Ross Lockridge, Jr
Ross Franklin Lockridge, Jr. was an American novelist born on April 25, 1914, in Bloomington, Indiana. He is primarily known for his only novel, "Raintree County," which was published in 1948. Lockridge's academic journey took him through prestigious institutions like the Sorbonne and Harvard, and he later held teaching positions at Indiana University and Simmons College. His novel explores the themes of time and place, encapsulating the essence of mid-nineteenth century American social history through the experiences of the protagonist, John Shawnessy, during a single day in 1892, interwoven with flashbacks from 1844 onward.
The book is noted for its ambitious scope and stylistic experimentation, drawing comparisons to the works of Thomas Wolfe and James Joyce. Celebrated for its rich portrayal of American life, "Raintree County" received significant acclaim, including the MGM Novel Award and excerpts in Life magazine. Tragically, Lockridge struggled with depression shortly before the novel's release and died by suicide on March 6, 1948, just shy of his thirty-fourth birthday. His literary legacy continues to be recognized for its poetic depth and cultural significance.
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Subject Terms
Ross Lockridge, Jr.
American novelist
- Born: April 25, 1914
- Birthplace: Bloomington, Indiana
- Died: March 6, 1948
- Place of death: Bloomington, Indiana
Biography
Ross Franklin Lockridge, Jr., wrote only one book, committing suicide just short of his thirty-fourth birthday, soon after his novel was published in 1948. Born April 25, 1914, in Bloomington, Indiana, he studied at the Sorbonne and Harvard, and held teaching positions at Indiana University and at Simmons College while working on his novel.
Raintree County reflects the novelist’s personal concern with place and time. Set in Indiana, it attempts to encompass the popular democratic vigor of mid-nineteenth century American social history by means of flashbacks. The novel follows the experiences of one man, John Shawnessy, through the events of one day, July 4, 1892, which symbolically represents the author’s theme of “encyclopedia Americana” with its school picnics, local post office gatherings, and political speeches. But the actual time covered is from 1844 to 1892; what Lockridge attempted was a re-creation, on a tremendous scale, of American society and history in the decades before and after the Civil War.
Lockridge, who spent seven years writing his work, considered it a major effort. Because of its loose realism and experimental devices of style and language, suggesting a combination of Thomas Wolfe and James Joyce, the novel gained wide attention when it was first published. Full-bodied in its teeming sense of life, Raintree County is more than historical panorama. It is also poetic insight and myth, and in spite of certain obvious crudities it remains an interesting and ambitious effort to create a living legend of the national experience. A rare novel of ideas with popular appeal, it was excerpted in Life magazine and won the prestigious MGM Novel Award.
Lockridge fell into a depression shortly before the novel’s publication while beginning work on a new literary project. His death occurred in Bloomington on March 6, 1948.
Bibliography
Brooks, Paul. Two Park Street: A Publishing Memoir. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. The sixth chapter of the book, entitled “Ross and Tom: A Footnote,” is a coda to Leggett’s book, written by an editor who worked with Lockridge.
Greiner, Donald. “Ross Lockridge and the Tragedy of Raintree County.” Critique 20, no. 3 (1979): 51-64. Criticism of Raintree County.
Leggett, John. Ross and Tom: Two American Tragedies. 1974. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 2000. Interpretive portrait, which is still valuable for its account of Lockridge’s student years.
Lockridge, Laurence S. Shade of Raintree: The Life and Death of Ross Lockridge, Jr., Author of “Raintree County.” 1994. Reprint. New York: Penguin, 1995. The definitive biography. Offers a perspective on Ross Lockridge’s life different from that found in Leggett’s work.
Maini, Carhsan Singh. “An Ode to America: A Reconsideration of Raintree County.” In Essays in American Studies, edited by Isaac Sequiera. New Delhi: United States Educational Foundation in India, 1991. Criticism of Raintree County from a non-American perspective.