Wigwam and the Cabin: Selected Fiction of William Gilmore Simms

by William Gilmore Simms, John Caldwell Guilds

One of the most important volumes of short fiction published before the Civil War. The Wigwam and the Cabin represents William Gilmore Simms at his very best. It is the work that led Poe to say of Simms, ". . . in invention, in vigor, in movement, in the power of exciting interest, and in the artistical management of his themes, he has surpassed, we think, any of his countrymen." Praised by critics on both sides of the Atlantic, The Wigwam and the Cabin focuses n the Southern frontier that Simms knew so well, a frontier whose vernacular, courage, humor, folklore, violence, injustice, and beauty are vividly brought to life through the strokes of his pen. "I have seen the life," Simms wrote, "―have lived it―and much of my material . . . is the planter, the squatter, the Indian, the negro―the bold and hardy pioneer, the vigorous yeomen―these are the subjects." Simms's portrayal of frontier life is the most realistic and graphic in all nineteenth-century American literature; and the Arkansas edition of The Wigwam and the Cabin, with Dr. Guilds's fine editing and informative introductin, brings back into print an invaluable contribution to the development of the short story in America.

413 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1845

About the author

William Gilmore Simms (April 17, 1806 – June 11, 1870) was a poet, novelist and historian from the American South whose novels achieved great prominence during the 19th century, with Edgar Allan Poe pronouncing him the best novelist America had ever produced. In recent decades, though, Simms' novels have fallen out of favor, although he is still known among literary scholars as a major force in antebellum Southern literature. He is also remembered for his strong support of slavery and for his opposition to Uncle Tom's Cabin, in response to which he wrote reviews and a novel.

Reviews

[Charles van Buren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful edition of important early Southern short stories

Review of e-book
Publication Date: May 27, 2016
File Size: 1308 KB
Word Wise: Not Enabled
Print Length: 414 pages
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported
Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
ASIN: B01GAAV7XW
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Language:: English
Lending: Not Enabled

The e-book edition described above is essentially unreadable. With great effort and patience some sense can be made of it. Anyone who can exert that effort and patience for 414 pages rather than purchasing a slightly more expensive edition would make Jack Benny proud.

[Gwynda Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

19th century American short stories by a relative unknown. if you are interested in that type of thing, you should check it out.