SOURCE: “Ross Lockridge and the Tragedy of Raintree County,” in Critique, Vol. 20, No. 3, 1978, pp. 51-62.

In the following essay, Greiner argues that Lockridge's instant success and subsequent suicide are reflected in the experiences of his main character in Raintree County.

Although published thirty-one years ago on January 5, 1948, Ross Lockridge's Raintree County remains a curio of modern American fiction. Neither taught in the universities nor studied by the specialists, the novel illustrates the old cliche of known but not read. The critical silence is puzzling. Consider these facts: some readers, including me, regard Raintree County as one of the ten best American novels published since World War II;¹ it had a widespread pre-publication build-up, including excerpts in Life;² it won the prestigious MGM award of at least $150,000 and resulting publicity; it was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection; and by March 1948, Raintree County was, despite its 1066 pages, the number-one best seller...