The quest of the silver fleece : a novel / W.E.B. Du Bois ; illustrated by H.S. De Lay.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Press.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Power (Social sciences)--Fiction.

Power (Social sciences).

Race.

African American women--Fiction.

African American women.

Rejection (Psychology)--Fiction.

Rejection (Psychology).

Social classes--Fiction.

Social classes.

Cotton trade--Fiction.

Cotton trade.

Swamps--Fiction.

Swamps.

Race--Fiction.

Genre:

Fiction.

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (441 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

First Pine Street Books edition.

Other Title:

Penn Press e-books.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : Pine Street Books, 2004.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

Set in Alabama and Washington, D.C., in the early part of the twentieth century, W. E. B. Du Bois's first novel weaves the themes of racial equality and understanding through the stark reality of prejudice and bias. Originally published in 1911 and conceived immediately after The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois turned to fiction to carry his message to a popular audience who were unfamiliar with his nonfiction works. Du Bois addresses the fact that, despite the legal emancipation of African Americans, the instruments of oppression, in both the economy and government, remained in good working order. At the time he was writing, powerful white industrialists controlled the cotton industry, the "silver fleece" that depended, as it did during slavery, on the physical labor of African Americans. White Americans also controlled local and national government.

In the novel, Blessed "Bles" Alwyn, a young man seeking formal education to improve himself, is captivated by Zora, a vivacious, independent woman who lives outside society in a mysterious swamp. Faced with shocking events in Zora's past and ambivalence about how a black man should integrate into American society, Bles pursues his goals and ends up in Washington to assist on a senator's campaign. While in the city, he meets successful African Americans - and falls in love - but he ultimately recoils from the hypocrisies they must endure in order to be accepted in society. Instead, he is compelled to return to Alabama and Zora, where he must face his greatest challenges and fears. With its frank and clear language, The Quest of the Silver Fleece is a remarkable portrait of racial prejudice at the turn of the twentieth century. Through the characters, Du Bois demonstrates the efficacy of self-sufficiency for those who face discrimination while championing the benefits of strength in diversity to American society as a whole.

Contents:

I Dreams 13

II The School 21

III Miss Mary Taylor 26

IV Town 33

V Zora 44

VI Cotton 54

VII The Place of Dreams 66

VIII Mr. Harry Cresswell 81

IX The Planting 90

X Mr. Taylor Calls 101

XI The Flowering of the Fleece 119

XII The Promise 129

XIII Mrs. Grey Gives A Dinner 146

XIV Love 152

XV Revelation 158

XVI The Great Refusal 172

XVII The Rape of the Fleece 181

XVIII The Cotton Corner 190

XIX The Dying of Elspeth 200

XX The Weaving of the Silver Fleece 213

XXI The Marriage Morning 223

XXII Miss Caroline Wynn 232

XXIII The Training of Zora 244

XXIV The Education of Alwyn 253

XXV The Campaign 266

XXVI Congressman Cresswell 282

XXVII The Vision of Zora 293

XXVIII The Annunciation 303

XXIX A Master of Fate 312

XXX The Return of Zora 326

XXXI A Parting of Ways 337

XXXII Zora's Way 355

XXXIII The Buying of the Swamp 363

XXXIV The Return of Alwyn 376

XXXV The Cotton Mill 389

XXXVI The Land 402

XXXVII The Mob 418

XXXVIII Atonement 426.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780812201796

0812201795

OCLC:

868967277

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.