The Lost Phoebe | The Lost Phoebe

At a glance:

Author: Theodore Dreiser
First Published: 1916
Type of Plot: Domestic realism
Time of Work: The late 1800's or early 1900's
Setting: A farm in the American Midwest
Principal Characters: Henry Reifsneider, Phoebe Reifsneider
Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
Subjects: United States or Americans, Suicide, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Ghosts or apparitions, Midwest, Farms, farmers, or farming, Death or dying, Hallucinations or illusions
Locales: Midwest (U.S.)

Henry Reifsneider was born on a rural farm in the American Midwest where the population is steadily decreasing. His family lived on it for generations, but his children either have moved away or have died. Henry's farm, which he and his wife, Phoebe, now maintain, is in decline. The buildings and even the furniture inside the house are in decay. The fields produce poorly; the animals decrease in number each year; and the apple orchard, full of gnarled old trees, is decomposing.

The Lost Phoebe | The Lost Phoebe

At a glance:

The Story

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