John Crowe Ransom (1888-1974) was a founding member of the Fugitives, a southern literary group of sixteen writers that was started at Vanderbilt University. He is considered to be a founder of the New Criticism school. In 1924, Chills and Fever was received warmly and established Ransom as a leading figure in American literature. Ransom continued to tinker with his poems long after their publication as can be seen in this much altered poem “Amphibious Crocodile.”