Stories of the Modern South

by Ben Forkner (Editor), Patrick Samway (Editor), Eudora Welty (Contributor)

Rich in irony, sly humor, and vivid, dramatic imagery, the literature of the modern South is a vital amalgam of a once-rural society's storytelling tradition and the painful contradictions and cultural clashes brought about by rapid change. This excellent collection includes works by Truman Capote, James Agee, William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Anne Tyler, Reynolds Price, and many others.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Southern, Historical Fiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Patrick]

"Most evenings, however, Father Müller sat by himself and read Das Kapital. He would settle deeply into the red plush base rocker and spread the volume upon a low table before him. It was an early edition in blotty black German type, stained and ragged in its leather cover, the pages falling apart, a very bible. He knew whole chapters almost by heart, and added nothing to, took nothing from, the canonical once-delivered text. I cannot say at that time of my life I had never heard of Das Kapital, but I had certainly never known anyone who had read it, though if anyone mentioned it, it was always with profound disapproval. It was not a book one had to read in order to reject it. And here was this respectable old farmer who accepted its dogma as a religion, that is to say, its legandary inapplicable precepts were just, right, proper, one must believe in them, of course, but life, everyday living, was another and unrelated thing. Father Müller was the richest man in his community; almost every neighboring farmer rented land from him, and some of them worked it on the share system. He explained this to me one evening after he had given up trying to teach me chess. He was not surprised that I could not learn, at least not in one lesson, and he was not surprised either that I knew nothing about Das Kapital. He explained his own arrangements to me thus: "These men, they cannot buy their land. The land must be bought, for Kapital owns it, and Kapital will not give it back to the worker the land that is his. Well, somehow, I can always buy land. Why? I do not know. I only knowthat with my firs land here I made good crops to buy more land, and so I rent it cheap, more than anybody else I rent it cheap, I lend money so my neighbors do not fall into the hands of the bank, and so I am not Kapital. Someday these workers, they can buy land from me, for less than they can get it anywhere else. Well, that is what I can do, that is all." He turned over a page, and his angry grey eyes looked out at me under his shaggy brows. "I buy my land with my hard work, all my life, and I rent it cheap to my neighbors, and then they say they will not elect my son-in-law, my Annetje's husband, to be sheriff because I am atheist. So then I say, all right, but next year you pay more for your land or more shares of your crops. If I am atheist I will act like one. So, my Annetje's husband is sheriff, that is all."

He put a stubby forefinger on a line to mark his place, and now he sank himself into his book, and I left quietly without saying goodnight." - Katherine Anne Porter "Holiday"

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars reflects the academic study this collection of southern short stories presents. The editors culled a broad collection of short southern stories...across time periods, across many southern settings. Authors are males and females and span 2/3 of the 20th century. I give four stars for this reason and for the fact that this collection exposes the reader to various topics and differing authors' writing styles. Famous writers such as Truman Capote, William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Anne Tyler, Alice Walker, and Eudora Welty. Possibly helpful for the creative writing student, the editors present an analysis of southern lit. This commentary is partly interesting, partly boring for the average reader.

At the 3/4 point, I created my list of favorites and comments on the works. Truthfully, some of the stories were imho confusing, boring, even depressing. I did have some favorites:

The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts
Children on Their Birthdays by Truman Capote

Here's my further breakdown/comment
"Weird but interesting stories": Good Country People (F O'Connor); "The Sojourner" (C McCullers)

"Understanding the southern personality"/"her peoples":
The Sky is Gray (E Gaines); The Fifth Generation (Hunter Kay); "Holiday" (K Porter)

Particular only in US history and most especially in the south, the 20th century presents a unique status situation never to repeat again: the hiring of black household staff, staff who were both servants and 'surrogate' parents to many white southern children. In the absence or aloofness of the white southern mother, many white children were raised by black maids, learning social protocols and behaviors from a 'parent' of another race and a poorer class. That is to say, someone who had the responsibility but not the respectability that this difficult vocation demanded. Sadly neither the adult generation nor the white children honored this calling: paying 'the help' a fair wage was unlikely, resulting in a stratified, classed society. Two stories cover this aspect: "What You Hear From 'Em?" (Peter Taylor) and "The Geologist's Maid" (Anne Tyler)

[Sierra Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is incredible! I had to read it for a Southern Renascence lit class, which is amazing in and of itself, and this book made it so much better! These writers were wild and their works were even wilder!

[Wendy Schauben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection opens the reader’s eyes to a unique time period where race and gender discrimination is rich. I am currently studying feminist criticism and I found that female stereotypes, whether the story supported or discredited them, were evident in each story. I learned from reading this collection that the author has to match the words used in a story to the time period that the story takes place in. For example, in Gaines’ “The Sky is Gray,” James says the bus “go’n be coming in a few minutes. Coming round that bend down there full speed. And I’m go’n get my handkerchief and wave it down.” The word choice illustrates that the narrator does not live in present time. In conclusion, the pieces included in the collection gave an interesting peak into life in the South in the early 1900s. My favorite stories were Capote’s “Children on their Birthdays,” and Williams’ “The Yellow Bird.”

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great selection of short stories.

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best stories in this collection are from Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. I know that's a little stereotypical of Southern writers, but it's what I enjoy.