The Center for the Study of Agriculture and Southern Literature
Much literature from the Southern United States has a strong agrarian theme, either explicit or implicit.  For example, Faulkner has agricultural content bubbling under virtually all his major novels.  This is not surprising since the agrarian tradition was dominant in the South long after the Civil War.  Further, agriculture in literature is perhaps more relevant to the South than to any other region of the U.S. because of its agricultural roots.  In fact, only the England of Thomas Hardy comes close to relationship between agriculture and literature present in the American South.  However, little literary criticism covers the role, importance, validity, and accuracy of agriculture as represented by the writers of the region.

The Center was developed (1) to consider agriculture in its role as "player" in the novels of the South--what significance does it have in literature--and (2) to use Southern literature as a means to interpret, discuss, and analyze agricultural trends and problems.  Southern literature's human characters, from the redneck hick to the worldly lawyer, and their situations can often be applied to agricultural problems facing us today--indeed, many of Southern literature's most compelling tales were agricultural in nature, or at least had agricultural roots (e.g. Sutpen's plantation building in Absalom, Absalom, or Flem Snopes' feed mill, goats, horses, etc. in The Hamlet).  Hopefully, the Center will spur discussion and thought about these issues.

The Center welcomes participants from all disciplines.

Food for thought
Do the lives of Thomas Sutpen and/or Flem Snopes offer insight into the actions of today's agricultural biotechnology industry?

The agribiotech industry's apparent need to take over all aspects of food production smacks of Flem's rise to power in Yoknapatawpha County.  Agribiotechnology also appears intent on developing products on their own, with little interest paid to traditional plant breeding--early efforts at commercializing transgenics clearly lacked any concept of breeding--and has parallels to Sutpen's single-minded goal of transforming (!) backcountry wilderness into a prosperous plantation through pure brute force.  Like the biotechnology industry today, both men operated with their own code of ethics, somewhat apart from the community as a whole.  Does Faulkner offer any lessons for the future of the agribiotech industry, in light of the ends met by both Sutpen and Snopes?

I'll explore this more when (if) I have some free time.

William Faulkner
the inspiration for the CSASL


For those new to the South, its history, culture, and grandeur, check out Ole Miss'
Center for the Study of Southern Culture

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