Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-193) and index.

In this analysis of Robert Penn Warren's American vision, Ruppersburg finds a fusion of idealism and pragmatism emanating from Warren's view of the country's agricultural existence and his valuation of the past. Warren's concept of the great men in America who enable the envisioning of a nation helps explain his idealism. Ruppersburg avoids a rehash of familiar Warren themes, but looks at the author's racism, the delusions underlying American civilization, the betrayal of the dream of the American West, and the civil rights movement. A comparison between the Civil War and nuclear war shows Warren's concern with the survival of the Western world. ISBN 0-8203-1215-0: $27.50.

SACFinal081324