A detailed critical history of McCullers's reputation and the social crosscurrents that shaped it. The critical reception of Carson McCullers, author of The Heart Is aLonely Hunter, The Member of the Wedding, and The Ballad of theSad Caf? has reflected the prevailing cultural preoccupations of thefive decades since the publication of her first novel in 1940. Jamesdistinguishes between pre and post-war criticism and furtheridentifies other critical...