Ten wonderful stories by pioneer of African-American fiction: "The Goophered Grapevine," "Po' Sandy," "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny," "The Wife of His Youth," "Dave's Neckliss," "The Passing of Grandison," more. Witty, charming, insightful.

A pioneer in the development of fiction giving voice to the African-American experience, Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932) found literary success with his "conjure tales" - vignettes from black folk life, recounted partially in the vernacular - and later with his "stories of the color line," which addressed more directly the problems of race in America. This outstanding, affordable volume presents a selection of the best of both conjure and color line tales. Ten stories include "The Goophered Grapevine," widely considered Chesnutt's best work, "Po' Sandy," "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny," "The Doll," "The Wife of His Youth," "Dave's Neckliss," "The Passing of Grandison," "A Matter of Principle, "The Sheriff's Children," and a wry look at the American intelligentsia, "Baxter's Procrustes." Brimming with wit, charm, and insight, these stories testify to the qualities that have earned Chesnutt an enduring place in American literature and have made his fiction required reading for scholars and students of African-American history and culture. This edition features an informative Introduction by African-American literature expert Joan Sherman that provides valuable background information on Chesnutt and his work.

A pioneer in the development of fiction giving voice to the African-American experience, Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932) found literary success with his "conjure tales" - vignettes from black folk life, recounted partially in the vernacular - and later with his "stories of the color line," which addressed more directly the problems of race in America. This outstanding, affordable volume presents a selection of the best of both conjure and color line tales. Ten stories include "The Goophered Grapevine," widely considered Chesnutt's best work, "Po' Sandy," "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny," "The Doll," "The Wife of His Youth," "Dave's Neckliss," "The Passing of Grandison," "A Matter of Principle, "The Sheriff's Children," and a wry look at the American intelligentsia, "Baxter's Procrustes." Brimming with wit, charm, and insight, these stories testify to the qualities that have earned Chesnutt an enduring place in American literature and have made his fiction required reading for scholars and students of African-American history and culture. This edition features an informative Introduction by African-American literature expert Joan Sherman that provides valuable background information on Chesnutt and his work.

The Conjure Woman (1899) is a collection of stories by African American author, lawyer, and political activist Charles Chesnutt. “The Goophered Grapevine,” the collection’s opening story, was originally published in The Atlantic in 1887, making Chesnutt the first African American to have a story published in the magazine. The Conjure Woman is now considered a masterpiece of African American fiction for its use of folklore and exploration of racist stereotypes of Black Americans, especially those living in the South. In “The Goophered Grapevine,” an old ex-slave named Julius McAdoo—a coachman hired by a white Northerner named John—warns his employer about the land he has decided to purchase. He tells him the story of the vineyard’s previous owner, who hired a woman named Aunt Peggy to put a curse on his famous scuppernong grapes in order to stop his slaves from eating them. Each story in The Conjure Woman follows a similar formula, beginning with a narrative situation involving John and his wife, Annie, before leading to a story from Uncle Julius. “Po’ Sandy,” one of Chesnutt’s most acclaimed tales—and a loose adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses—opens with John deciding to build a new kitchen for his wife. Uncle Julius drives him to the saw mill, where, while watching the saw cut through a log, he is reminded of the story of Sandy, a local man who was turned into a tree by a conjurer in order to escape slavery. The Conjure Woman is a powerful collection of folk takes and stories exploring themes of race, identity, and class in the nineteenth century South. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Charles Chesnutt’s The Conjure Woman is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) was an author, essayist and political activist whose works addressed the complex issues of racial and social identity at the turn of the century. Chesnutt's early works explored political issues somewhat indirectly, with the intention of changing the attitudes of Caucasians slowly and carefully. His characters deal with difficult issues of miscegenation, illegitimacy, racial identity and social place. They also expose the anguish of mix-race men and women and the consequences of racial hatred, mob violence, and moral compromise. "Conjure Tales and Stories of the Color Line" is a collection of eighteen short stories that have a deep moral purpose mixed with elements of magic and conjuring. Included in this collection is Chesnutt's first published short story, "The Goophered Grapevine." It is set in "Patesville" (Fayetteville), North Carolina and is a story within a story in which each story is told by a different narrator. Also in this collection among many others is "The Conjurer's Revenge" that depicts Uncle Julius duping John into buying an old, useless horse.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Wife of his Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, and Selected Essays" by Charles W. Chesnutt. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.