The Burden of Time

Book excerpt: Two groups which originated in Nashville: Tennessee, in the early 1920's had a strong influence on American letters. Known as the "Fugitives" and “Agrarian,” they included, among others, John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Donald Davidson and Merrill Moore. This study of their contributions is, as R.W.B. Lewis has written, “a searching, supple, and most of the time brilliantly precise account of thee writing, ideas, and attitudes of several of this century’s most interesting men of letters. The book achieves a kind of finality in the handling of its subject.” Mr. Stewart concentrates on the ideas, styles, themes, and widespread influence of the two groups, rather than on historical data. He illuminates the literature produced within this particular historical and geographical context. Originally published in 1965. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.