Major Issues
Author Links
Essay Questions

Major Issues

"Men and work" have been identified as Tim Gautreaux’ main literary subjects. Many of his characters are driven—and disappointed—by a "get-rich-quick" philosophy. Gautreaux’ fictional terrain is working-class Louisiana. His ability to capture Cajun dialect and idioms has been praised, and his stories are often discussed in the context of Southern writing, especially that of Eudora Welty. Gautreaux, however, resists the "Southern writer" label and prefers instead to describe his work as frontier fiction, influenced by tall tales. Reviewers note Gautreaux’ ability to bring characters to life through minimal, crucial details. Readers are easily drawn in by Gautreaux’ engaging narrators. Gautreaux has been described by critics, and by himself, as a "moral" writer.

Author Links

A Conversation with Tim Gautreaux
A 1997 interview from The Atlantic Monthly in which Gautreaux comments on his themes, characters, evocation of place, and the "Southern" writer label.

Same Place, Same Things
Review of the1996 collection in which "Died and Gone to Las Vegas" appeared.

Gautreaux doesn’t need a label
This review considers the usefulness and limitations of regionalist labelling.

Swamped
The New York Times review of the collection in which "Died and Gone to Las Vegas" appeared.