literature

When the commotion of everyday life gets overwhelming, there is no better escape than the whimsical world of L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Sometimes, though, daydreaming about the Lake of Shining Waters and the White Way of Delight is just not enough. Luckily, literary escapism can turn into literal escapism with a quick weekend getaway to Anne’s home, Prince Edward Island (PEI).

For the past century, southern writers have significantly shaped the literary world. Their writing has closely reflected the challenges of our nation, making their work essential American reads. Today, visiting many of their homes is as easy as driving through the neighboring states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Mississippi is the ideal starting place for your southern literature road trip. Jackson, the heart of southern literary tradition, is home to Nobel Prize award-winners William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, and Eudora Welty. Oxford, just outside of Jackson, is suspected to be the model for Faulkner’s fictional universe, Yoknapatawpha. In Oxford you can visit Faulkner’s mansion, Rowan Oak, that now doubles as a museum. A nearby home, known as The Sound and the Fury House, is the supposed setting for this critically-acclaimed work. Faulkner fans can also visit his nearby grave. Close by in Jackson, Mississippi, bibliophiles can visit the Eudora Welty Home and Garden. The home and museum contain the largest collection of Eudora Welty materials. Exhibits are hosted in honor of Welty, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Optimist’s Daughter.

New England is home to many famous authors. Today, many of their residences have become museums or National Historic Landmarks. Why not travel to some of their homes to see where they got their inspiration? Grant Olsen, a freelance writer and literary enthusiast who visited many of New England’s literary sites in 2012, voices the feelings of many travelers: “I love history and literature, so when they intersect it’s magical.” Here are some ideas about where to go and what to see on your tour of literary New England.