My aunts brought mother up; they were nearly twenty years older than she. I might say Hiram and they brought her up. You see, Hiram was bound out to my grandfather when he was a boy, and when grandfather died Hiram said he “s’posed he went with the farm, ’long o’ the critters,” and he has been there ever since. He was my mother’s only refuge from the decorum of my aunts. They are simply workers. They make me think of the Maine woman who wanted her epitaph to be: “She was a hard working woman...FROM THE BOOKS.

In 'The Little Room, and Other Stories' by Madeline Yale Wynne, readers are transported into a world of fantastical and surreal tales that explore the boundaries between reality and imagination. With a distinctive blend of gothic elements and whimsical storytelling, Wynne captivates her audience through intricate and emotionally evocative narratives. Set within the Victorian literary context, the book embodies the era's fascination with supernatural and psychological themes, offering readers a unique glimpse into the complexities of human nature. Through her lyrical prose and vivid imagery, Wynne creates a mesmerizing reading experience that lingers long after the final page has been turned. Madeline Yale Wynne, a prominent figure in the late 19th century literary scene, draws upon her own experiences and observations to craft these compelling stories. Her background as an artist and writer enriches the text with a depth of creativity and insight, showcasing her talent for blending the real and the fantastical. Wynne's innovative approach to storytelling challenges traditional narrative conventions, making 'The Little Room, and Other Stories' a standout work in the realm of Victorian literature. For readers who appreciate atmospheric storytelling and nuanced character development, 'The Little Room, and Other Stories' is a must-read. Wynne's masterful weaving of themes and moods creates a truly immersive reading experience that appeals to those who enjoy exploring the darker realms of the human psyche.

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Scare Tactics identifies an important but overlooked tradition of supernatural writing by American women. Jeffrey Weinstock analyzes this tradition as an essentially feminist attempt to imagine alternatives to a world of limited possibilities. In the process, he recovers the lives and works of authors who were important during their lifetimes and in the development of the American literary tradition, but who are not recognized today for their contributions. Between the end of the Civil War and roughly 1930, hundreds of uncanny tales were published by women in the periodical press and in books. These include stories by familiar figures such as Edith Wharton, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, as well as by authors almost wholly unknown to twenty-first-century readers, such as Josephine Dodge Bacon, Alice Brown, Emma Frances Dawson, and Harriet Prescott Spofford. Focusing on this tradition of female writing offers a corrective to the prevailing belief within American literary scholarship that the uncanny tale, exemplified by the literary productions of Irving, Poe, and Hawthorne, was displaced after the Civil War by literary realism. Beyond the simple existence of an unacknowledged tradition of uncanny literature by women, Scare Tactics makes a strong case that this body of literature should be read as a specifically feminist literary tradition. Especially intriguing, Weinstock demonstrates, is that women authors repeatedly used Gothic conventions to express discontentment with circumscribed roles for women creating types of political intervention connected to the broader sphere of women's rights activism. Paying attention to these overlooked authors helps us better understand not only the literary marketplace of their time, but also more familiar American Gothicists from Edgar Allan Poe to Shirley Jackson to Stephen King.