William Faulkner's legacy

"Using a variety of critical techniques, Margaret Donovan Bauer offers a new avenue toward understanding the literary response to southern history. Among the most important contributions of this book is its re-examination of Faulkner's white male liberal prototype, who feels powerless to effect change and relieve the oppression of African-Americans and women in the South. Viewing such a character from the point of view of the oppressed illuminates the cowardice of these privileged men, who previously received praise for their liberal consciousness or sympathy for their frustration over their impotence. Bauer also offers a thorough reading of the main body of Ernest Gaines's canon."--Jacket.