Longfellow Lives Again -- The Mystery Of Emily Dickinson -- The Convert (emma Lazarus) -- Dark Darker Darkest (robert Frost) -- Flawed Perfection (edna St. Vincent Millay) -- Deserters (john Dos Passos) -- Covering Her Century (martha Gellhorn) -- The Critter Poet (gary Snyder) -- Lowell's Curse -- Southerners -- The Ding-dong Of Doom (william Faulkner) -- The War Between The Tates (allen Tate) -- The Family Man (james Agee) -- Love In The Ruins (walker Percy) -- A Sense Of Place (eudora Welty) -- Poet In The Sun Belt (randall Jarrell) -- The Union Reconsidered -- American Jeremiad -- Patriotic Gore -- Friends By Chance. Christopher Benfey. Includes Bibliographical References. Contents 6 Introduction 8 Part I: Northerners 16 Emerson at Age Two Hundred 18 Hawthorne’s Smile 27 Longfellow Lives Again 36 The Mystery of Emily Dickinson 42 The Convert (Emma Lazarus) 61 Dark Darker Darkest (Robert Frost) 74 Flawed Perfection (Edna St. Vincent Millay) 87 Deserters ( John Dos Passos) 100 Covering Her Century (Martha Gellhorn) 112 The Critter Poet (Gary Snyder 123 Lowell’s Curse 133 Part II: Southerners 140 The Ding-Dong of Doom (William Faulkner) 142 The War between the Tates (Allen Tate) 154 The Family Man ( James Agee) 169 Love in the Ruins (Walker Percy) 180 A Sense of Place (Eudora Welty) 188 Poet in the Sun Belt (Randall Jarrell) 203 American Jeremiad 218 Patriotic Gore 231 Friends by Chance 242 Acknowledgments 254 9780472116263 Focuses on some of America's literary masters. This collection focuses on particular American writers and the various ways in which an American identity and culture inform their work. It explores a variety of canonical works, old (Emerson, Dickinson, Whitman), modern (Faulkner, Dos Passos), and more contemporary (Gary Snyder, E L Doctorow).

from One Of America's Preeminent Critics And Essayists, A New Book In The Series Writers On Writing Casts New Light On Some Of America's Literary Masters