This is the first full-length study of the literary phenomenon in which the modern South, heartland of evangelical Protestantism, has produced significant Roman Catholic writers. This study focuses on Allen Tate, Caroline Gordon, and Walker Percy, converts to Roman Catholicism, and explores their arduous efforts to achieve perception and articulation, together with the art resulting from their struggles.

Many parallels exist in the careers of Tate, Gordon, and Percy. All three grew up in obscure communities where their lives were shaped by the heritage of the Old South. When Tate, Gordon,...