Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest

by Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins

Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (also wrote Sarah A. Allen) (1859-1930) was a prominent early African- American novelist, journalist, playwright, and editor. She is considered a pioneer in her use of the romantic novel to explore social and racial themes. Hopkins' earliest known work, Slaves' Escape; or, The Underground Railroad is one of the earliestknown literary treatments of slaves escaping to freedom. She explored the difficulties faced by African-Americans amid the racist violence of post- Civil War America in her first novel, Contending Forces, published in 1900. She published a number of serial novels over the next sixteen years as well as short stories in African-American periodicals. Hopkins spent the remainder of her years working as a stenographer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Amongst her other works are Hagar's Daughter (1901) and A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest (1902).

Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction

156 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1902

About the author

Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1859 – August 13, 1930) was a prominent African-American novelist, journalist, playwright, historian, and editor. She is considered a pioneer in her use of the romantic novel to explore social and racial themes. Her work reflects the influence of W. E. B. Du Bois.

She also wrote under the pseudonym Sarah A. Allen.

Reviews

[Aubrey M White]

Winona was an interesting tale about slavery in that Winona and Judah were not born into slavery as was common in the south. After their father's death and their enslavement, Winona and Judah grew up quickly. Judah in particular was not used to a life without freedom, which caused him to "act out" and resulted in punishment. One scene in particular was striking, in which Judah tamed an unruly horse, impressing an audience. He then received a harsh punishment for his display of intelligence, which shows the nature of the relationship between slaves and their owners. Slave owners as a whole wanted to keep slaves subservient, uneducated, and make them feel inferior. Judah also received harsher treatment than Winona because he was a man. Winona was educated, a privilege that was uncommon for slaves. This is one aspect of Winona growing up. When the novel began, Winona had an innocence about her, something that made her attractive to Maxwell. Then after her father died, Maxwell felt responsible for her and Judah and throughout the book he checked in on them.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is small, yet mighty!

[Ernest Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going West as an escape from slavery, via the Old South, and John Brown's Kansas. And it ain't all just black and white.