Sarah Orne Jewett
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Major Issues Major IssuesThe people of 19th century coastal New England are Sarah Orne Jewett’s main subject, and social historians have commented on her detailed, faithful rendering of their speech, landscape, etiquette, social and familial interactions, and values. She is credited with presenting dignified, but not nostalgic, portraits of rural individuals and communities in the process of losing their "rural way of life." The climax of many of Jewett’s stories has been compared with the moment of epiphany in 19th century American transcendental poetry. Her protagonists move towards an experience of communion, either with nature or with another character. Scholars have noted Jewett’s ability to create empathy and intimacy between her characters and her readers, who thereby share in the communion. Author LinksSarah
Orne Jewett
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