The Gates Ajar - Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart

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Résumé :
For the first time in Penguin Classics, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's bestselling Civil War classic

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's 1868 Reconstruction-era novel The Gates Ajar, in its portrait of inconsolable grief following the American Civil War, helped to shape enduring American ideas about heaven and demonstrated that for American women, the war didn't simply end at Appomattox. When Mary Cabot loses her beloved brother, Union soldier Royal, in the war, she feels as though she will never feel peace again until the arrival of her widowed aunt Winifred. Sharing the wisdom that has comforted her through her grief, Winifred offers Mary a groundbreaking view of the afterlife: a place of loving reunion with all those who were lost. As Winifred ministers to Mary, her vision of the afterlife circulates in the community and attracts local adherents who have similarly suffered losses in the war. Written with the intention of illuminating and bettering the lives of women after the war, The Gates Ajar is an empowering manifesto on conquering grief and a timeless manual for optimism.

Biographie:
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844-1911) was an early feminist American author and intellectual. Her novel The Gates Ajar became an instant bestseller to much literary acclaim. She was the first woman to lecture on George Eliot at Boston University and was a contributor, along with the likes of Henry James, to William Dean Howells's collaborative novel The Whole Family.

Sommaire:
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward was an influential American author and intellectual, born on 31 August 1844 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was an early feminist who challenged traditional Christian views on the afterlife and questioned the conventional roles assigned to women in marriage and family life. Her works often advocated for clothing reform for women, reflecting her progressive views on societal norms. She was the daughter of Austin Phelps and became known for her writing under various pseudonyms, including Lily Phelps and Mary Adams. Phelps Ward's literary career was marked by her desire to address the issues of her time, from gender inequality to religious skepticism. In 1888, she married Herbert Dickinson Ward, and they shared a partnership that influenced her intellectual and literary pursuits. Phelps Ward's works explored themes of personal freedom, social reform, and the evolving role of women in society. She passed away on 28 January 1911 at the age of 66 in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Her legacy as a pioneering feminist writer remains influential, with her writings offering insights into the struggles and aspirations of women in her era....