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Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (May 23, 1859 – August 13, 1930) was an American
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
,
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
,
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
,
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
, and
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
. She is considered a pioneer in her use of the
romantic novel A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed to the developm ...
to explore social and racial themes, as demonstrated in her first major novel '' Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South.'' In addition, Hopkins is known for her significant contributions as editor for the ''
Colored American Magazine ''The Colored American Magazine'' was the first monthly publication in the United States that covered African-American culture. It ran from May 1900 to November 1909 and had a peak circulation of 17,000. The magazine was initially published out ...
,'' 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 Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite#United S ...
and
William Wells Brown William Wells Brown (November 6, 1814 – November 6, 1884) was an American abolitionist, novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into slavery near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Brown escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19. He settled in Boston, ...
. Hopkins spent most of her life in
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, where she completed the majority of her works. As an active contributor to the racial, political and feminist discourse of the time, Hopkins is known as being one of the significant intellectuals of the early 20th century to promote
racial uplift ''Racial uplift'' is an ideology within the African-American community that describes a response of activists, leaders, and spokespersons to the racism found in the United States, particularly in the South during the post-Reconstruction era. ...
through her writing.


Early life

Hopkins was born to Benjamin Northrup and Sarah A. Allen in
Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
in on May 23, 1859, and grew up in
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Allegations of infidelity led Allen to file for divorce, and shortly afterwards she met and married William Hopkins. It was not until age 20 that Pauline Allen took on the name of her stepfather and became Pauline Hopkins. Mitchell, Verner D., and Cynthia Davis. ''Literary Sisters: Dorothy West and Her Circle, A Biography of the Harlem Renaissance''. Rutgers University Press, 2012. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hjf75. Accessed 1 April 2024. Northrup had been influential in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
, due to his political ties and Hopkins' mother was a native of
Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...
. Her maternal ancestry traces back to the famous New Hampshire natives
Nathaniel Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Hebrew name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. ...
and
Thomas Paul Thomas, Tommy or Tom Paul may refer to: * Thomas Paul (priest), 18th century Irish Anglican priest * Thomas Paul (Baptist minister) (1773–1831), Baptist minister and abolitionist who became the first pastor for the First African Baptist Church * ...
, who were of religious prominence for their Baptist ministry and the latter for opening the first
Black Baptist church The Black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian denominations and congregations in the United States that predominantly minister to, and are led by, African Americans, ...
in the Boston area. The high-achieving Hopkins household encouraged Pauline academically, which led her to develop an appreciation for literature. In addition to hailing from a well-educated household, she was inspired from an early age by African-American leaders of the time, such as
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...
, whom she later cited as having "god-like gifts" in her recollection of attending one of his talks during adolescence. In 1874, after completing her second year at
Girls High School Girls' High School was a public high school in Brooklyn, New York. It was in a historically and architecturally notable building at 475 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. It was built in 1886.''Brooklyn: a soup-to-nuts gu ...
, she entered an essay contest held by the Congregational Publishing Society of Boston and funded by former slave, novelist, and dramatist
William Wells Brown William Wells Brown (November 6, 1814 – November 6, 1884) was an American abolitionist, novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into slavery near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Brown escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19. He settled in Boston, ...
. Her submission, "Evils of Intemperance and Their Remedy", highlighted the problems with intemperance and urged parents to be in control of their children's social upbringing. She placed first in the contest and won $10 in gold. Hopkins became well known for her various roles as a dramatist, actress and singer. In March 1877, she participated in her first dramatic performance, ''Pauline Western, the Belle of Saratoga''. After this, she acted in several other plays and received positive reviews. However, it was not until the beginning of the 1900s that she decided to focus more on her literary passions.


Literary career


Plays, novels and short stories

Hopkins' earliest known work, a
musical play Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
called ''Slaves’ Escape; or, The Underground Railroad'' (later revised as ''Peculiar Sam; or, The Underground Railroad''), was first performed at Oakland Garden in Boston during the year 1880. Afterwards, she wrote another unpublished play titled ''One Scene from the Drama of Early Days,'' which was dramatized rendition of the biblical story of
Daniel in the lions' den Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel) tells of how the biblical Daniel is saved from Asiatic lions by the God of Israel "because I was found blameless before him" (Daniel 6:22). It parallels and complements chapter 3, the ...
. Her short story "Talma Gordon," published in 1900, is often noted as being the first African-American
mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...
story. She explored the difficulties faced by African Americans amid the
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
violence of post-Civil War America in her first novel, '' Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South'', published in 1900. In the following years, she published three serial novels between 1901 and 1903 in the African-American periodical ''
Colored American Magazine ''The Colored American Magazine'' was the first monthly publication in the United States that covered African-American culture. It ran from May 1900 to November 1909 and had a peak circulation of 17,000. The magazine was initially published out ...
'': ''Hagar's Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice'', ''Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest'', and ''Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self''.


''Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self''

The last of Hopkins' four novels, '' Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self'', first appeared in serial form in ''
The Colored American Magazine ''The Colored American Magazine'' was the first monthly publication in the United States that covered African-American culture. It ran from May 1900 to November 1909 and had a peak circulation of 17,000. The magazine was initially published out ...
'' from November 1902 to November 1903, during the four-year period in which Hopkins served as its editor. Elements of the work have been compared to Goethe's ''Faust''. ''Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self'' tells the story of Reuel Briggs, a medical student who does not care about being black or appreciating African history, but finds himself in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
on an archaeological trip. His motive is to raid the country of lost treasures, which he does find. However, he discovers much more than he expected: the painful truth about blood, race, and the half of his history that was never told. Hopkins wrote the novel intending, in her own words, to "raise the stigma of degradation from he Blackrace". The title, ''Of One Blood'', refers to the biological kinship of all human beings. Although ''Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self'' is a work of fiction, Hopkins constructs an historical argument in her novel, using historical and literary sources, as well as travelogues. Her argument, which ran counter to many histories of that time, was that the ancient cultures of the
Nile Valley The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...
were African in origin, not imported to the area from elsewhere.


''Colored American Magazine''

From the beginning of the nine-year run of the ''Colored American Magazine,'' Hopkins served as a major contributor to the periodical's success. Hopkins short story "The Mystery Within Us" was included in the first issue of ''Colored American Magazine'', a monthly periodical started by the same company who published Hopkins' novel '' Contending Forces'' in the same year. She was named Editor of the Women's Department by the second issue, and Literary Editor of the magazine by November 1903. In addition, she would go on to write sketches for the periodical known as "Famous Women of the Negro Race" and "Famous Men of the Negro Race." This series gave recognition to many of the influential Black figures of the time through detailing their lives and legacies, including abolitionist
William Wells Brown William Wells Brown (November 6, 1814 – November 6, 1884) was an American abolitionist, novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into slavery near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Brown escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19. He settled in Boston, ...
, the same inspiration who had awarded her for her essay-writing ability as a teenager nearly three decades earlier. At times going by the pseudonym Sarah A. Allen, Hopkins through her work at the ''Colored American'' began to gain recognition in the public eye. As a result of this, she was offered the opportunity to become a member of the board of directors, a shareholder and a creditor of the magazine. Along with her writing, she helped to increase subscriptions and raise funding for the magazine as a co-founder of "The American Colored League", which was an organization started in 1904 with the mission of promoting the interests of the ''Colored American''. These roles alone helped her break into the literary world, with her work making up a substantial amount of the literary and historical materials promoted by the magazine. She would continue to work for the magazine until she left in September 1804 due to health complications. By her final issue, a total of six of Hopkins' short stories had been published in the magazine, including the well-known mystery "Talma Gordon", as well as two of her novels, ''Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest'' and ''Of One Blood or The Hidden Self''.


''New Era Magazine''

Hopkins' final notable works as a writer and editor occurred during the formation of the Boston-based ''New Era Magazine'', which she created with Walter Wallace, whom she had previously worked with at the ''Colored American Magazine''. The cover of the ''New Era Magazine'' included the subheading "An Illustrated Monthly Devoted to the World-Wide Interests of the Colored Race". Despite its attempts to provide a space appealing to the literary and political interests of African-Americans in the context of the segregation era, the magazine only published two issues in 1916 before ceasing existence and receiving very little recognition within scholarly discourse at the time. This is often regarded as a failure on Hopkins' part, marking the quiet conclusion of her literary career.


Reception

After presenting ''Contending Forces'' to the Women's Era Club of Boston, readings of the novel spread to other women's clubs throughout the country. It was hailed as being "...undoubtedly the book of the century.... absorbing from the first page to the last" by president of the Colored Women's Business Club of Chicago, Alberta Moore Smith. Despite this, Hopkins received little public recognition in comparison to many of her male counterparts. Her name would be largely forgotten during the time of the
Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...
, during which other African-American artists received much recognition, leading up to her death. Many details of her life would fall into obscurity until scholar
Ann Allen Shockley Ann Allen Shockley (born June 21, 1927) is an American journalist, editor and author, specialising in themes of interracial lesbian love, especially the plight of black lesbians living under what she views as the " triple oppression" of racism, s ...
's biographical essay "Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins: A Biographical Excursion into Obscurity" in 1972, which was followed by her work being featured in The Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers during 1988.


Legacy

Hopkins is remembered for writing one of the first mystery drama plays by a Black woman. She has also been recognized as "...the most prolific contributor to the ''Colored American Magazine''" during the four years that regularly contributed to the periodical, setting the foundation for what the magazine would become even after her eventual departure. Her various works for the magazine such as "Famous Women of the Negro Race" (1901–1902) were known to combat the stereotypes enforced on African Americans through showcasing the great successes of the race, often shedding light on the experiences of women in particular. In 1988,
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
released The Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers with Professor
Henry Louis Gates Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
as the general editor of the series. Hopkins' novel ''Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South'' (with an introduction by Richard Yarborough) was reprinted as a part of this series. Her magazine novels (with an introduction by
Hazel Carby Hazel Vivian Carby (born 15 January 1948 in Okehampton, Devon) is Professor Emerita of African American Studies and of American Studies. She served as Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of African American Studies and American Studies a ...
) were also reprinted as a part of this series. Carby did this as a way to reintroduce Hopkins into the sphere and see how her literature influenced writers in the past, present and now future. Her work has been regarded among other notable African-American writers at the time such as Charles Chesnutt,
Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
, and
Sutton Griggs Sutton Elbert Griggs (June 19, 1872 – January 2, 1933) was an American author, Baptist minister, academic administrator, educator, publisher, and social activist. He is best known for his novel '' Imperium in Imperio'' (1899), a utopian work th ...
by Richard Yarborough. In relation to women's publications, Yarborough calls her "the single most productive black woman writer at the turn of the century". "The Northup legacy that Pauline Hopkins would claim as her own was one of impressive public action, fearless civic ambition and strong community consciousness."


Death

In the years leading up to her death, Hopkins was employed as a stenographer for the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
. On August 12, 1930, she died from injuries sustained after an accident, during which bandages that she was wearing on her arms to treat her
neuritis Neuritis (), from the Greek ), is inflammation of a nerve or the general inflammation of the peripheral nervous system. Inflammation, and frequently concomitant demyelination, cause impaired transmission of neural signals and leads to aberrant ne ...
, soaked in
liniment Liniment (from , meaning "to smear, Anointing, anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; s ...
, caught aflame from an oil stove that she had in her room. She died in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
and was buried in the Garden Cemetery in
Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in ...
. Despite the fact that she had resided in the area during the course of most of her life's work, there was no record of her death posted in the local obituaries. Both ''
The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...
'' and the '' Baltimore-Afro-American'' newspapers reported on her death, wrongly citing her age of death as 79. The Cambridge Death Records of the Massachusetts Department of Vital Statistics confirm that her actual age of death was 71. To this day, many details of her life are still undiscovered, including her exact birthdate.


Published works

*''Slaves' Escape; or, The Underground Railroad'', 1880.
''Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South''
, 1900. *"Talma Gordon". First published in ''The Colored American Magazine'', 1900.

First published serially in ''The Colored American Magazine'', 1901–02.

First published serially in ''The Colored American Magazine'', 1902–03. *'' Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self''. First published serially in ''
The Colored American Magazine ''The Colored American Magazine'' was the first monthly publication in the United States that covered African-American culture. It ran from May 1900 to November 1909 and had a peak circulation of 17,000. The magazine was initially published out ...
'', 1903. *''Of One Blood: Or, the Hidden Self''. Edited by Deborah McDowell. Washington Square Press, 2004. *''Of One Blood: Or, the Hidden Self''. Edited, with notes, by Eric R. Guignard and
Leslie S. Klinger Leslie S. Klinger is an American attorney and writer. He is a noted literary editor and annotator of classic genre fiction, including the Sherlock Holmes stories and the novels ''Dracula'', ''Frankenstein'', and ''Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and ...
. Poisoned Pen Press/Horror Writers Association (Haunted Library of Horror Classics), 2021. This edition featured an introduction by
Nisi Shawl Nisi Shawl (born 1955) is an African American writer, editor, and journalist. They are best known as an author of science fiction and fantasy short stories who writes and teaches about how fantastic fiction might reflect real-world diversity o ...
. *''Of One Blood: Or, the Hidden Self''. Edited by Eurie Dahn and Brian Sweeney. Broadview Press, 2022. *''Of One Blood'' was rereleased by the MIT Press as part of the Radium Age Series in 2022. This edition featured an introduction by
Minister Faust Malcolm Azania (born 1969), is a Kenyan-Canadian novelist, teacher, writer, and journalist. He is primarily known by his pen name, Minister Faust. In addition to writing science fiction, he is a playwright, journalist, teacher, and poet. He has al ...
.''Of One Blood''
MIT Press.


See also

* ''
The Music Trades ''The Music Trades'' is a -year-old American trade magazine that covers a broad spectrum of music and music commerce, domestically and abroad. Founded in New York City in 1890, it has been based in Englewood, New Jersey, since the mid-1970s. '' ...
'', "History", "Post-1996 findings on Freund" (relating to ''
Colored American Magazine ''The Colored American Magazine'' was the first monthly publication in the United States that covered African-American culture. It ran from May 1900 to November 1909 and had a peak circulation of 17,000. The magazine was initially published out ...
'')


References


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * *


External links


Dasher-Alston, Robin M. (1998). "Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins."
Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, University of Minnesota.
Hopkins profile
at Literary Encyclopedia

* ttp://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2838/is_3_36/ai_94335193 Martin Japtok's critical essay, "Pauline Hopkins's Of One Blood, Africa, and the 'Darwinist Trap'"br>Home page
for The Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers
The Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins Society
*
Works by Pauline Hopkins
at
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Pauline 1859 births 1930 deaths 19th-century African-American women writers 19th-century African-American writers 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American women journalists 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American writers 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers Accidental deaths in Massachusetts African-American dramatists and playwrights African-American journalists African-American novelists African-American women journalists American women dramatists and playwrights American women novelists Deaths from fire Girls' High School (Boston, Massachusetts) alumni Harlem Renaissance Paul family of New England