Conkin, Paul. The Southern Agrarians, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988.

With the benefit of historical perspective and newer critical methods, Conkin offers a fresh perspective on the literary and scholarly contributions of the group of writers who called themselves The Agrarians. Contains a careful explanation of Warren's sometimes strained relationship with the group.

Runyon, Paul Randolph. The Taciturn Text: The Fiction of Robert Penn Warren, Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1990.

In this comprehensive study of Warren's fiction, Runyon organizes his analysis historically. Chapter Four is a careful reading of the volume of stories of which "Blackberry Winter" is a part, and contains useful discussion of common themes and stylistic features.