Date of Award

Spring 2000

Document Type

Legacy Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

English

College

College of Humanities and Fine Arts

First Advisor

Paul Rice

Abstract/Description

Because there has never been an adequate literary theory created to define Southern literature, critics often debate what makes a work or author Southern. I have looked at previous theories and, from these, created what I believe is an adequate Southern literary theory. Four major point make up my theory; in Southern literature there is a sense of the defeated nation, an oral tradition, a cultural struggle among race and class, and a sense of boundaries. I have also decided to test my theory on an author whose Southern status is currently being debated, Kate Chopin. Because she is from Missouri, even though her writing is set in Louisiana, many critics feels she is not a Southern author. Using my literary theory, I believe I can probe that her work makes her a Southern author.

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