Ransom, John Crowe (1888-1974), was an American poet, critic, and editor. In his writing, Ransom criticized what he considered a materialistic, spiritually barren society brought about by science and technology. He expressed nostalgia for the rural and feudalistic values he associated with the old South.
Ransom’s poems seem to be quiet and gentle, but they are toughened by his ironic wit, complexity of thought, and awareness of human frailty. Ransom helped lead the New Criticism movement, which emphasized close analysis of the language of a work rather than discussing its author or social significance.
Ransom was born on April 30, 1888, in Pulaski, Tennessee. While teaching at Vanderbilt University, he led a group of conservative Southern writers called the Fugitives. From 1937 to 1958, he taught at Kenyon College. There, he founded and edited the Kenyon Review, a literary magazine. Ransom died on July 14, 1974.
