Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (June 1, 1800 – February 11, 1856) was an American novelist. She is most noted for her defenses of
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
and opposition to the abolitionist movement. Her widely read '' The Planter's Northern Bride'' (1854) was one of the genre known as anti-Tom novels, by which writers responded to Harriet Beecher Stowe's bestselling anti-slavery novel, ''
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 two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...
'' (1852).


Early life

Caroline Hentz was born as Caroline Lee Whiting on June 1, 1800, to Colonel John and Orpah Whiting in
Lancaster, Massachusetts Lancaster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1653, Lancaster is the oldest town in Worcester County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population ...
. The youngest of eight children, her father served as a
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
soldier in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
and three of her brothers fought in the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. As a child, Whiting attended a private school run by Jared Sparks. By the time she was twelve, she had already composed a fantasy about the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
, as well as a play. At seventeen she was teaching at a local Lancaster school. On September 30, 1824, Caroline married
Nicholas Marcellus Hentz Nicholas Marcellus Hentz (July 25, 1797 – November 4, 1856) was a French American educator and arachnologist. Biography Hentz was born in Versailles, France. He was the youngest child of Nicolas Hentz, Charles Nicholas Arnould Hentz and Marie-A ...
. Shortly after, the couple moved to
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...
with their first child, where her husband became chair of modern languages at the
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...
. She is described as being "a northerner who traveled and worked throughout the South for nearly thirty years." She lived in seven different states in her lifetime, had five children, and supported her family financially with her writing.


Personal life

As the youngest of eight children, Hentz watched as “three of her brothers became officers and served in the War of 1812.”Perry and Weaks 82 Their letters home and “tales of patriotic adventure” were great inspiration to her. As a young girl, she was “popular with her companions, playing games, taking woodland walks, and studying nature.” On September 30, 1824, she married Nicholas Marcellus Hentz, “a political refugee from Metz ndson of a member of the French National Convention.” The couple originally lived near
Round Hill School The Round Hill School for Boys was a short-lived experimental school in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell in 1823. Though it failed as a viable venture — it closed in 1834 — it was an early effor ...
in
Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...
, where Nicholas was an instructor. In 1826, the couple moved to the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
where Nicholas became the chair of modern languages. During this period, Hentz helped George Moses Horton, an enslaved
illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...
poet, by writing down his poems and sending them to local newspapers to gain publication. This was the start of Horton's career as a poet; he was later called the "Black
bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...
of North Carolina". The Hentzes left shortly after for
Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...
, where Nicholas founded a girls’ school in 1830. From their new home in Covington, Caroline Hentz wrote the prize-winning tragedy ''De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride'' for actor William Pelby of Boston. Although Pelby had offered her a $500 prize, he was unable to pay and gave Hentz back the copyright to the play. In 1832, Caroline and Nicholas Kentz opened a girls’ school in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. There, Caroline joined the Semi-Colon Club, which is likely where her acquaintance with
Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...
began.Perry and Weaks 83 During their time in Cincinnati, Nicholas displayed an irrational jealousy that may have served as inspiration for Hentz's
Byronic hero The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. Historian and critic Lord Macaulay described the character as "a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his bro ...
es. “According to their son, Dr. Charles Arnould Hentz, Colonel King of the Semi-Colon Club, sent an improper note to the dignified and accomplished Mrs. Hentz.” When she attempted to respond to the note, her suspicious husband discovered the correspondence. After threatening to
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
Colonel King, Nicholas swiftly closed down the school. He forced the family to move to
Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner, and had a population of 40,184 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Florence is l ...
, where they opened another school. Hentz had a total of five children. Her oldest son died when he was only two years old.Knight 193 While in Florence, Hentz spent most of her time caring for the family. She wrote less formally during this period, but she did write some poetry and kept a diary that inspired the “letters, deathbed confession, and other lamentations that are hallmarks of her novels.” While living in Florence for nine years, the family leased two slaves, one of them a woman who helped Hentz with her domestic chores. Next the family moved to
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
, where Hentz and her husband opened another school in 1843.Perry and Weaks 83 In 1845, the family opened yet another school in Tuskegee, which was a small village at the time. In 1848, the couple opened a school in
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...
. One year later, in 1849, Nicholas became an invalid, and Hentz had to take on the total burden of supporting the family, although she was not well herself. Two of the adult Hentz children settled in
Marianna, Florida Marianna is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Florida, United States, and it is home to Chipola College, part of the state's public system. The official nickname of Marianna is "The City of Southern Charm". The population was 6,24 ...
, and their parents moved there in 1852 to join them.Perry and Weaks 84 During her husband's illness, Hentz wrote at his bedside, dividing her attention among his care, the demands of the literary public, and the occasional visitors who would disturb her routine. In 1853, she returned to New England for a brief visit before making her way back to Florida. After nearly five years of supporting her family financially and nursing her husband, Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz died of pneumonia on February 11, 1856. Nicholas Hentz died a few months later. The couple is buried under one stone in the Episcopal Cemetery in Marianna.


Career

Working as a teacher from the beginning of her career, Hentz also wrote and produced several small pieces and distributed them to local publications. In 1831, Hentz wrote ''De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride'' for Boston actor William Pelby. The tragedy won Hentz recognition in 1842 when it was performed at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia and the Tremont Theatre in Boston, and it was published in 1843. Hentz's career advanced greatly between the years 1832 and 1856. In March 1832, she published her first work, a short story, "The Sacrifice," in ''
Godey's Lady's Book ''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1896. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civi ...
'', a popular magazine for women. While living in Covington, Kentucky, Hentz wrote ''Constance of Werdenberg'', a play performed at the Park Theatre in New York in 1832. It was never published. That same year, another Hentz's plays, ''Lamorah; or, the Western Wild'', played in Cincinnati before moving to New Orleans, where it was produced at Calwell's on January 1, 1833. In 1850, Hentz published her most profitable novel, ''Linda''. Hentz's earlier works were written for young readers, mimicking religious parables and instructing them in morality. Hentz was also known for "engaging in some of the most prominent public debates on the ethics and social relations of the slave system."Stanesa 130 After retiring from her career as an educator, Hentz began to write vigorously and her literary career blossomed as a result. From 1850 to 1856, "Hentz produced several collections of stories as well as seven more novels."Stanesa 132 One of Hentz's most famous novels, ''The Planter’s Northern Bride'', was published in 1854. It has been described as a "polemical and distinctively Southern response to
Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...
's ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''," which was published in 1852 and became a best seller. ''The Northern Bride'' was one of a genre known as anti-Tom literature. Hentz's last novel, ''Ernest Linwood'', was published on February 11, 1856.


Achievements

"Her five-act tragedy, ''De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride'', Philadelphia, also won a competition sponsored by the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia." This "prize asoffered by Boston actor and manager William Pelby", but he was unable to pay it. The Boston Library named her as one of the top 3 writers of the day." ''The Mob Cap'' appeared in the Saturday ''Courier'' winning critical praise and a $200 prize."


Writing

While at
Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...
, Hentz competed for a prize of $500 that had been offered for a play by the directors of the Arch Street Theatre in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. The prize was awarded to her for her tragedy of ''De Lara, or the Moorish Bride''. It was produced on stage and published in book-form in 1843. ''Lamorah, or the Western Wild'', another tragedy, was performed at Cincinnati after having been published in a newspaper at
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...
in 1832. ''Constance of Werdenberg'', a third tragedy, remained unpublished. Hentz also wrote numerous short poems. She wrote a voluminous number of tales and novelettes that were published in periodicals and newspapers, many of which were collected into volumes. Hentz introduces several villains in her novel, ''The Planter's Northern Bride'' (1854). One is a busybody who tries to free slaves against their will. By doing so, Hentz tries to discredit the abolitionist argument of inhumane treatment of the Southern slaves. She portrays the people wanting to abolish the institution of slavery as being motivated for personal gain, not by a desire to improve mankind. She expanded on this motive to attribute abolition sentiment to the industrial revolution that was taking place in the North, which she said would require the massive amounts of cheap labor that only the South could provide by way of slavery.


Primary works

*''Lamorah; or, the Western Wild'' (play, 1832) *''Constance of Werdenberg; or, The Forest League'' (play, 1832) *''Lovell's Folly'' (1833) *''De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride'' (play, 1843) *"Human and Divine Philosophy: A Poem Written for the Erosophic Society of the University of Alabama" (1844) *''Aunt Patty's Scrap-bag'' (1846) *''Linda; or, The Young Pilot of the Belle Creole'' (1850) *''Rena; or, The Snow Bird'' (1851) *''Eoline; or, Magnolia Vale; or, The Heiress of Glenmore'' (1852) *''Marcus Warland; or, The Long Moss Spring'' (1852) *''The Banished Son and Other Stories of the Heart'' (1852) *''Helen and Arthur; or, Miss Thusa's Spinning Wheel'' (1853) *''The Victim of Excitement, The Bosom Serpent, etc.'' (1853) *''Wild Jack; or, The Stolen Child, and Other Stories'' (1853) *"The Hermit of Rockrest" (1853)Godey's Lady's Book, 1853 *'' The Planter's Northern Bride'' (1854) *''Courtship and Marriage; or, The Joys and Sorrows of American Life'' (1856) *''Ernest Linwood; or, The Inner Life of the Author'' (1856) *''Love After Marriage and Other Stories of the Heart'' (1857) Reprint (possibly a revision) of the previous collection, ''The Victim of Excitement'' *''The Lost Daughter and Other Stories of the Heart'' (1857) *''Robert Graham'' (1855) Sequel to ''Linda; or, The Young Pilot of the Belle Creole''


Notes


References

*Knight, Denise D. ''Writers of the American Renaissance: An A-To-Z Guide.'' West Port: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. *Perry, Caroline, and Mary Louise Weaks. ''The History of Southern Women's Literature''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002. 82–84. *Stanesa, Jamie. "Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (1800–1856)", ''Legacy'' 2. 13. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University, 1996. Attribution *


External links


Text of ''The Planter's Northern Bride''
Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hentz, Caroline Lee 1800 births 1856 deaths 19th-century American novelists American women novelists Novelists from Massachusetts People from Marianna, Florida American proslavery activists 19th-century American women writers Deaths from pneumonia in Florida