Aftermath

by James Lane Allen

James Lane Allen (December 21, 1849 - February 18, 1925) was an American novelist and short story writer whose work, including the novel A Kentucky Cardinal, often depicted the culture and dialects of his native Kentucky. His work is characteristic of the late-19th century local color era, when writers sought to capture the vernacular in their fiction. Allen has been described as "Kentucky's first important novelist.Allen was born near Lexington, Kentucky, and his youth there during the Ante-bellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods heavily influenced his writing. He graduated from Transylvania University in 1872, delivering the Salutatorian address in Latin. In 1893 Allen moved to New York City, where he lived until his death. He was a contributor to Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, and other popular magazines of the time. His novels include The Choir Invisible, which was a very popular best seller in 1897

38 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

James Lane Allen was an American novelist and short story writer whose work often depicted the culture and dialects of his native Kentucky. His work is characteristic of the late-19th century local color era, when writers sought to capture the vernacular in their fiction. Allen has been described as "Kentucky's first important novelist."

Reviews

[Humphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aftermath is a lovely companion to Kentucky Cardinal, and it follows out an interesting course surprisingly uncommon in 19th century literature: what happens after the romantic climax? The protagonists work to sustain their love and struggle to fit their own independent, disparate lives (particularly the narrator's life of solitude and nature) into one married life. But the text then traces a second aftermath: the narrator's gradual return to something more like his earlier life and his adjustment to life after the loss of Georgiana. If Aftermath's best isn't as good as the first 2/3rds of Kentucky Cardinal, I think it's generally better than the final third of Kentucky Cardinal. Definitely worth reading both.