Harry Crews Criticism
Harry Crews, an American novelist and essayist, is renowned for his exploration of human faith and spiritual deficiency, themes that permeate his work. While his stories are often set in the American South, reflecting his intimate knowledge of the region, Crews's themes possess universal relevance. His narratives frequently feature grotesque and violent elements to probe deeper into the flawed human condition, a hallmark of Southern Gothic literature. Crews's debut novel, The Gospel Singer, is celebrated for its depiction of Southern decadence and moral corruption, as critiqued by Martin Levin and Walter Sullivan. His autobiographical work, A Childhood: The Biography of a Place, vividly captures the harsh realities of his upbringing in Georgia, demonstrating his prowess in blending personal narrative with broader societal critiques, as noted by Dawson Gaillard. Crews's novels, including A Feast of Snakes and Naked in Garden Hills, further exhibit his skill in satirizing and critiquing Southern culture, as explored in critiques by Guy Davenport and Jean Stafford. Through his compelling narratives, Crews challenges readers to confront the complexities of faith, identity, and survival in a flawed world.
Contents
- Crews, Harry (Vol. 6)
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Crews, Harry (Vol. 23)
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Reader's Report: 'The Gospel Singer'
(summary)
In the following essay, Martin Levin critiques "The Gospel Singer," emphasizing its depiction of Southern sinfulness and decadence through the character of a morally corrupt evangelist in a narrative rich with metaphorical references and dramatic elements.
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Fiction in a Dry Season: Some Signs of Hope
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In the following essay, Walter Sullivan critiques Harry Crews's novel The Gospel Singer as an ambitious yet flawed debut, praising Crews's dramatic sense and sensory detail while arguing that the book's symbolic elements are oversimplified and lack subtlety, ultimately leading to a memorable but uneven reading experience.
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'Naked in Garden Hills'
(summary)
In the following essay, Jean Stafford explores the themes of absurdity and satire in "Naked in Garden Hills," highlighting its portrayal of extreme characters and settings, and praising it as a standout work of southern Gothic fiction demonstrating Harry Crews's unique blend of humor and macabre storytelling.
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'This Thing Don't Lead to Heaven'
(summary)
In the following essay, James Boatwright criticizes Harry Crews's novel for its superficial and manipulative portrayal of characters, arguing that the author's use of irony lacks depth and fails to convey a compelling vision, ultimately resulting in a narrative devoid of the sincerity and complexity found in more skillful literary works.
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Radiant Contempt
(summary)
In the following essay, Guy Davenport argues that Harry Crews is a remarkable comic novelist whose early works, "The Gospel Singer" and "Naked in Garden Hills," demonstrate his distinctive portrayal of Southern grotesquerie, despite concerns of repetition in his subsequent novel, "This Thing Don't Lead to Heaven."
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Briefly Noted: 'A Feast of Snakes'
(summary)
The critic highlights Harry Crews's novel A Feast of Snakes as a powerful and disturbing exploration of human monstrosity set against the grotesque backdrop of a rural Georgia festival, emphasizing the author's skill in evoking both repulsion and admiration for the protagonist.
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Rattling Good Yarn
(summary)
In the following essay, Ferdinand Mount critiques Harry Crews's novel A Feast of Snakes, arguing that while the book showcases Crews's talent in dark satire, its narrative and characters are constrained by an overpowering moral stance on America's competitive ethic, limiting the vitality and depth of its characters.
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Matters of Life and Death: The Novels of Harry Crews
(summary)
In the following essay, Allen Shepherd explores Harry Crews's novels, highlighting their blend of traditional storytelling with grotesque and violent themes, and argues that Crews's works are marked by a unique tragicomic vision that often challenges conventional moral and social expectations through their intense and unsettling narratives.
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'A Childhood: The Biography of a Place'
(summary)
In the following essay, Dawson Gaillard explores how Harry Crews's A Childhood: The Biography of a Place captures the author's early experiences of violence, cruelty, and wonder in Bacon County, Georgia, ultimately portraying the human capacity for resilience and the profound impact of community.
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Dream Books
(summary)
In the following essay, Shaun O'Connell explores Harry Crews's novels as a blend of Southern Gothic and metafiction, emphasizing their focus on freakishness and compassion, rooted in a vivid sense of place, while suggesting that Crews's work transcends his personal history to offer broader allegorical insights.
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Occasional Pieces: 'Blood and Grits'
(summary)
In the following essay, Ted Morgan critiques the transition of Harry Crews's magazine writings to book form, arguing that while Crews's work in magazines was engaging and adventurous, the reprinted articles in "Blood and Grits" lose their charm and expose the limitations of his style when confined within a book format.
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The Great God Blood
(summary)
In the following essay, Mark Abley argues that Harry Crews's writing, epitomized in works like Blood and Grits, is a raw portrayal of his own turbulent life, where his identity intertwines with his literary creations, reflecting a Hemingway-esque exploration of violence, discomfort, and existential grit.
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Tales from Bacon County and Beyond
(summary)
In the following essay, Allen Lacy explores Harry Crews's works "A Childhood" and "Blood and Grits," emphasizing Crews's portrayal of his formative years in a harsh Georgia environment, his subsequent cultural observations in America, and his exploration of survival and human nature through personal narrative and essays.
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Harry Crews: Man's Search for Perfection
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In the following essay, Frank W. Shelton argues that Harry Crews's novels, through their use of grotesque characters and stark settings, explore themes of human imperfection, the search for meaning and spiritual fulfillment, and the tension between body and spirit, portraying modern Southern life as devoid of sustaining traditions and spiritual truths.
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Reader's Report: 'The Gospel Singer'
(summary)