The Last Gift
The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Published on 4. October 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-0-8071-8016-7 (ISBN)
Description
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930) was one of the most popular American writers at the turn of the twentieth century, and her annual Christmas stories appeared in magazines and periodicals across the globe. Since then, the extraordinary stories that once delighted her legions of fans every festive season have gone largely out of print and unread. Now, for the first time, The Last Gift presents a collection of Freeman's best Christmas writing, introducing these funny, poignant, provocative, and surprisingly timely holiday tales to a new generation of readers.
Reviews / Votes
Thomas Ruys Smith's edition of Freeman's Christmas stories is a revelation! All our presumptions about holiday stories being drenched in sentimentality are demolished by the ways in which Freeman probes the multiple meanings inherent in the acts of giving and receiving gifts and exposes the forms of both solitude and communion inherent in Christmas. This collection transforms our understanding of the season and enhances the literary reputation of this remarkable author." - Alfred Bendixen, executive director of the American Literature Association"A lovely and varied collection of Freeman's often-neglected Christmas stories. Smith's lively introduction contextualizes Freeman's portrayal of the holiday season, in all of its complexity, and the domestic tensions that Christmas evoked for nineteenth-century women." - Leah Blatt Glasser, author of In a Closet Hidden: The Life and Work of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baton Rouge
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
7 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
534 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8071-8016-7 (9780807180167)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman | Thomas Ruys Smith
The Last Gift
The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
E-Book
10/2023
University of Pittsburgh Press
€19.49
Available for download
Persons
Thomas Ruys Smith is professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia. He is the author or editor of a number of books, including Deep Water: The Mississippi River in the Age of Mark Twain and Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America.