Page:Southern Life in Southern Literature.djvu/528

This page needs to be proofread.
510
SOUTHERN LIFE IN SOUTHERN LITERATURE


PART III. THE NEW SOUTH IN LITERATURE

After the Civil War had swept away the old civilization of the South, and the Southern states had passed through the trying period of re construction in adjusting themselves to the new racial, educational, industrial, and political problems, there came to the South great indus trial prosperity. In the wake of this prosperity has come a new out burst of literary energy, surpassing the older literature in freshness and variety, and the South has come to take a more important place in the literature of the nation. This new literature has achieved more in prose than in poetry.

HUMORISTS

The writing of humorous sketches of social life which we have seen formed a conspicuous part of the literature of the old South was con tinued until the movement became merged with the writing of short stories portraying with " local color " the life of various sections.

RICHARD MALCOLM JOHNSTON

This selection is from "The Dukesborough Tales." The subtitle, "Old Times in Middle Georgia," suggests the scope of the book. It was essentially reminiscences of the "grim and rude but hearty old times in Georgia." Dukesborough was simply Powelton, Hancock County Georgia, near which the author had been born, and the characters were representative of the democratic Georgia " cracker " class.

THE GOOSEPOND SCHOOLMASTER (PAGE 303)

The selection here given is descriptive of a type of schoolmaster that was not infrequently found in the country school of the South. These schools were commonly known as "old field schools."

GEORGE WILLIAM BAGBY


JUD BROWNIN S ACCOUNT OF RUBINSTEIN S PLAYING

(PAGE 308) The speaker is supposed to be an ignorant countryman. Rubinstein: a noted Russian pianist who made a concert tour in the United States.