"This paper gives a brief account of the life of William Maxwell under such aspects as childhood, education, travels, writings and awards. A discussion of his novels presented in the order of publication will include critical reaction to Mr. Maxwell's skill as a writer and his themes. Following a summary and conclusions, an appendix will give a chronological list of Mr. Maxwell's books with sources of reviews, a list of his short stories and articles with annotations for those materials available, and a general bibliography of the major sources used"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1957." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Ruth H. Rockwood, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-73).