siecle pedantries of James Joyce, therninfantilism of Gertrnde Stein andrnvarious Parisian coteries—thesernfurnished the catchwords of thernclever people.rnDavidson so hated New York and all itrnrepresented that, when he drove to Vermontrnto attend the Bread Loaf every year,rnhe did his best to circumvent the city,rneven if it meant going hundreds of milesrnout of his way.rnDavidson was a merciless critic ofrnbig business; in fact, the primaryrntargets of 17/ Take My Stand are rampantrnindustrialism and materialism. In hisrncontribution to the forum, “A Mirror forrnArhsts,” Davidson worries about the influencernof big business on the productionrnand dissemination of art, which he fearedrnwould be turned into just another commodityrnto be bought and sold. “Thernleisure thus offered [by mass industrialism],”rnhe writes,rnis really no leisure at all; either it isrnpure sloth, under which the artsrntake on the character of mere entertainment,rnpurchased in boredomrnand enjoyed in utter passivity; or itrnis another kind of labor, taken uprnout of a sense of duty, pursued as arnkind of fashionable enterprise forrnwhich one’s courage must be continuallyrnwhipped up by remindersrnof one’s obligation to culture.rnThe consistency of Davidson’s politicalrnphilosophy occasionally embarrassedrnhis Vanderbilt colleagues. Winchell’srnchapter “Who Will Speak for the WhiternMan” provides the key to understandingrnwhy Davidson’s work has been largely ignored:rnHe was an unapologetic supporterrnof segregation. He did not hate blackrnpeople (as some of his less thoughtful detractorsrnhave claimed), but he believed inrnthe old system because it was all he hadrnever known. While such an arrangementrnremained in place, he reasoned, societ}’rncould maintain proper social and politicalrnorder. He was neither an agitator nor a violentrnprotester in this cause but workedrnquietiy through legitimate means, includingrncofounding the Tennessee Foundationrnfor Constitutional Government,rnwhich paid for legal aid for those who hadrnbeen arrested in public demonstrationsrnagainst forced integration.rnIf Davidson attained greatness, it wasrnprobably not as a poet but as a teacherrnand polemicist. For more than 50 yearsrnat Vanderbilt, he sowed seeds in thernminds of some of the 20th century’s finestrnpoets, novelists, and critics. The rosterrnof his students includes Robert PennrnWarren, Randall Jarrell, Jesse Stuart,rnCleanth Brooks, James Dickey, ElizabethrnSpencer, Madison Jones, Mel Bradford,rnand many others who have publiclyrnremembered their former teacher withrngreat reverence and gratitude.rnWhile most of the Agrarians eventuallyrnrenounced the beliefs expressed in I’llrnTake My Stand, embracing more fashionablern—and profitable—views, Davidsonrnremained steadfast to the end.rnWinchell’s Donald Davidson is not arncold, humorless, austere ideologue but arnman deeply in love with music, literature,rnhis wife, his state, and with his regionrnand its rich and enduring culturernand heritage. crnAmencsiiirnmmmrnSet thernPloughshare DeeprnA Prairie MemoirrnTimothy Murphyrnwith woodcuts by Charles Beckrn”This is rural wisdom, the husbandman’srnphilosophy at its most articulate,rntrenchant, and profound.”rn— Chroniclesrncloth $29.95 • paper $19.95rnThe Selected Lettersrnof Yvor WintersrnEdited by R. L. Barthrn’An excellent balance between personal andrnintellectual biography.” — Grosvenor Powellrncloth $49.95rnAt your local bookstorernor call 740/393-1158rn(Dhi la fxtrww.ohio.edu/oupressrnScott Quadrangle • Athens, Ohio 46701rnl i t e r a t u r ernThe Selected Poemsrnof Janet LewisrnEdited by R. L. Barthrn”Readers of Richard Wilbur or LouisernBogan will want to go out of their wayrnto track Lewis’s work down.”rn— Publishers Weeklyrncloth $28.95 • paper $14.95rnThe Poems ofrnJ. V. CunninghamrnEdited with introductionrnand commentary by Timothy Steelern”In the current cultural climate, thernpublication of a collected poeticalrnworks is like the recovery of a lostrnnational treasure.” —Harvard Reviewrncloth $28.95 • paper $16.95rnJANUARY 2001/29rnrnrn