The Dixie Limited: Writers on William Faulkner and His Influence

Flannery O'Connor once noted, “The presence alone of Faulkner in our midst makes a great difference in what the writer can and cannot permit himself to do. Nobody wants his mule and wagon stalled on the same track the Dixie Limited is roaring down.” Her railroading metaphor wittily captures much of the respect and unease Faulkner's example brought the worldwide community of authors.

Few other writers have exerted as profound an influence on literature as Faulkner. Prominent literary scholar...