Doris Betts

by Elizabeth Evans

A prominent voice in Southern literature, Doris Betts is the author of six novels and three short story collections, including Beasts of the Southern Wild (1973), Souls Raised from the Dead (1994), and The Sharp Teeth of Love (1997). Set primarily in North Carolina, Betts's fiction frequently depicts blue-collar workers and middle-class people who demonstrate perseverance, cheerfulness, and a refusal to be victimized. Her fiction reflects a strong biblical influence, everyday common sense, and durable humor. In Doris Betts - the first book-length study of Betts and her work - Elizabeth Evans presents an introduction to a writer of increasing renown. Drawing on a long association with Betts, Evans infuses her analysis with biographical details and provides expert syntheses of Betts's stories and novels, including uncollected stories and works-in-progress. Maintaining that a lack of or difficulty in achieving communion forms the dominant theme of Betts's fiction, Evans highlights key peo