"Any Time You Quit Hearin Sir and Mam the End Is Pretty Much in Sight": The Code of Civility in Southern Literature
Location
Beaman A&B
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
24-9-2012 1:00 PM
Description
One of the defining characteristics of Southern culture and its literature is its emphasis on manner. Southern manners may account for our charm and they certainly provide a sense of unity and social stability. However, Southern manner is a complex system of social codes that can also be limiting and destructive. William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Cormac McCarthy consider the paradox inherent within the Southern code of civility. Each suggests that while Southern manners may provide both social and moral structure, especially in times of social turmoil, they can also be a tool of the privileged that can destroy both those who embrace civility and those who challenge it.
Recommended Citation
Trout, Sue, ""Any Time You Quit Hearin Sir and Mam the End Is Pretty Much in Sight": The Code of Civility in Southern Literature" (2012). Humanities Symposium. 31.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2012/2012/31
"Any Time You Quit Hearin Sir and Mam the End Is Pretty Much in Sight": The Code of Civility in Southern Literature
Beaman A&B
One of the defining characteristics of Southern culture and its literature is its emphasis on manner. Southern manners may account for our charm and they certainly provide a sense of unity and social stability. However, Southern manner is a complex system of social codes that can also be limiting and destructive. William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Cormac McCarthy consider the paradox inherent within the Southern code of civility. Each suggests that while Southern manners may provide both social and moral structure, especially in times of social turmoil, they can also be a tool of the privileged that can destroy both those who embrace civility and those who challenge it.
Comments
Convo: AL