Augustus+Baldwin+Longstreet



__The Savvy Southerner__ by Bitterpeas

Augustus Baldwin Longstreet was born in the year 1790 and lived a very inspiring life until the year 1870. He was a graduate of Yale, which can only be proven by his outstanding literary works as well as his many influential aspects of his writing. He was not a human who began writing straight out of college, but was one with many talents. He began his travels as a circuit judge, and without that job he probably would not have learned and experienced so much of the world. That one job secured his outstanding future in the writing world. Augustus was talented, influential, intelligent, and was granted having the ability to change the world. His writing was one of the most influential of the antebellum period.; he tread a path that would later be taken by amazing authors of southern pieces known throughout the world today.

More obviously (to those who are knowledgeable of his works), he was labeled as a southern humorist. His works were hilarious and enjoyable and although the seriousness of his themes and messages were conveyed heavily with comical tone, they were still there. A unique thing about Augustus was that he was one of the only writers of the antebellum period to scribble down exactly what he saw (though marked with his own personal opinions). The choice of writing in the genre of fiction gave him full reign to write exactly what he wanted without fear of being judged for his opinions on serious matters. He also illustrated in some of his stories to add even more humor to an already thick, humor filled tone.

He developed a sense of “personal voice” through his writing. Everything was matchless, including his ways of using incorrect, grammatical skills. His spelling was idiosyncratic and he displayed that in his non-edited and non-proofread, first edition of his famous work, Georgia Scenes. There was much controversy over the topic of his “mad” technical writing skills. Some thought that each error represented an unintelligible author with no talent streaming through his veins, others defended his writing and said that it added character. The mood of the story was carried by his mistakes, and in itself, created its own character. Without that touch, the stories would have lost a certain appeal to readers who wanted a specific light cast upon his stories.

Another controversial topic brought up by his writing was his views on poor white citizens. Almost every significant southern author during that time had a negative view towards poor whites (or the “plain white folk”) because they were considered, by many in society, scum or lower than scum. Augustus was very aware of the fact that they were poor, but he respected them because no one is obsolete: each individual holds a value to the way things run, and without them, things would stray far from reality.

The more well known authors who were inspired by Longstreet were authors such as Joel Chandler Harris and Mark Twain. Each of those authors picked up a piece of Longstreet’s style and carried it on through their southern writing. He was very influential, not only because of his intelligence, but because of his awareness of the world. He saw things that many people saw, but glanced at life through a clearer lens. The negative subjects of society, in some people’s opinion, were brushed aside because people thought that it had to have faults. Longstreet tried to represent the group who was willing to change a society into an ideal society. Longstreet wanted to lead people into establishing an impeccable, agricultural society that was lead by a dedicated and educated human. During the antebellum, most southerners were ready to leave the union because of its advancing, technological changes. His views on society appealed to many because of that aspect.

Without his cunning way with words, or perpetual knowledge he never would have influenced well-known authors to begin writing in the famous way they do. Southern literature is not just about the way the people talked or acted, it is about the faults and the people who tried to change them. Augustus changed many people’s opinions on society back then because of his tone, style, and personal voice. He (his work as well) is a genuine example of what southern authors, and southern literature, should represent.

Keller, Mark. "Augustus Baldwin Longstreet 1790-1870." __Documenting the American South__. 10 May 2008. 10 May 2008 <[|http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/longstreet/bio.html>.]

King, Kimball. __Augustus Baldwin Longstreet__. 1st ed. Boston, Massachusetts : Twayne Publishers, 1984.

Longstreet, Augustus. __Augustus Baldwin Longstreet's Georgia Scenes completed__. 1st ed. New York City: University of Georgia Press, 1998.

Longstreet, Augustus. __Georgia Scenes__. 1st ed. New York City: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1840.

Rachels, David. "Augustus Baldwin Longstreet 1790-1870." __The New Georgia Encyclopedia__. 2004. Georgia Humanities Council and University of Georgia Press. 14 May 2008 <[|http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1235&hl=y>.

Wade, John. __Augustus Baldwin Longstreet: A Study of the Development of Culture in the South__. 1st ed. New York City: The Macmillan Company, 1924.