Alfred Leland Crabb
Encyclopedia
Alfred Leland Crabb was an American author of historical novel
s.
, George Peabody College (today a part of Vanderbilt University
), the University of Chicago
, and Columbia University
. He received his Ph.D.
in 1925 from Peabody. In 1911 he married Bertha Gardner. They had one son.
Interspersed with the years of his formal education, he was teacher and later principal at several rural schools in Kentucky and Louisiana
. After receiving his doctorate, he taught at what is now Western Kentucky University
, where he soon became dean
. In 1927 Peabody president Bruce Payne invited Crabb back to Peabody, where he became professor of education, retiring in 1949. Crabb assumed the editorship of the Peabody Journal of Education in 1932, a position he retained until 1970. For this publication, and for the Peabody Reflector, he wrote hundreds of articles, essays, editorials, and poems.
Crabb was a colorful personality. Memoirs of him attest that he always wore a coat, and carried a scratch pad and stubby pencil he carried in his pocket. While teaching at Peabody in the 1940s, the typist for his manuscripts was a student, future Playboy
centerfold Bettie Page
. On October 16, 1972, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce saluted Dr. Crabb as "student-educator-editor-author and goodwill ambassador and Nashville
civic leader for more than half a century."
, and Breakfast at The Hermitage. The historical sites and traditional southern meals of their titles reflect Crabb's interest in the southern way of life in Nashville during the last half of the 19th century. These three novels span from the eve of the Civil War
to 1897, the date of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition
, and depict a period of upheaval for the city, state, and nation. Almost as popular as Crabb's Nashville trilogy was the Civil War trilogy that followed: Lodging at the Saint Cloud, A Mockingbird Sang at Chickamauga, and Home to Tennessee.
Southern food, folk music, tall tales, and detailed descriptions of Tennessee's flora and fauna are the hallmarks of Crabb's writing. Two of his most colorful creations, a nameless driver and his sidekick, College Grove (named for his place of nativity), impart a wide variety of southern and rural folklore and music.
Like many historical novelists of his time, Crabb adopted an old-fashioned style. Though writing in the modern era, he shared the values of the pre-modern society he described. His works featured everything that modernism lacked: continuity, certainty, and closure. Most importantly, Crabb revealed his pre-modernist sensibilities in the power he gave his characters to shape events rather than be shaped by them. His protagonists always viewed their lot as meaningful fate, never as random happenstance.
In addition to the Nashville and Civil War trilogies, he authored Journey to Nashville: A Story of the Founding, in which he described the adventures of the Wataugan
parties on their trek through the wilderness and waters of Tennessee to establish the settlement first called Fort Nashborough
. Home to the Hermitage, a novel about Andrew
and Rachel Jackson
toward the end of her life, was dramatized and presented on the Cavalcade of America
radio program in 1948. He wrote two books about his native state, Home to Kentucky: A Novel of Henry Clay
in 1953, and "Peace at Bowling Green" (1955)a story of a community from the pioneer times of 1803 to the end of the Civil War. In Nashville: Personality of a City (1960) he described the various people, places, and subjects for which he had demonstrated a fondness in his fictional work. http://www.wku.edu/Library/dlsc/ua/people/crabbcoll.html http://www.cultsirens.com/page/page.htm http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=C159
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s.
Life History
Crabb was the son of James Wade, a farmer, and Annie Arbuckle Crabb. He spent his elementary years in a one-room school at Plum Springs. In 1906, he embarked on an academic career and was subsequently educated at Bethel CollegeBethel College
Bethel College can refer to:* Bethel College * Bethel College * Bethel College * Bethel University , called Bethel College until 2004* Bethel University , called Bethel College until 2009...
, George Peabody College (today a part of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
), the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1925 from Peabody. In 1911 he married Bertha Gardner. They had one son.
Interspersed with the years of his formal education, he was teacher and later principal at several rural schools in Kentucky and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. After receiving his doctorate, he taught at what is now Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
, where he soon became dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
. In 1927 Peabody president Bruce Payne invited Crabb back to Peabody, where he became professor of education, retiring in 1949. Crabb assumed the editorship of the Peabody Journal of Education in 1932, a position he retained until 1970. For this publication, and for the Peabody Reflector, he wrote hundreds of articles, essays, editorials, and poems.
Crabb was a colorful personality. Memoirs of him attest that he always wore a coat, and carried a scratch pad and stubby pencil he carried in his pocket. While teaching at Peabody in the 1940s, the typist for his manuscripts was a student, future Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
centerfold Bettie Page
Bettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...
. On October 16, 1972, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce saluted Dr. Crabb as "student-educator-editor-author and goodwill ambassador and Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
civic leader for more than half a century."
Works
Crabb was best known for his trilogy of historical novels published between 1942 and 1945 that featured Nashville landmarks: Dinner at Belmont, Supper at the Maxwell HouseMaxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
, and Breakfast at The Hermitage. The historical sites and traditional southern meals of their titles reflect Crabb's interest in the southern way of life in Nashville during the last half of the 19th century. These three novels span from the eve of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
to 1897, the date of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition
Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition
The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition staged between May 1 and October 31 of 1897 in Nashville. It celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 1796, although it was a year late....
, and depict a period of upheaval for the city, state, and nation. Almost as popular as Crabb's Nashville trilogy was the Civil War trilogy that followed: Lodging at the Saint Cloud, A Mockingbird Sang at Chickamauga, and Home to Tennessee.
Southern food, folk music, tall tales, and detailed descriptions of Tennessee's flora and fauna are the hallmarks of Crabb's writing. Two of his most colorful creations, a nameless driver and his sidekick, College Grove (named for his place of nativity), impart a wide variety of southern and rural folklore and music.
Like many historical novelists of his time, Crabb adopted an old-fashioned style. Though writing in the modern era, he shared the values of the pre-modern society he described. His works featured everything that modernism lacked: continuity, certainty, and closure. Most importantly, Crabb revealed his pre-modernist sensibilities in the power he gave his characters to shape events rather than be shaped by them. His protagonists always viewed their lot as meaningful fate, never as random happenstance.
In addition to the Nashville and Civil War trilogies, he authored Journey to Nashville: A Story of the Founding, in which he described the adventures of the Wataugan
Watauga Association
The Watauga Association was a semi-autonomous government created in 1772 by frontier settlers living along the Watauga River in what is now present day Elizabethton, Tennessee...
parties on their trek through the wilderness and waters of Tennessee to establish the settlement first called Fort Nashborough
Fort Nashborough
Fort Nashborough was the stockade for the settlement that became the city of Nashville, Tennessee, USA. A reconstruction, maintained by Nashville Parks and Recreation today stands on the banks of the Cumberland River near the site of the original fort....
. Home to the Hermitage, a novel about Andrew
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and Rachel Jackson
Rachel Jackson
Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson, born Rachel Donelson, was the wife of the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson....
toward the end of her life, was dramatized and presented on the Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...
radio program in 1948. He wrote two books about his native state, Home to Kentucky: A Novel of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
in 1953, and "Peace at Bowling Green" (1955)a story of a community from the pioneer times of 1803 to the end of the Civil War. In Nashville: Personality of a City (1960) he described the various people, places, and subjects for which he had demonstrated a fondness in his fictional work. http://www.wku.edu/Library/dlsc/ua/people/crabbcoll.html http://www.cultsirens.com/page/page.htm http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=C159