Category: american literature

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Uncle Percy and Frank Yerby in Thomas Mullen’s”Darktown”

Occasionally, I do a Twitter search on authors or topics I am researching. When I did a search for “Frank Yerby,” I came across a one of Stephen King’s tweets from January 2017: “Re DARKTOWN, by Thomas Mullen: Can’t help wondering if Lucius Boggs’s Uncle Percy was based on black historical novelist Frank Yerby.” Mullen replied to King and stated that Uncle Percy is … Read More Uncle Percy and Frank Yerby in Thomas Mullen’s”Darktown”

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“The Prince of Pulpsters” or “Debunker of Myths”: Frank Yerby Syllabus

When reading Frank Yerby’s work, I keep asking one question over and over again: “Why isn’t anyone teaching these texts?” I know that some scholars teach Yerby; however, compared to other authors, his appearance in the classroom is minuscule. I had heard the name, in passing, during my graduate work; however, I never saw him in any anthologies or read any of his books … Read More “The Prince of Pulpsters” or “Debunker of Myths”: Frank Yerby Syllabus

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The Canary in Davis’ “Life in the Iron Mills”

When I taught Rebecca Harding Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills (1861) this semester, I asked students to think about the opening paragraphs where the narrator describes the scene and implores the reader to come right down with her “into the thickest of the fog and mud and foul effluvia.” The opening images bring to mind Gothic texts as the narrator describes the trash … Read More The Canary in Davis’ “Life in the Iron Mills”

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The Enlightenment, Religious Hypocrisy, and Republican Motherhood in Sedgwick’s “A New England Tale”

Note: During my first year as a PhD student, I took a class on novels in the Early Republic. The class looked at authors such as William Hill Brown, Charles Brockden Brown, Susanna Rowson, Hannah Webster Foster, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, and others. For the course, we had to write brief responses (2-3 pages) to the novels and discussions. While packing to move recently, I … Read More The Enlightenment, Religious Hypocrisy, and Republican Motherhood in Sedgwick’s “A New England Tale”

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“Friendship” in Susanna Rowson’s “Charlotte Temple”

Note: During my first year as a PhD student, I took a class on novels in the Early Republic. The class looked at authors such as William Hill Brown, Charles Brockden Brown, Susanna Rowson, Hannah Webster Foster, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, and others. For the course, we had to write brief responses (2-3 pages) to the novels and discussions. While packing to move recently, I … Read More “Friendship” in Susanna Rowson’s “Charlotte Temple”