Reimagining Realism: A New Anthology of Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century American Short Fiction

Beginning with one of Louisa May Alcott’s Hospital Sketches, originally published in 1863, this anthology offers a refreshing perspective on American literature from the latter half of the nineteenth century through the first decades of the twentieth. Based on Alcott’s brief stint as a Civil War nurse, Hospital Sketches stands in contrast to the sentimentality of her better-known Little Women and illustrates a blending of romanticism and realism. Furthermore, its thematic focus on the tension between idealized notions of noble, patriotic duty and the horrific reality of war exemplifies a dominant American cultural mindset at the time. Following this model of complicating accepted ideas about realism and of particular authors, Reimagining Realism brings together dozens of texts that engage with the immense changes and upheavals that characterized American culture over the next six decades: war, abolition, voting rights, westward expansion, immigration, racism and ethnocentrism, industrial production, labor reforms, transportation, urban growth, journalism, mass media, education, and economic disparity. Reimagining Realism presents a collection of works much more diverse than what is typically found in other anthologies of short fiction from this era. Some selections are lesser-known works by familiar authors that enable readers to see dimensions of these authors that are rarely considered but deserve further study. The book also features authors from many previously underrepresented groups and includes some outstanding works by authors whose names are almost completely unknown to today’s readers-but which deserve greater attention. The volume’s editors, in their intent to spur readers to further reimagine realism, to represent the spectrum of viewpoints prevalent during this era, and to spark critical thinking and productive discussion, have been careful not to apply any type of political litmus test to the included works. They have also refrained from categorizing works according to convention, so as not to predispose readers to restrictive interpretations, and have provided only brief, highly readable headnotes and annotations that will help readers better understand the texts.

Table of Contents:
Contents Acknowledgments xi General Introduction Jessica E. McCarthy 1 Introduction for Instructors Charles A. Johanningsmeier 11 Chronology of Short Fictions’ Original Publication Dates 21 Short Fictions: Arranged Alphabetically by Author ALCOTT, LOUISA MAY 23 “Hospital Sketches: A Day” (1863) 24 BIERCE, AMBROSE 36 “The Affair at Coulter’s Notch” (1889) 37 CABLE, GEORGE W ASHINGTON 44 “Belles Demoiselles Plantation” (1874) 45 CAHAN, ABRAHAM 58 “The Daughter of Reb Avrom Leib” (1900) 59 CATHER, WILLA 78 “On the Divide” (1896) 79 CHESNUTT, CHARLES W. 90 “The March of Progress” (1901) 92 CHOPIN, KATE 102 “A Gentleman of Bayou Têche” (1894) 103 CLEARY, KATE M. 108 “Feet of Clay” (1893) 109 CRANE, STEPHEN 117 “An Experiment in Misery” (1894) 120 DAVIS, REBECCA HARDING 129 “A Day with Doctor Sarah” (1878) 130 DAVIS, SAMUEL POST 140 “A Christmas Carol” (late 1870s) 141 DREISER, THEODORE 147 “Free” (1918) 148 DUNBAR, PAUL LAURENCE 170 “One Man’s Fortunes” (1900) 171 “The Lynching of Jube Benson” (1904) 184 DUNBAR NELS ON, ALICE 190 “Titee” (1895) 192 “When the Bayou Overflows” (1899) 196 FAR, SUI SIN (EDITH MAUDE EATON) 201 “Sweet Sin. A Chinese-American Story” (1898) 202 “The Success of a Mistake” (1908) 206 FREEMAN, MARY E. WILKINS 215 “One Good Time” (1897) 217 “Old Woman Magoun” (1905) 231 GARLAND, HAMLIN 246 “Up the Coulé. A Story of Wisconsin” (1891) 247 GILMAN, CHARLOTTE PERKINS 279 “Mrs. Beazley’s Deeds” (1911) 280 GOODWIN, C. C. (CHARLES CARROLL) 291 “Sister Celeste” (1885) 291 HARTE, BRET 300 “The Luck of Roaring Camp” (1868) 303 “Wan Lee, the Pagan” (1874) 311 HEARN, LAFCADIO 323 “In the Twilight of the Gods” (1895) 324 HENRY, O. (WILLIAM SYDNEY PORTER) 329 “A Municipal Report” (1910) 330 HOWELLS, WILLIAM DEAN 343 “A Romance of Real Life” (1870) 345 JAMES, HENRY 354 “The Jolly Corner” (1908) 356 JEWETT, SARAH ORNE 381 “Tom’s Husband” (1882) 382 “Stolen Pleasures” (1885) 392 KING, GRACE 399 “Making Progress” (1901) 400 LONDON, JACK 409 “The League of the Old Men” (1902) 412 “The Apostate: A Child Labor Parable” (1906) 424 MACOMBER, LUCY BATES 439 “The Gossip of Gold Hill” (1873) 439 MENA, MARÍA CRISTINA 447 “The Education of Popo” (1914) 447 NEALL, HANNAH LLOYD 461 “Placer” (1871) 462 NORRIS, FRANK 472 “The House with the Blinds” (1897) 472 OSKISON, JOHN 478 “The Problem of Old Harjo” (1907) 479 PEATTIE, ELIA WILKINSON 485 “After the Storm: A Story of the Prairie” (1897) 486 SPOFFORD, HARRIET PRESCOTT 502 “Her Story” (1872) 504 STUART, RUTH MCENERY 519 “The Unlived Life of Little Mary Ellen” (1896) 520 THANET, OCTAVE (ALICE FRENCH) 538 “The Face of Failure” (1892) 539 TWAIN, MARK (SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS) 556 “The Facts concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut” (1876) 558 “The Second Advent” (written 1881; first published 1972) 570 WHARTON, EDITH 582 “Xingu” (1911) 583 WISTER, OWEN 602 “Hank’s Woman” (1892) 603 WOOLSON, CONSTANCE FENIMORE 613 “Miss Grief ” (1880) 615 ZITKALA-ŠA (GERTRUDE SIMMONS BONNIN) 631 “The Soft-Hearted Sioux” (1901) 633 Principles of Text Selection 641 Bibliography of Textual Versions Used in This Anthology 645 Index 649

About the Author :
Charles A. Johanningsmeier is a professor of English and Isaacson Chair at the University of Nebraska Omaha. As a print historian, his chief research interests have involved assessing how readers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries interacted with fiction texts published in various periodicals by authors such as Frank Norris, Stephen Crane, Sui Sin Far, Sarah Orne Jewett, Charles Chesnutt, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Henry James, and Willa Cather. Jessica E. McCarthy is a lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has published on Edith Wharton, Ellen Glasgow, and American literary naturalism.

Review :
“An impressive collection that … highlights the ways short story authors of the period grappled with complex responses to an increasingly complicated nation. The anthology reminds readers of the contributions these authors made to the short story form and, more broadly, to American fiction. This valuable collection contains thoughtful annotations and comprehensive apparatus useful to instructors and students alike…. One of the finest anthologies of American Realist short story fiction available.” - Sterling Lecater Bland, Jr., professor of English, African American studies, and American studies, Rutgers University-Newark “An innovative and exciting selection of lesser-known but provocative texts by established writers as well as by authors not usually gathered into anthologies. The contents have been selected to challenge and expand the definition of ‘realism’-especially works that include sentimental and romantic elements and therefore more accurately reflect what readers encountered in the pages of periodicals … The result is a refreshing and intriguing anthology of more diverse subjects, offering a more accurate representation of the progressive and conservative views readers originally encountered.” - Keith Newlin, editor of the Oxford Handbook of American Literary Realism and Studies in American Naturalism An ambitious effort to recanonize the short fiction of the period. - Gary Scharnhorst (American Literary Realism) Johanningsmeier encourages instructors to devote attention to explaining "their rationale for choosing particular texts," allowing students to understand the educational impact of studying works that engage with difficult topics. This anthology takes a strong and much-needed stance on the importance of teaching works that may be upsetting and divisive, offering a thoughtful and assertive response to a cultural climate that is increasingly hesitant to engage with difficult topics that are nevertheless necessary for understanding American literature and the American experience. . . . Reimaging Realism is a useful, user-friendly, and, most importantly, provocative, anthology for teaching American Realist fiction that serves as a useful tool and prompt to reconsider Realism as a genre and a movement in creative and impactful ways. (American Periodicals)