ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0002-0776-5052

Graduation Semester and Year

2016

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in English

Department

English

First Advisor

Neill Matheson

Abstract

Despite her widespread popularity in the mid-nineteenth century, Augusta Jane Evans and her novels went largely unnoticed for most of the twentieth century. It was not until Nina Baym included a chapter on Evans in her 1978 book Woman’s Fiction: A Guide to Novels by and about Women in America, 1820-1870 that scholars began to turn their attention to the once-popular novelist. Evans’s presentation of intellectual, ambitious women who forsook their careers for marriage became controversial among scholars who argued whether Evans could, in the words of Diane Roberts, “be recovered for feminism” (xvi). Scholars Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Sara S. Frear, and, most recently, Brenda Ayres, however, turned from this question and began examining the role that Evans’s deep Christian faith played in her novels. However, none of these scholars took an in-depth look at how Evans used her novels to present her theological arguments about issues that her readers face. This dissertation examines how Evans’s novels serve as the author’s arguments on Catholicism, agnostic philosophy, the women’s movement, slavery, and wealth inequality. Through the use of Socratic dialogues and practical plot points, Evans provides her readers with faith-based messages on each of the above issues. Furthermore, Evans’s arguments, although rooted in her religious beliefs, are supported through intellectual study, critical observation, and logical reasoning, indicating that Evans’s faith—and, therefore, her claims—extended beyond a blind acceptance of traditional tenets and, instead, was grounded in the critical thought that was often used to challenge her faith and her positions. As such, Evans was able, through her novels, to provide well-reasoned discourse couched within the framework of the sentimental novels that were popular at the time.

Keywords

Christianity, Religion, Servitude, Nineteenth century, Sentimental fiction, Slavery debate, Women's rights debate

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | English Language and Literature

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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