Iola Leroy (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Frances Ellen Watkins
- First Published: 1892
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social criticism
- Time of Work: The last months of the Civil War through early Reconstruction
- Setting: North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Northern states
- Principal Characters: Iola Leroy, Robert Johnson, Dr. Gresham, Dr. Frank Latimer, Tom Anderson, Aunt Linda
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: African Americans, Discrimination, Teaching or teachers, Freedom, Family or family life, Love or romance, Race, Biracial people, South or Southerners, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Education or educators, Prejudices or antipathies, Doctors, Women’s issues, Georgia, Civil War, Mississippi, North Carolina, Moral conditions, Reconstruction, Patriotism, Nursing or nurses
- Locales: Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina
The Novel
Iola Leroy: Or, Shadows Uplifted, a novel set at the close of the Civil War, is a tale of racial uplift loosely developed around the fortunes and misfortunes of the title character. The opening chapters focus on conversations among the slaves and highlight the masking in which they engage around whites to conceal their joy as they follow the progress of the Union Army. Robert Johnson, the most literate of the slaves, provides leadership and counsel as the Union Army approaches and the folk prepare for their lives of freedom. When the army arrives, Robert, Tom...
[The entire page is 2482 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
