Date of Award
12-2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
History
Committee Chair/Advisor
Anderson, Paul C
Committee Member
Grubb , Alan
Committee Member
Andrew , Rod
Abstract
This thesis examines the life of Donald Grady Davidson (1893-1968) and the forces - external and internal - that drove him to contribute to I'll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition, in 1930 and remain an avid apologist for Southern Agrarianism for the remainder of his life. Davidson, who began his literary career as a devotee of modernism, opposed much of his native culture yet suddenly changed directions around 1925 and embraced the distinctiveness of his Southern heritage. This thesis argues that events surrounding the Scopes Trial in 1925 caused Davidson to reevaluate his position on the South and on Southern culture. As he saw it, modernism was unable to produce or sustain true art. Since he held art to be foundational to any vibrant society, he sought a culture that could support art. In his mind, the Agrarian South represented the best option the modern world had remaining to perpetuate a healthy view of art and culture.
Recommended Citation
Sisk, Michael, "THE COURAGE AND ENDURANCE TO REMAIN IN HIS OWN COUNTRY AND FIGHT THE BATTLE OUT: DONALD DAVIDSON AND THE SOUTH, 1893-1968" (2008). All Theses. 496.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/496