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Contending Forces
''Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South'' is Pauline Hopkins' first major work and debut novel, published in 1900. ''Contending Forces'' focuses on African American families in post-Civil war, Civil War American society. Hopkins, a child of free parents of color, imprinted her "own evasive and unsettling maternal family history, which linked her to the Atlantic slave trade, the West Indies, and the American South", providing a vivid portrayal of the shared struggles endured by both enslaved and free individuals during that time period. The preface written by Hopkins provides insights into her motivations and thematic concerns. Here, she expresses a strong desire to uplift her race and "raise the stigma of degradation" associated with African Americans. Hopkins highlights her commitment to using a Romance novel, romance plot to explore social and racial themes, offering the story of an educated and resilient African American family overcoming raci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pauline Hopkins
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (May 23, 1859 – August 13, 1930) was an American novelist, journalist, playwright, historian, and editing, editor. She is considered a pioneer in her use of the romantic novel to explore social and racial themes, as demonstrated in her first major novel ''Contending Forces, Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South.'' In addition, Hopkins is known for her significant contributions as editor for the ''The Colored American Magazine, Colored American Magazine,'' which was recognized as being among the first periodicals specifically celebrating African-American culture through short stories, essays and serial novels. She is also known to have had connections to other influential African Americans of the time, such as Booker T. Washington and William Wells Brown. Hopkins spent most of her life in Boston, Massachusetts, where she completed the majority of her works. As an active contributor to the racial, political and femin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
