Cradle of the Copperheads

Cradle of the Copperheads

This fictional memoir chronicles Depression-era corruption, an artist's inner conflicts, and the author's own uneasy relationship with the public school system This autobiographical epic comes from an early manuscript penned while Stuart attended Vanderbilt (1931-32) to study under the Agrarians. Some 900 pages long and thus unpublishable, it has been carefully edited and chronologically sorted. The result is a posthumous novel that displays Stuart's enduring literary tenets: ambling plot, rural idiom and folkways, earthy characters, smalltown and country scenes, and the artful use of poetry in prose narrative. Stuart's own conflicts are seen in protagonist Shan Stringer's fiery passion to write and economic necessity to farm. A work that offers biting satire, rich irony, and a long gaze at Stuart's maturation. Edward C. Lynskey , Documentation, Atlantic Research Corp., Alexandria, Va. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.