Fugitives
Encyclopedia
The Fugitives were a group of poets and literary scholars who came together at Vanderbilt University
in Nashville, Tennessee
, United States
, around 1920. They published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works. Although its published life was brief, The Fugitive is considered to be one of the most influential publications in the history of American letters. The Fugitives made Vanderbilt a fountainhead of the New Criticism
, the dominant mode of textual analysis in English during the first half of the twentieth century.
The group was also remarkable for the number of its members whose works would claim a permanent place in the literary canon. Many were also influential teachers of literature. Among the most notable Fugitives were John Crowe Ransom
, Allen Tate
, Merrill Moore
, Donald Davidson
, William Ridley Wills
, and Robert Penn Warren
. In "The Briar Patch", Robert Penn Warren provided a look at the life of an exploited black in urban America."The Briar Patch" was a defence both of segregation, and of the doctrine of "separate but equal," enshrined by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Less closely associated were the critic Cleanth Brooks
and the poet Laura Riding
.
The Fugitives partly overlapped with a later group, also associated with Vanderbilt, called the Agrarians
.
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...
in Nashville, Tennessee
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, around 1920. They published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works. Although its published life was brief, The Fugitive is considered to be one of the most influential publications in the history of American letters. The Fugitives made Vanderbilt a fountainhead of the New Criticism
New Criticism
New Criticism was a movement in literary theory that dominated American literary criticism in the middle decades of the 20th century. It emphasized close reading, particularly of poetry, to discover how a work of literature functioned as a self-contained, self-referential aesthetic...
, the dominant mode of textual analysis in English during the first half of the twentieth century.
The group was also remarkable for the number of its members whose works would claim a permanent place in the literary canon. Many were also influential teachers of literature. Among the most notable Fugitives were John Crowe Ransom
John Crowe Ransom
John Crowe Ransom was an American poet, essayist, magazine editor, and professor.-Life:...
, Allen Tate
Allen Tate
John Orley Allen Tate was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1943 to 1944.-Life:...
, Merrill Moore
Merrill Moore
-Biography:Moore attended Nashville's Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of the Fugitives, a group of then unknown poets who met to read and criticize each other's poems...
, Donald Davidson
Donald Davidson (poet)
Donald Grady Davidson was a U.S. poet, essayist, social and literary critic, and author...
, William Ridley Wills
William Ridley Wills
William Ridley Wills, born 1897, was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and a member of the Fugitive literary group. He worked for the Memphis Press, Memphis Evening Appeal, and the Nashville Banner newspapers before leaving for New York to become the editor for the New York World. He served in...
, and Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the influential literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935...
. In "The Briar Patch", Robert Penn Warren provided a look at the life of an exploited black in urban America."The Briar Patch" was a defence both of segregation, and of the doctrine of "separate but equal," enshrined by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Less closely associated were the critic Cleanth Brooks
Cleanth Brooks
Cleanth Brooks was an influential American literary critic and professor. He is best known for his contributions to New Criticism in the mid-twentieth century and for revolutionizing the teaching of poetry in American higher education...
and the poet Laura Riding
Laura Riding
Laura Jackson was an American poet, critic, novelist, essayist and short story writer.- Early life :...
.
The Fugitives partly overlapped with a later group, also associated with Vanderbilt, called the Agrarians
Southern Agrarians
The Southern Agrarians were a group of twelve American writers, poets, essayists, and novelists, all with roots in the Southern United States, who joined together to write a pro-Southern agrarian manifesto, a...
.
External links
- "Vanderbilt's Fugitive poets featured in PBS special to air on WDCN", Vanderbilt University.
- "The Fugitives", Rhodes College.