The Complete Frances Harper (2021) is a collection of writing by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Harper, the first African American woman to publish a novel, gained a reputation as a popular poet and impassioned abolitionist in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. Much of her work was rediscovered in the twentieth century and preserved for its significance to some of the leading social movements of the nineteenth century, including temperance, abolition, and women’s suffrage. As an artist for whom the personal was always political, Frances Harper served in a leadership role at the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and worked to establish the National Association of Colored Women, serving for a time as vice president of the organization. Included in this volume are her early poetry volumes, such as Forest Leaves (1845) and Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (1854). In “Bury Me in Free Land,” an influential poem published in an 1858 edition of abolitionist newspaper The Anti-Slavery Bugle, Harper expresses her commitment to the cause of freedom in life or death terms: “I ask no monument, proud and high, / To arrest the gaze of the passers-by; / All that my yearning spirit craves, / Is bury me not in a land of slaves.” She reflects on the theme of freedom throughout her body of work, often examining her own identity or experiences as a free Black woman alongside the lives of her enslaved countrymen. The Complete Frances Harper also includes her four groundbreaking novels. Minnie’s Sacrifice (1869), originally serialized in the Christian Recorder, addresses such themes as miscegenation, passing, and the institutionalized rape of enslaved women using the story of Moses as inspiration. Sowing and Reaping (1876) is a novel concerned with the cause of temperance in a time when Black families were frequently torn apart by alcoholism. Trial and Triumph (1888-1889) is a politically conscious novel concerned with an African American community doing its best to overcome hardship with love and solidarity. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892) is a story of liberation set during the American Civil War that deals with such themes as abolition, miscegenation, and passing. In these novels, poems, speeches from across her lengthy career as an artist and activist, Harper not only dedicates herself to her suffering people, but imagines a time “When men of diverse sects and creeds / Are clasping hand in hand.” With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Complete Frances Harper is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) was the most important and the most popular black feminist abolitionist writer and activist of the nineteenth century. A Brighter Day Coming, the most comprehensive collection of her works, includes all the poems from Harper's extant original volumes, plus many that have never been collected and one that was discovered in manuscript; speeches; and a selection of prose, including excerpts from the novel Iola Leroy and the serialized novel Fancy Etchings, and a generous group of letters ..."--Back cover.
Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches (2021) is a collection of writing by Frances Harper. Harper, the first African American woman to publish a novel, gained a reputation as a popular poet and impassioned abolitionist in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. Much of her work was rediscovered in the twentieth century and preserved for its significance to some of the leading social movements of the nineteenth century, including temperance, abolition, and women’s suffrage. As an artist for whom the personal was always political, Frances Harper served in a leadership role at the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and worked to establish the National Association of Colored Women, serving for a time as vice president of the organization. Included in this volume are extracts of her early poetry volumes, including Forest Leaves (1845) and Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (1854). In “Bury Me in Free Land,” an influential poem published in an 1858 edition of abolitionist newspaper The Anti-Slavery Bugle, Harper expresses her commitment to the cause of freedom in life or death terms: “I ask no monument, proud and high, / To arrest the gaze of the passers-by; / All that my yearning spirit craves, / Is bury me not in a land of slaves.” She reflects on the theme of freedom throughout her body of work, often examining her own identity or experiences as a free Black woman alongside the lives of her enslaved countrymen. In “Free Work,” she looks to something as simple as her own clothing and examines its connection—or lack thereof—to the institution of slavery: “I wear an easy garment, / O’er it no toiling slave / Wept tears of hopeless anguish, / In his passage to the grave.” Reflecting on the horrors of slavery through the lens of the everyday, Harper refuses to take for granted the significance of freedom in all of its manifestations, a reality which is sometimes as simple as the clothes on her back. In these poems and speeches from across her lengthy career as an artist and activist, Harper not only dedicates herself to her suffering people, but imagines a time “When men of diverse sects and creeds / Are clasping hand in hand.” With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frances Harper’s Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.
Frances Harper was renowned in her lifetime not only as an activist who rallied on behalf of blacks, women, and the poor, but as a pioneer of the tradition of 'protest' literature, whose immense popularity did much to develop an audience for poetry in America. This collection of her poems is drawn from ten volumes published between 1854 and 1901. Their main issues are oppression, Christianity, and social and moral reform. Consolidating the oral tradition and the ballad form, and merging dramatic details and imagery with a strong political and racial awareness, Harper's poetry represented a distinctly Afro-American discourse that was to inspire generations of black writers.
The Novels of Frances Harper (2021) collects four works of fiction by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a pioneering figure in African American literature. Minnie’s Sacrifice (1869), originally serialized in the Christian Recorder, addresses such themes as miscegenation, passing, and the institutionalized rape of enslaved women using the story of Moses as inspiration. Sowing and Reaping (1876) is a novel concerned with the cause of temperance in a time when Black families were frequently torn apart by alcoholism. Trial and Triumph (1888-1889) is a politically conscious novel concerned with an African American community doing its best to overcome hardship with love and solidarity. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892) is a story of liberation set during the American Civil War that deals with such themes as abolition, miscegenation, and passing. Minnie’s Sacrifice begins on a plantation in the American South. A slave named Miriam mourns the untimely death of her only daughter, Agnes, who succumbed while giving birth to a baby boy, leaving her son in her mother’s care. Visiting Miriam’s cabin later that day, Camilla, the master’s daughter, discovers a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. Bringing this to the attention of her father, Camilla proposes that the boy be sent away from the plantation to be brought up as white. Trial and Triumph is the story of a young orphan girl. With few opportunities for education, and despite her affinity for reading, Annette faces prejudice and indifference from her community, who remain either cautiously protective of their children or too involved with their own problems to pay heed to another struggling youth. Sowing and Reaping is a tale of friendship and tragedy exploring the concerns of the temperance movement. Paul—whose father died young from alcoholism—always places morality ahead of opportunity, while John, a pragmatist at heart, decides to open a saloon. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted is the story of Iola Leroy, a free-born woman who was forced into slavery due to her mixed racial heritage. Her father Eugene, a wealthy slaveowner, set Iola’s mother free in order to marry her and start a family. When he died from a sudden illness, Eugene left his family in grave danger, and Marie and her children were soon torn from freedom by Eugene’s spiteful relatives. These novels by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a groundbreaking nineteenth century writer, inspired such figures as Zora Neale Hurston and Ida B. Wells. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Novels of Frances Harper is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.
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Enter the compelling world of "Minnie's Sacrifice" by Frances E.W. Harper, where resilience, compassion, and the pursuit of freedom take center stage. This powerful book tells the inspiring story of Minnie, a young woman who courageously navigates the challenges of slavery and makes a profound sacrifice in the name of liberty. In "Minnie's Sacrifice," readers will witness Minnie's extraordinary journey as she confronts the injustices of slavery and yearns for a life of dignity and freedom. Faced with difficult choices, Minnie demonstrates unwavering strength and selflessness, making a sacrifice that has a lasting impact on her own destiny and those around her. Frances E.W. Harper's storytelling captures the harrowing realities of slavery, shedding light on the resilience and strength of enslaved individuals. Through vivid descriptions and compelling narratives, the author invites readers to empathize with Minnie's plight, reflect on the legacy of slavery, and celebrate the indomitable human spirit. Join Minnie on her courageous journey as she defies oppression, embraces sacrifice, and paves the way for a brighter future.
Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892) is a novel by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. One of the first novels published by an African American woman, Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted is a story of liberation set during the American Civil War that deals with such themes as abolition, miscegenation, and passing. In North Carolina, a Union Army regiment welcomes a group of escaped slaves into its midst. Led by Robert Johnson and Tom Anderson, the fugitives appeal to the Union commander on behalf of a woman named Iola Leroy, who remains enslaved in town. Leroy, despite being born free, was forced into slavery due to her mixed racial heritage. Her father Eugene, a wealthy slaveowner, set Iola’s mother free in order to marry her and start a family. When he died from a sudden bout of yellow fever, Eugene unwittingly left his family in grave danger, and Marie and her children were soon torn from freedom by Eugene’s spiteful relatives. Although Iola had been sent North to study at a seminary, she is tricked into returning to the South and sold away from her family. Having told her story, Johnson and Anderson join up with the Union commander and his regiment to fight for Iola’s freedom. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, which inspired Zora Neale Hurston and Ida B. Wells, is a groundbreaking work of African American fiction and a definitive masterpiece from a pioneer in her craft. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.
Frances E. W. Harper, a devout Christian woman writes poems about her life and her race that exemplify the sentiment of ISAIAH 60:15. "Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations." Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born on September 24, 1825, in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised by her aunt and uncle. A poet, novelist, and journalist, she was also a prominent abolitionist and temperance and women's suffrage activist. She traveled to multiple states to lecture and give speeches about these issues. She died in 1911.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) born to free parents in Baltimore, Maryland, was an African American abolitionist and poet. Her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, was published in 1845, the book was extremely popular and over the next few years went through 20 editions. In 1850, she started working in Columbus, Ohio as a schoolteacher. Three years later in 1853, she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a travelling lecturer for the group. She was also a strong supporter of prohibition and woman's suffrage. In 1892, she published a novel about a rescued black slave and the Reconstructed South, called Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted one of the first books published by an African American. Later, she wrote Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping and Trial and Triumph. Harper was a strong supporter of women's suffrage and was a member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).
Winner of the College Language Association Book Award Frances Smith Foster has rediscovered three novels by Frances E. W. Harper, the best-known African-American writer of the nineteenth century and author of the classic Iola Leroy. Originally serialized in issues of The Christian Recorder between 1868 and 1888, these works address issues of passing, social responsibility, courtship, sexuality, and temperance, and are the first to have been written specifically for an African-American audience.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) born to free parents in Baltimore, Maryland, was an African American abolitionist and poet. Her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, was published in 1845, the book was extremely popular and over the next few years went through 20 editions. In 1850, she started working in Columbus, Ohio as a schoolteacher. Three years later in 1853, she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a travelling lecturer for the group. She was also a strong supporter of prohibition and woman's suffrage. In 1892, she published a novel about a rescued black slave and the Reconstructed South, called Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted one of the first books published by an African American. Later, she wrote Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping and Trial and Triumph. Harper was a strong supporter of women's suffrage and was a member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).
Iola Leroy was originally published in 1892, during a time of black disenfranchisement, lynching, and Jim Crow laws. It is the story of a "refined mulatto" raised to believe she's white until she and her mother are sold into slavery. Iola becomes an outspoken advocate for her people and a critic of race-mixing. Her story offers an important portrait of black life during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
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