American Narratives: Multiethnic Writing in the Age of Realism

217 Pages·2007·1.81 MB·English

by  Margaret Crumpton Winter

Literary Studies / Ethnic Studies
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Molly Crumpton Winter
“American Narratives is essential to critical conversation within the A

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expanding field of American Realist studies. It will make a significant m o
contribution to both ethnic studies and studies on these particular t
e American Narratives takes readers back to the turn of the
p
authors.” r m twentieth century to reintroduce four writers of varying
i
c u ethnic backgrounds whose works were mostly ignored
—Gloria L. Cronin, editor of Critical Essays on Zora Neale Hurston
a r by critics of their day. With the skill of a literary detec-
n C tive, Molly Crumpton Winter recovers an early multicul-
y tural discourse on assimilation and national belonging
N
l that has been largely overlooked by literary scholars.
l
a At the heart of the book are close readings of works
o
r by four nearly forgotten artists from 890 to 95, the era
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r
often termed the age of realism: Mary Antin, a Jewish
Molly Crumpton Winter teaches in the English a
Department at California State University, Stanislaus. t American immigrant from Russia; Zitkala-Ša, a Sioux
i woman originally from South Dakota; Sutton E. Griggs,
She is a contributor to Post-Bellum, Pre-Harlem: African v
an African American from the South; and Sui Sin Far, a
American Literature and Culture, 877–99, edited by e
Barbara McCaskill and Caroline Gebhard. s biracial, Chinese American female writer who lived on
the West Coast. Winter’s treatment of Antin’s The Prom-
ised Land serves as an occasion for a reexamination of
the concept of assimilation in American literature, and
the chapter on Zitkala-Ša is the most comprehensive
American Narratives
analysis of her narratives to date. Winter argues persua-
sively that Griggs should have long been a more visible
Louisiana State University Press
presence in American literary history, and the explora-
Baton Rouge 70803 Multiethnic Writing in the Age of Realism tion of Sui Sin Far reveals her to be the embodiment of
the varied and unpredictable ways that diversity of cul-
tures came together in America.
Louisiana State University Press Press In American Narratives, Winter maintains that the
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L onstrating ways in which cultural identity and national
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Printed in u.S.A. Jacket design by barbara neely bourgoyne
Winter_AmNarra_Jacket.indd 1 2/22/07 1:59:15 PM
American Narratives

American Narratives
Multiethnic Writing in the Age of Realism
Molly Crumpton Winter
Louisiana State University Press
Baton Rouge
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 2007 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing
Designer: Barbara Neely Bourgoyne
Typeface: Adobe Minion Pro
Printer and binder: Edwards Brothers, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Winter, Molly Crumpton, 968–
American narratives : multiethnic writing in the age of realism /
Molly Crumpton Winter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-807-3225-8 (alk. paper)
. American literature—Minority authors—History and criticism.
2. Realism in literature. 3. Minorities in literature. 4. Ethnic groups
in literature. 5. Immigrants in literature. 6. Group identity in literature.
7. Ethnicity in literature. 8. Multiculturalism in literature. 9. Race in
literature. I. Title.
PS53.M56W56 2007
80.9'920693—dc22
200700369
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. ∞
To Jarrod

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
chapter one 
Diversity in the Age of Realism
chapter two 30
Mary Antin and Assimilation
chapter three 55
Ambiguity and Affiliation: The Stories and
Essays of Zitkala-Ša
chapter four 89
Race and Nation in the Novels of Sutton E. Griggs
chapter five 8
The Multicultural Perspective of Sui Sin Far
chapter six 5
Conclusion: American Narratives
Appendix: Selected List of Realist Texts 65
That Address Ethnicity
Notes 7
Works Cited 89
Index 99

Acknowledgments
T
his book would not have been possible without those scholars
whose recovery work and critical consideration of ethnic Ameri-
can realist writers form the foundation of this study. Among them is
the incomparable James Nagel, and I am exceedingly grateful to him
for his editorial and professional advice, which helped shape this book
and guide it to publication. Special thanks to Judith Ortiz Cofer and
Barbara McCaskill for sharing their knowledge of multiethnic literature
and to Katie Smith for facilitating my development as an academic. I
am deeply indebted to Gloria Cronin, whose keen reading of and criti-
cal comments on this study helped to give it direction and heart. My
appreciation extends to Carol J. Batker for her insightful commentaries
as the manuscript developed. I would also like to thank Candis LaPrade
for her support along the way, and John Easterly, executive editor of
Louisiana State University Press, for his wisdom and kindness.
I am endlessly grateful to my mother, Mimi, and to my late father,
Mickey Crumpton, for all they have done for me. I would also like to
thank my sister, Claire Baum, and her family, David, Malcolm, Michael,
and Stephen. My appreciation also goes out to Beverly and Jeff Winter
for their support. Most of all, I would like to express my profound grati-
tude to my husband, Jarrod, and to my boys, Solomon and Samuel, for
their patience and encouragement.
ix