ona ▁G ale , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁S inc la ir ▁Lewis , ▁the ▁last ▁both ▁an ▁adm ir er ▁and ▁critic ▁of ▁Der le th . ▁ ▁As ▁Edward ▁W agen k ne cht ▁wrote ▁in ▁Caval cade ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Nov el , ▁" What ▁Mr . ▁Der le th ▁has ▁that ▁is ▁lack ing ... in ▁modern ▁novel ists ▁generally , ▁is ▁a ▁country . ▁He ▁belongs . ▁He ▁writes ▁of ▁a ▁land ▁and ▁a ▁people ▁that ▁are ▁b one ▁of ▁his ▁b one ▁and ▁flesh ▁of ▁his ▁flesh . ▁In ▁his ▁fict ional ▁world , ▁there ▁is ▁a ▁unity ▁much ▁deeper ▁and ▁more ▁fundamental ▁than ▁anything ▁that ▁can ▁be ▁con ferred ▁by ▁an ▁ide ology . ▁It ▁is ▁clear , ▁too , ▁that ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁get ▁the ▁best , ▁and ▁most ▁fiction ally ▁useful , ▁part ▁of ▁his ▁background ▁material ▁from ▁research ▁in ▁the ▁library ; ▁like ▁Scott , ▁in ▁his ▁Border ▁nov els , ▁he ▁gives , ▁rather , ▁the ▁impression ▁of ▁having ▁dr unk ▁it ▁in ▁with ▁his ▁mother ' s ▁milk ." ▁ ▁Jim ▁Steph ens , ▁editor ▁of ▁An ▁August ▁Der le th ▁Re ader , ▁( 1 9 9 2 ), ▁arg ues : ▁" what ▁Der le th ▁accomplished .... was ▁to ▁gather ▁a ▁Wisconsin ▁myth os ▁which ▁gave ▁respect ▁to ▁the ▁ancient ▁fund ament ▁of ▁our ▁contemporary ▁life ." ▁ ▁The ▁author ▁inaugur ated ▁the ▁Sac ▁Pra irie ▁S aga ▁with ▁four ▁nov ell as ▁compr ising ▁Place ▁of ▁Haw ks