Blood and Irony : Southern White Women's Narratives of the Civil War, 1861-1937

During the Civil War, its devastating aftermath, and the decades following, many southern white women turned to writing as a way to make sense of their experiences. Combining varied historical and literary sources, Sarah Gardner argues that women served as guardians of the collective memory of the war and helped define and reshape southern identity. Gardner considers such well-known authors as Caroline Gordon, Ellen Glasgow, and Margaret Mitchell and also recovers works by lesser-known writers such as Mary Ann Cruse, Mary Noailles Murfree, and Varina Davis. In fiction, biographies, private papers, educational texts, historical writings, and through the work of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, southern white women sought to tell and preserve what they considered to be the truth about the war. But this truth varied according to historical circumstance and the course of the conflict. Only in the aftermath of defeat did a more unified vision of the southern cause emerge. Yet Gardner reveals the existence of a strong community of Confederate women who were conscious of their shared effort to define a new and compelling vision of the southern war experience. In demonstrating the influence of this vision, Gardner highlights the role of the written word in defining a new cultural identity for the postbellum South. During the Civil War, its devastating aftermath, and the decades following, many southern white women turned to writing as a way to make sense of their experiences. Combining varied historical and literary sources, Sarah Gardner argues that women served as guardians of the collective memory of the war and helped define and reshape southern identity. Gardner considers such well-known authors as Caroline Gordon, Ellen Glasgow, and Margaret Mitchell and also recovers works by lesser-known writers such as Mary Ann Cruse, Mary Noailles Murfree, and Varina Davis. In fiction, biographies, private papers, educational texts, historical writings, and through the work of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, southern white women sought to tell and preserve what they considered to be the truth about the war. But this truth varied according to historical circumstance and the course of the conflict. Only in the aftermath of defeat did a more unified vision of the southern cause emerge. Yet Gardner reveals the existence of a strong community of Confederate women who were conscious of their shared effort to define a new and compelling vision of the southern war experience. In demonstrating the influence of this vision, Gardner highlights the role of the written word in defining a new cultural identity for the postbellum South. In Fiction, Diaries, Biographies, Personal Papers, Educational Texts, Historical Writings, And Through The Work Of The United Daughters Of The Confederacy, Southern White Women Sought To Tell And Preserve What They Considered To Be The Truth About The War. In Doing So, They Shaped The Myth Of The Lost Cause And Tried To Restore Dignity And Valor To The Public Image Of The South. Women Worked Both Independently And In Concert, And Gardner Reveals A Strong Community Of Confederate Women Who Were Conscious Of Their Shared Effort To Define A New And Compelling Vision Of The Southern War Experience. Gardner's Reading Of A Wide Range Of Published And Unpublished Texts Recovers A Multifaceted Vision Of The South. For Example, During The War, While Its Outcome Was Not Yet A Foregone Conclusion, Women's Writings Sometimes Reflected Loyalty And Optimism; At Other Times, They Revealed Doubts And A Wavering Resolve. According To Gardner, It Was Only In The Aftermath Of Defeat That A More Unified Vision Of The Southern Cause Emerged. By The Beginning Of The Twentieth Century, However, White Women - Who Remained Deeply Loyal To Their Southern Roots - Were Raising Fundamental Questions About The Meaning Of Southern Womanhood In The Modern Era.--book Jacket. Everywoman Her Own Historian -- Pen And Ink Warriors, 1861-1865 -- Countrywomen In Captivity, 1865-1877 -- A View From The Mountain, 1877-1895 -- The Imperative Of Historical Inquiry, 1895-1905 -- Righting The Wrongs Of History, 1905-1915 -- Moderns Confront The Civil War, 1916-1936 -- Everything That Rises Must Converge. Sarah E. Gardner. Based On The Author's Doctoral Thesis, Emory University. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 305-336) And Index. In February 1861, Emma E. Holmes of Charleston, South Carolina, contemplated the future of her country and became incensed.