Plantation tradition
Encyclopedia
Plantation tradition is a genre of literature based in the southern states
of the USA that is heavily nostalgic for antebellum times.
The decades before the American Civil War
saw several works idealizing the plantation, such as John Pendleton Kennedy's 1832 The Swallow Barn. However, plantation tradition became more popular in the late-nineteenth century as a reaction against slave narratives like those of Frederick Douglass
, and abolitionist novels like Uncle Tom's Cabin
. Prominent writers in the plantation tradition include Thomas Nelson Page
(1853-1922) and Harry Stillwell Edwards
(1855-1938). Other writers, especially African-American writers, soon satirized the genre: Charles W. Chesnutt
's The Conjure Woman (1899), for example, "consciously evoke[d] the conventions of the plantation novel only to subvert them".
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
of the USA that is heavily nostalgic for antebellum times.
The decades before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
saw several works idealizing the plantation, such as John Pendleton Kennedy's 1832 The Swallow Barn. However, plantation tradition became more popular in the late-nineteenth century as a reaction against slave narratives like those of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
, and abolitionist novels like Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
. Prominent writers in the plantation tradition include Thomas Nelson Page
Thomas Nelson Page
Thomas Nelson Page was a lawyer and American writer. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Italy during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, including the important period of World War I.-Biography:...
(1853-1922) and Harry Stillwell Edwards
Harry Stillwell Edwards
Harry Stillwell Edwards was an American journalist, novelist, and poet, born at Macon, Georgia. He studied law at Mercer University, Macon, and graduated in 1877. He was assistant editor and editor of Macon journals , gaining distinction as a writer of dialect stories. He wrote on the Georgia...
(1855-1938). Other writers, especially African-American writers, soon satirized the genre: Charles W. Chesnutt
Charles W. Chesnutt
Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an American author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South, where the legacy of slavery and interracial relations had resulted in many free...
's The Conjure Woman (1899), for example, "consciously evoke[d] the conventions of the plantation novel only to subvert them".