Augusta Jane Evans
Encyclopedia
Augusta Jane Wilson, or Augusta Evans Wilson, (May 8, 1835 – May 9, 1909) was an American Southern author and one of the pillars of Southern literature. She wrote nine novels: Inez (1850), Beulah (1859), Macaria (1863), St. Elmo (1866), Vashti (1869), Infelice (1875), At the Mercy of Tiberius (1887), A Speckled Bird (1902), and Devota (1907). Given her support for the Confederate States of America from the perspective of a Southern patriot, and her literary activities during the American Civil War, she can be deemed as having contributed decisively to the literary and cultural development of the Confederacy
in particular, and of the South in general, as a civilization.
. As a young girl in 19th-century America she received little in the way of a formal education. However, she became a voracious reader at an early age. Her unfortunate father, Matthew Evans, lost the family's rich property of Sherwood Hall to bankruptcy in the 1840s. He moved his family of 10 from Georgia to San Antonio, Texas
, in 1845.
Evans’ time there would inspire her first published literary work. In 1850 at the age of 15 she wrote "Inez: A Tale of the Alamo", a sentimental, moralistic, anti-Catholic love story. It told the story of one orphan's spiritual journey from religious skepticism to devout faith. She presented the manuscript to her father as a Christmas
gift in 1854. It was published anonymously in 1855.
However, life in a frontier border town like San Antonio proved dangerous, especially with the Mexican-American War. Later Evans' parents moved her to Mobile
, Alabama
. She wrote her next novel at age 18 which was called Beulah. It was published in 1859. Beulah began the theme of female education in her novels. It sold well selling over 22,000 copies during its first year of publication. This was a staggering accomplishment. It established her as Alabama's first professional author. Her family used the proceeds from her literary success to purchase Georgia Cottage
on Springhill Avenue.
When most of the Southern states declared their independence and seceded from the Union into the Confederate States of America, Augusta Evans became a staunch Southern patriot. She became active in the subsequent Civil War as a propagandist. Evans was engaged to a New York
journalist named James Reed Spalding. But she broke off the engagement in 1860 because he supported Abraham Lincoln
. She nursed sick and wounded Confederate soldiers at Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay
. Evans also visited Confederate soldiers at Chickamauga
. She also sewed sandbags for the defense of the community, wrote patriotic addresses, and set up a hospital near her residence. The hospital was dubbed Camp Beulah by local admirers in honor of her novel. She also corresponded with general P.G.T. de Beauregard in 1862.
Evans’ propaganda masterpiece was "Macaria" -- a novel she later claimed was written by candlelight while nursing Confederate wounded. The novel is about Southern women making the ultimate sacrifice for the Confederacy; it promoted national desire for an independent national culture and reflected Southern values as they were at that timeMacaria is a book with an apocryphal past. The novel was published in 1864 on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, becoming a popular work among Southerners and Northerners alike. General George Henry Thomas, commander of the Union Army in Tennessee, confiscated copies and had the books burned. What we’ve learned from Melissa Homestead’s painstakingly detailed publication history of Macaria is that the transportation of the novel to New York was deliberate, done in installments and nearly simultaneous with the novel’s preparation for publication in the South. Thus, while previous critics, scholars and biographers have all treated Macaria’s appearance in the North as unauthorized, the truth is much more meaningful. By dispensing with the romantic lie that the novel appeared in a "bootleg" edition, Homestead debunks the hard and fast distinction between Northern and Southern readerships as an invention of historians and critics rather than an accurate reflection of reading practices of the period.
Evans finished her celebrated novel, St. Elmo at the home of her aunt, Mary Howard Jones (wife of Colonel Seaborn Jones
), "El Dorado." St. Elmo in which the general setting, if not the specific details, seems to be the Jones' El Dorado. (In 1878, the home was purchased by Captain and Mrs. James J. Slade who changed its name to St. Elmo
in honor of the novel which it had inspired.) She published "St. Elmo" in 1866. Within four months it sold a million copies. It featured sexual tension between the protagonist St. Elmo, who was cynical; and the heroine Edna Earl, who was beautiful and devout. So popular was this novel that it inspired the naming of towns, hotels, steamboats, and a cigar brand. It was Augusta Evans' most famous novel. St. Elmo was adapted for both the stage and screen. It ranks as one of the most popular novels of the 19th century. The heroine Edna Earl became the namesake of Eudora Welty's heroine (Edna Earle Ponder) in "the Ponder Heart" published in 1954. The novel also inspired a parody of itself called St. Twel’mo, or the Cuneiform Cyclopedist of Chattanooga (1867).
In 1868 Augusta Jane Evans married Confederate veteran Colonel Lorenzo Madison Wilson becoming Augusta Evans Wilson by which name she is remembered by literary posterity. He was 27 years her senior. Colonel Wilson acquired wealth in banking, railroads, and wholesale groceries. Not far from her home at Georgia Cottage they settled in a columned house called Ashland
in Mobile. The couple attended St. Francis Street Methodist Church. Augusta Evans Wilson became the first lady of Mobile society supplanting Madame Le Vert who had fallen into social disfavor for having welcomed the Federal occupation of Mobile too warmly. Colonel Wilson died in 1892. Augusta Evans Wilson went on to write five more novels; "Vashti", "Infelice", "At the Mercy of Tiberius", "A Speckled Bird", and "Devota". Augusta Evans Wilson died of a heart attack in Mobile on May 9, 1909, and was buried in Mobile's Magnolia Cemetery
. Her beloved Ashland burned to the ground in 1926. However, Georgia Cottage is still standing with a historical marker on Springhill Avenue designating it as her home.
Wilson wrote in the domestic sentimental style of the Victorian Age. Feminist critics have chosen to read past the marital games of her works to focus on the intellectual competence of her female characters which allow them to gain both personal and public power. Of "St. Elmo" one critic maintained, "the trouble with the heroine of St. Elmo was that she swallowed an unabridged dictionary." Wilson was the first American woman author to earn over $100,000. This would be a record unsurpassed until Edith Wharton
.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in particular, and of the South in general, as a civilization.
Biography
She was born Augusta Jane Evans on May 8, 1835 in Wynnton (now MidTown (Columbus, Georgia)), GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. As a young girl in 19th-century America she received little in the way of a formal education. However, she became a voracious reader at an early age. Her unfortunate father, Matthew Evans, lost the family's rich property of Sherwood Hall to bankruptcy in the 1840s. He moved his family of 10 from Georgia to San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in 1845.
Evans’ time there would inspire her first published literary work. In 1850 at the age of 15 she wrote "Inez: A Tale of the Alamo", a sentimental, moralistic, anti-Catholic love story. It told the story of one orphan's spiritual journey from religious skepticism to devout faith. She presented the manuscript to her father as a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
gift in 1854. It was published anonymously in 1855.
However, life in a frontier border town like San Antonio proved dangerous, especially with the Mexican-American War. Later Evans' parents moved her to Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. She wrote her next novel at age 18 which was called Beulah. It was published in 1859. Beulah began the theme of female education in her novels. It sold well selling over 22,000 copies during its first year of publication. This was a staggering accomplishment. It established her as Alabama's first professional author. Her family used the proceeds from her literary success to purchase Georgia Cottage
Georgia Cottage
Georgia Cottage, also known as the Augusta Evans Wilson House, is a historic residence in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1972, based on its association with Augusta Jane Evans...
on Springhill Avenue.
When most of the Southern states declared their independence and seceded from the Union into the Confederate States of America, Augusta Evans became a staunch Southern patriot. She became active in the subsequent Civil War as a propagandist. Evans was engaged to a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
journalist named James Reed Spalding. But she broke off the engagement in 1860 because he supported Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. She nursed sick and wounded Confederate soldiers at Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
. Evans also visited Confederate soldiers at Chickamauga
Chickamauga, Georgia
Chickamauga is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,245 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. She also sewed sandbags for the defense of the community, wrote patriotic addresses, and set up a hospital near her residence. The hospital was dubbed Camp Beulah by local admirers in honor of her novel. She also corresponded with general P.G.T. de Beauregard in 1862.
Evans’ propaganda masterpiece was "Macaria" -- a novel she later claimed was written by candlelight while nursing Confederate wounded. The novel is about Southern women making the ultimate sacrifice for the Confederacy; it promoted national desire for an independent national culture and reflected Southern values as they were at that timeMacaria is a book with an apocryphal past. The novel was published in 1864 on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, becoming a popular work among Southerners and Northerners alike. General George Henry Thomas, commander of the Union Army in Tennessee, confiscated copies and had the books burned. What we’ve learned from Melissa Homestead’s painstakingly detailed publication history of Macaria is that the transportation of the novel to New York was deliberate, done in installments and nearly simultaneous with the novel’s preparation for publication in the South. Thus, while previous critics, scholars and biographers have all treated Macaria’s appearance in the North as unauthorized, the truth is much more meaningful. By dispensing with the romantic lie that the novel appeared in a "bootleg" edition, Homestead debunks the hard and fast distinction between Northern and Southern readerships as an invention of historians and critics rather than an accurate reflection of reading practices of the period.
Evans finished her celebrated novel, St. Elmo at the home of her aunt, Mary Howard Jones (wife of Colonel Seaborn Jones
Seaborn Jones
Seaborn Jones was a United States Representative from Georgia. Born in Augusta, Georgia, he attended Princeton College and studied law. By a special act of the legislature, he was admitted to the bar in 1808...
), "El Dorado." St. Elmo in which the general setting, if not the specific details, seems to be the Jones' El Dorado. (In 1878, the home was purchased by Captain and Mrs. James J. Slade who changed its name to St. Elmo
St. Elmo (Columbus, Georgia)
St. Elmo is located in MidTown Columbus, Georgia at 2808 18th Avenue, Columbus, Georgia, 31901. Colonel Seaborn Jones drew all the plans for his home and called it El Dorado, land of beauty. The house was begun in 1828 and completed in 1833. The materials used to build this house, with the...
in honor of the novel which it had inspired.) She published "St. Elmo" in 1866. Within four months it sold a million copies. It featured sexual tension between the protagonist St. Elmo, who was cynical; and the heroine Edna Earl, who was beautiful and devout. So popular was this novel that it inspired the naming of towns, hotels, steamboats, and a cigar brand. It was Augusta Evans' most famous novel. St. Elmo was adapted for both the stage and screen. It ranks as one of the most popular novels of the 19th century. The heroine Edna Earl became the namesake of Eudora Welty's heroine (Edna Earle Ponder) in "the Ponder Heart" published in 1954. The novel also inspired a parody of itself called St. Twel’mo, or the Cuneiform Cyclopedist of Chattanooga (1867).
In 1868 Augusta Jane Evans married Confederate veteran Colonel Lorenzo Madison Wilson becoming Augusta Evans Wilson by which name she is remembered by literary posterity. He was 27 years her senior. Colonel Wilson acquired wealth in banking, railroads, and wholesale groceries. Not far from her home at Georgia Cottage they settled in a columned house called Ashland
Ashland Place Historic District (Mobile, Alabama)
The Ashland Place Historic District is a historic district in the city of Mobile, Alabama, United States. The neighborhood gained its name from a Greek Revival antebellum house called Ashland that once stood on Lanier Avenue. Ashland was famous as the home of Augusta Evans Wilson. The house...
in Mobile. The couple attended St. Francis Street Methodist Church. Augusta Evans Wilson became the first lady of Mobile society supplanting Madame Le Vert who had fallen into social disfavor for having welcomed the Federal occupation of Mobile too warmly. Colonel Wilson died in 1892. Augusta Evans Wilson went on to write five more novels; "Vashti", "Infelice", "At the Mercy of Tiberius", "A Speckled Bird", and "Devota". Augusta Evans Wilson died of a heart attack in Mobile on May 9, 1909, and was buried in Mobile's Magnolia Cemetery
Magnolia Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama)
Magnolia Cemetery is a city cemetery located in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The cemetery is situated on and was established in 1836. From that time onward it served as Mobile's primary burial site during the 19th century. It is the final resting place for many of Mobile's 19th and early 20th...
. Her beloved Ashland burned to the ground in 1926. However, Georgia Cottage is still standing with a historical marker on Springhill Avenue designating it as her home.
Wilson wrote in the domestic sentimental style of the Victorian Age. Feminist critics have chosen to read past the marital games of her works to focus on the intellectual competence of her female characters which allow them to gain both personal and public power. Of "St. Elmo" one critic maintained, "the trouble with the heroine of St. Elmo was that she swallowed an unabridged dictionary." Wilson was the first American woman author to earn over $100,000. This would be a record unsurpassed until Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
.