Land!: The Case for an Agrarian Economy

Synopsis

From a National Book Award winner, &“an indictment of a system that values accumulation, shareholder profit . . . over . . . self-sufficiency, and solidarity.&” (Robert Neuwirth, author of Stealth of Nations: The Global Rise of the Informal Economy) John Crowe Ransom's Land! is a previously unpublished work that unites the accomplished literary scholar&’s poetic sensibilities with an examination of economics at the height of the Great Depression. Politically charged with Ransom's aesthetic beliefs about literature and his agrarian interpretation of economics, Land! was long thought to have been burned by its author after he failed to find a publisher. Thankfully, the manuscript was discovered, and we are now able to read this unique and interesting contribution to the Southern Agrarian revival. After the publication of the Agrarian movement manifesto I&’ll Take My Stand in 1930, Ransom, a contributor, became convinced that the book had not adequately proposed an economic alternative to Northern industrialism, which had fairly obliterated the Southern way of life. Land! was Ransom's attempt to fill this gap. In it he presents the weaknesses inherent in capitalism and proposes instead that agrarianism, which could flourish alongside capitalism, would relieve the problems of unemployment. America, Ransom claims, is unique in offering this opportunity because, unlike in European countries, land is plentiful. &“Ransom joins Lauck in championing the values fostered by rural and small-town America. Is this just wishful thinking? Perhaps, and yet don&’t we sometimes need to step back before we can leap forward?&” —The Washington Post &“Ransom&’s affection for traditional rural culture provides an enjoyable warm streak in the book.&” —Choice &“Mr. Ransom&’s highly original argument unfolds in beautifully written prose. . . . engaging and thought-provoking.&” —George Core, retired editor of The Sewanee Review

Copyright:

2017

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

150 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780268101961

Related ISBNs:

9780268101930

Publisher:

University of Notre Dame Press

Date of Addition:

07/20/23

Copyrighted By:

the University of Notre Dame

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.

Edited by:

Jason Peters

Introduction by:

Jay T Collier