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Lewis Simpson’s Mind and the American Civil War is a contemplative inquiry into the crucial historical relation between New England and the South. As Simpson shows, the drama of this complex and tragic connection reached its climax in the dispute over slavery, during which each region—convinced that it represented the truth of the American Republic—assumed the imperialistic character of a modern nation-state. Focused on an exploration of the thought and emotion of Jefferson and Emerson, Simpson’s study concludes with a comment on William Faulkner’s resolution of the tragic drama of New England and the South in the story of Quentin Compson.
Lewis P. Simpson is Boyd Professor and William A. Read Professor of English Literature Emeritus at Louisiana State University, where he has also served as editor of the Southern Review. He is the author of many books, including The Fable of the Southern Writer.
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