The Shaping of Southern Culture

“An engaging and challenging series. . . . While honor remains at center stage, Wyatt-Brown perceptively explores its relation to such matters as grace and war. . . . The most interdisciplinary southern historian of his generation, Wyatt-Brown draws heavily upon anthropology, theology, and psychology for his analyses, giving his work a rare intellectual resonance. But the breadth of his reading in other disciplines is more than matched by the depth of his research in historical sources.” — Journal of Southern History

“Wyatt-Brown’s work has compelled cultural, social, and intellectual historians to take honor as seriously as the southerners he studies. This latest work adds significantly to the debate about the nature and meaning of southern honor.” — Journal of the Early Republic

“Those familiar with the concept of honor will want to explore the themes and questions raised here. Those new to the subject will find a useful introduction to a complex subject. If the mark of a great historian is not only the answer he provides but also the new questions he raises, then this book is a confirmation of Wyatt-Brown’s influence on a generation of historians.” — Journal of American History

“Combines conceptual verve, relentless investigative energy, intellectual power, and willingness to rethink earlier ideas and conclusions in light of the work of others.” — Civil War History

“One of the book’s great virtues is that it carries the analysis of honor through the Civil War and beyond with an emphasis on the emotional and psychological dimensions. With his usual wide-ranging use of anthropology and literature, Wyatt-Brown probes the darkest recesses of southern minds.” — Georgia Historical Quarterly

“Wyatt-Brown has done what most historians dream about doing: produce a graceful, thoughtful, and important book. His Shaping of Southern Culture significantly contributes to our understanding of how honor animated behavior and helped create a southern ideology.” — H-South

“A compelling work. By illuminating the complex soul of an era and its people, Wyatt-Brown offers a case study about human nature. But this should be expected of any masterful study of history.” — Civil War Book Review

“Building on ideas developed in his highly acclaimed book Southern Honor, Wyatt-Brown’s essays are thought-provoking and clearly argued and display strong thematic unity. They should be of unusual interest to all students of southern history.” — Peter Kolchin, University of Delaware