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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Terrific
Writing the book in the early days of the 20th century, Chesnutt presents a wonderful narrative about a wealthy New Yorker, Colonel French, whose southern roots bring him briefly home after securing a vast fortune for himself. He purchases his ancestral home, and reinserts himself within the southern context of his youth. However, the Reconstruction-era town to which he relocates does not agree with his northern ideals--such as the idea that everyone, of all races, deserves the same opportunities--and the town's residents provide many challenges to French's attempts at improving the town. I will not describe the entirety of the novel's plot, though I will say that the colonel's dreams do not come to fruition, and after a notable incident near the novel's conclusion, he cuts short his new southern life, and relocates once again to New York. Through this text, Chesnutt presents to readers a man with the financial means to improve his hometown, who does not find acceptance and an embracing of his aid, but insurmountable challenges, instead.

As one of the novel's characters later muses, the world would be a better place if there were more people like Colonel French. Indeed there would be, and perhaps this is not only the Colonel's dream, but also that of Chesnutt. I suspect that in presenting the Colonel's challenges to readers, Chesnutt suggests that, despite the impressive efforts of kind people at creating an environment tolerable for people of all races, the Reconstruction-era south is not prepared to do so, and it will take time before notable changes may occur.

To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required
THE COLONEL'S DREAM resurrects a time when our nation was recovering from one of the bloodiest wars in history and struggling to regain its identity as a unified country.Colonel French, although a former Confederate, has become enlightened and feels obligated to share his reformed view of American society with his old friends and neighbors.Aided by his devoted servant and freed slave, Uncle Peter, the Colonel makes a life for himself and his young son in the town of Clarendon and works toward making it a prosperous place to live for both blacks and whites.Unfortunately, everyone is not on his side and the powers-that-be are only interested in maintaining the status quo.It is the Colonel's valiant efforts to lay the foundation for a progressive community that moves the action in this novel and provides the reader with a certain sense of ethos, humanity, and encouragement to see this novel to its final conclusion.

Reviewed by Kim Anderson Ray
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
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Product Description
A story about the struggles of black and white half-sisters, written by the author of "The Conjure Woman", "The Wife of His Youth", "The House Behind the Cedars" and "The Colonel's Daughter". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

It's A Pretty Boring Book
This book was required, and it's very boring. It starts slow, and the ending is completely unrealistic. This is something to read only if you have to.

An Astounding American Novel
Charles Chesnutt's 1901 novel, "The Marrow of Tradition," is finally, after nearly a century, getting a broader audience, and deservedly so.Set in late 1890's North Carolina, Chesnutt's novel examines the psychology of turn of the century American race relations.Based on the incidents leading up to the 1898 Wilmington 'race riot,' "The Marrow of Tradition" is an astounding fictional study of American race relations, and their political, social, economic, and personal ramifications, which we still feel to-day.This is a novel which should join Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" as a key text in American literature courses, and in the broader social imaginary.

"The Marrow of Tradition" begins with multiple anxities - Major Carteret, a former Southern Civil War officer, whose family was nearly ruined as a result of the war, is in the process of rebuilding his family and his fortunes.Having founded a newspaper, 'The Morning Chronicle,' his fortunes seem to be on the rise.However, he envisions threats on every side - personally, the precarious life of his new born son constantly threatens to end his family line; politically, since the passage of the 15th Amendment, the black population of his hometown, Wellington, is increasingly subjecting his pride to the 'insult' of an 'inferior' race in positions of authority and influence.For the black population of Wellington, threats to their growing power are just as palpable - Carteret and his cronies (particularly General Belmont and 'Captain' McBane) are building up a 'white supremacy' movement; social relations between blacks and whites have the veneer of restraint, with explosive rage always bristling beneath the surface on both sides of the 'color line.'For black people like Sandy Campbell and Jane Letlow, in service to white families since before the war, investment in 'status quo antebellum' is a way of life.Others like Jerry Letlow and Josh Green represent absolute differences in opinion in their relations with the whites.For mixed-race individuals like Dr. William Miller and his wife Janet, social acceptance, respectability, and mobility seem possible.Miller's decision to build a hospital in Wellington is predicated on the hope that he might be a cornerstone for the up-and-coming black community.

With a complex set of relations like this in place, the novel quickly draws us in.Carteret's determination in setting up a 'white supremacy' movement meets with various successes and failures, as he uses his newspaper to sow seeds of discontent among the white population, which is actually outnumbered in Wellington, two to one.An editorial from a black newspaper, against the extra-judicial practices of lynch mobs enrages Carteret and his group.A key relationship in the novel, between an old Southern aristocrat, John Delamere, his profligate grandson, Tom, and their longtime family servant, Sandy Campbell, sets the stage for heightened racial tensions, when Sandy is accused of murdering an elderly white woman, Polly Ochiltree, who is related to the Carterets.

Chesnutt does a phenomenal job of juxtaposing the systems by which each individual and each group and sub-group in the novel deals with the realities of life in a post-Reconstruction southern town.From simple subsisting to aggressive attempts at change, from local traditions of hexcraft to public manipulation through the press, from defensive postures to mob mentality, from legislation to extra-legal action, from duties to thecommunity to the duties owed to one's own family, Chesnutt presents his readers with a wide variety of strategies open to his characters.With a narrative voice which believes decisively in "Fate," the novel tries to illustrate the legacy of slavery, and the almost inevitable mess that comes about when stationary, progressive, and regressive mindsets clash on a public level.

One of Chesnutt's major achievements is in never wholly giving way to group mentalities or broad generalizations with regard to the actors in this drama.Stereotypes are as soon dismissed as acknowledged.He clearly allows for and presents differences in opinion on the level of the individual - Josh Green's self-proclaimed mission of vengeance against white people is as deeply felt as Jerry Letlow's wishes to become white.Even within the 'white supremacy' Big Three, Careteret, Belmont, and McBane express radically different approaches to gaining what they imagine to be a common goal.White characters like Philadelphia surgeon, Dr. Burns, and Wellington newspaper man, Lee Ellis, are as inclusionary and accepting of black citizens and their aspirations as their respective social positions will allow them to be.There is a lot more going on in "The Marrow of Tradition" than I have pointed to here.Professor Eric Sundquist's introduction does an excellent job of setting up the historical, political, and biographical contexts involved in the novel.Overall, this is an extremely rich novel and very much worth reading.

A compelling, engaging story of characters and events
Masterfully narrated by Michael Collins, the historical novel, The Marrow Of Tradition, by Charles Waddell Chesnutt is set in the 1898 North Carolina city of Wellington, presenting a kind of microcosm of the ante-bellum south where a town has gone mad with racial hatreds, and roiling confrontations between southern "redeemers" and the now free black community. The first African-American novelist to achieve national recognition for his work, Charles Waddell Chesnutt is able to take us back into a time of family tragedy, death, lynch law, and endemic racial violence that would scar the worlds of both whites and blacks for generations to come. The Marrow Of Tradition is a compelling, engaging story of characters and events that grips the listener's total attention from beginning to end. (Running Time: 3:30 hours)

An engaging inquiry into turn-of-the-century race relations
This near-forgotten novel really doesn't get the attention it deserves. Although written over a hundred years ago(Chesnutt has the distinction of being the first African-American professional writer of fiction), the novel anticipates many of the approaches leaders would later employ in their attempts to better the plight of African-Americans. Josh Green, for example, is a dead-ringer for the "by any means necessary" rhetoric of Malcolm X, while Dr. Miller seems more emblematic of the accomodationist position adopted by Booker T. Washington and later modified by Martin Luther King. Although Chesnutt seems to imply preference for the latter, the text never falls into a redundant good/bad binary. Chesnutt skillfully demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of strategies designed to address the systemic disenfranchisement of African-Americans. Like many black writers interested in such issues (most notably Patricia Williams in "The Alchemy of Race and Rights"), the text reinforces the importance of rights discourse and a well-functioning legal forum as the keys to ensuring black freedom and autonomy from coercive hegemonical practices.

Although the text, as some commentators have noted, sometimes wildly veers into melodrama, the power and vision of the narrative trumps whatever small stylistic quibbles I may have with it. A great read.

Tradition and Justice
This Chesnutt novel is one of the most powerful fictional works about the nature of race relations published in the era of the Jim Crow South. It carefully relates issues of the "separate but equal" doctrine,Southern tradition and class distinctions, mob justice and lynching,generational shifts in race relations, and a number of other problems in aninteresting narrative account of the Wilmington race riot. Chesnutt'sstyle, powerful nuances, and memorable characters make this novel anessential read for anyone interested in the history of race relations inAmerica. ... Read more

Product Description
Charles Chesnutt wrote this novel at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s. Never before published, the novel disputes prevailing attitudes of the time on racial character and identity. In a surprising plot reversal, Chesnutt deals with the subject of miscegenation, and his hero Paul Marchand is an admirable male with inner strength.Amazon.com Review
Charles Chestnutt's 1921 novel begins with a startlingpremise: expatriate Paul Marchand, a "Free Man of Color," returns toNew Orleans only to discover that he is now officially white. Thanksto a will, he has become the head of a rich, powerful--and racist--Creole family. To claim his birthright, however, he must renounce hismixed-race wife and children, as well as all the principles of hisupbringing. Novelist Chestnutt was the most popular and criticallyacclaimed African-American writer of his day. By the time he wrotePaul Marchand, F.M.C., however, he had fallen from favor, andpublishers universally rejected the novel. Its publication marks arecent resurgence of interest in his writing, and it's clear to seewhy; if Chestnutt's purple prose and melodramatic plot twistssometimes seem dated, his ideas do not. With its dramatic schismbetween nature and nurture, Marchand's dilemma poses some peculiarlymodern questions about the meaning of race. Like many currenttheorists, Chestnutt saw race as a social construct rather than as anirreversible biological fact, perhaps because of his ownbackground. He was himself light-skinned enough to pass for white, andknowing that he decided not to do so gives this fascinating noveladded resonance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Paul Marchand
I purchased the book for my daughter and she likes it.the book is in good condition.

A lost treasure
This is not my first Chesnutt book.Over the years I read the Marrow of Tradition, House Behind the Cedars and several of Chesnutt's short stories.PAUL MARCHAND FMS is truly a lost treasure. The introduction is extremelywell done and gives an excellent explanation to new readers of this genre. All readers will get a true sense of the racial lines that exsisted inearly 19th century New Orleans and how some of these same feelings existtoday.If you have not been a reader of Chesnutt, this is a good place tostart. I'm sure that you will come to love his writings just as I have.Asa native of Cleveland, Ohio, I'm proud to remind all readers that Chesnutt spent most of his live in Cleveland and is buried in Cleveland's historicLakeview Cemetery. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Boston, New York : Houghton, MifflinPublication date: 1901Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932)-African-American educator, lawyer, and activist-was the most prominent black prose author of his day. ... Read more

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Warwick recalled vividly how the shot had rung out. He could see again the livid look of terror on the victim's face, the gathering crowd, the resulting confusion. The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence. As Warwick was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, he could not foresee that, thirty years later, even this would seem an excessive punishment for so slight a misdemeanor.

Leaving the market-house, Warwick turned to the left, and kept on his course until he reached the next corner. After another turn to the right, a dozen paces brought him in front of a small weather-beaten frame building, from which projected a wooden sign-board bearing the inscription:--

ARCHIBALD STRAIGHT, LAWYER.

He turned the knob, but the door was locked. Retracing his steps past a vacant lot, the young man entered a shop where a colored man wa

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Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932)-African-American educator, lawyer, and activist-was the most prominent black prose author of his day. ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:IllTHE EDITOR AT WORKTo go back a little, for several days after his child's birth Major Carteret's chief interest in life had been confined to the four walls of the chamber where hia pale wife lay upon her bed of pain, and those of the adjoining room where an old black woman crooned lovingly over a little white infant. A new element had been added to the major's consciousness, broadening the scope and deepening the strength of his affections. He did not love Olivia the less, for maternity had crowned her wifehood with an added glory; but side by side with this old and tried attachment was a new passion, stirring up dormant hopes and kindling new desires. His regret had been more than personal at the thought that with himself an old name should be lost to the State ; and now all the old pride of race, class, and family welled up anew, and swelled and quickened the current of his life.Upon the major's first appearance at the office, which took place the second day after the child's birth, he opened a box of cigars in honor of the event. The word had been passed around by Ellis, and the whole office force, including reporters, compositors, and pressmen, came in to congratulate the major and smoke at his expense. Even Jerry, the colored porter, — Mammy Jane's grandson and therefore a protege of the family, — presented himself among therest, or rather, after the rest. The major shook hands with them all except Jerry, though he acknowledged the porter's congratulations with a kind nod and put a good cigar into his outstretched palm, for which Jerry thanked him without manifesting any consciousness of the omission. He was quite aware that under ordinary circumstances the major would not have shaken hands with white workingmen, to say nothing of negroes; and he had merely hop... ... Read more

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A party of Northern visitors had been staying for several days at the St. James Hotel. The gentlemen of the party were concerned in a projected cotton mill, while the ladies were much interested in the study of social conditions, and especially in the negro problem. As soon as their desire for information became known, they were taken courteously under the wing of prominent citizens and their wives, who gave them, at elaborate luncheons, the Southern white man's views of the negro, sighing sentimentally over the disappearance of the good old negro of before the war, and gravely deploring the degeneracy of his descendants. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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According to Wikipedia: "According to Wikipedia: "Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818– February 20, 1895) was an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. Called "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia", Douglass is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history and United States history. In 1872, Douglass became the very first African-American nominated as a Vice Presidential candidate in the U.S., running on the Equal Rights Party ticket with Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States. He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, 'I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.'" "Charles Waddell Chesnutt (June 20, 1858 – November 15, 1932) was an African-American author, essayist and political activist, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity…. Chesnutt's stories were more complex than those of many of his contemporaries. He wrote about characters' dealing with difficult issues of miscegenation, "passing", illegitimacy, racial identities and social place throughout his career. The issues were especially pressing in the social volatility of Reconstruction and late 19th century society, as whites in the South tried to press all people with any African ancestry into one lower caste. At the same time, there was often distance and competition between families who had long been free persons of color, especially if educated and people of property, and newly freed slaves." ... Read more