Agrarian Letters

Book excerpt: "John Donald Wade of Marshallville, Georgia, and Donald Davidson of Nashville, Tennessee, were lifelong friends and colleagues, dedicated to a common, passionate goal - to further the beauty and ideals of their beloved South. To that end, they participated with ten other like minds in the landmark symposium "I'll Take My Stand": The South and the Agrarian Tradition, published in 1930, just as the Great Depression was settling hard on the American experience. In this book, they took their stand against the evils of Progress, viewing the Depression as a product of its minions. Wade, who was director of graduate studies in American Literature at Vanderbilt, was introduced by Davidson, already on the faculty there, to others of the Nashville Agrarians, as the twelve Southerners were soon to be called. Later, when the campus building was burned in which Davidson and his family lodged, Wade rented to him the little "green house" in Marshallville which was adjacent to Wade's home. In the little town, Davidson spent a year that he never forget. In the environs of Marshallville, he found the true agrarian experience, human values, less hectic lifestyles, and a palpable history."--BOOK JACKET. Book jacket.