Attaining Victory: Louisiana Authors

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Attaining Victory Louisiana Authors Characters

• Jennifer Rossie
• Andrea Wolfe
• Melva Young

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Authors

• Ernest Gaines (1933- )
• Henry Clay Lewis (1825-1850)
• Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875-1935)

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Ernest Gaines

• Image from www.louisiana.edu

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• Illustration by Felix Octavius Carr in the
  original printing of Henry Clay Lewis
• Odd Leaves from the Life of a Louisiana Swamp
  Doctor

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Alice Dunbar Nelson

• Image from www.cstustan.edu

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Overcoming Conflict

• What makes these three authors unique is their
  seemingly innate ability to achieve a positive
  outcome a difficult predicament or with a
  difficult decision.

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Overcoming Conflict

• Characters
• Each character must overcome conflict
• Resolution of the short story or novel involves
  the character attaining victory
• Main characters of all three authors novels must
  overcome immense external or internal factors

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Overcoming Conflict

• Authors
• The authors have overcome factors within
  themselves.
• Many environmental situations have arisen
  throughout the authors life.

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Ernest Gaines

• Born at River Lake Plantation in Point Coupee
  Parish in 1933.
• Based fictional setting of Bayonne, LA on this
  plantation
• Now a writer in residence at Southeastern
  Louisiana in Lafayette

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Ernest GainesPublished Works

• Multiple books and short stories most popular
  include
• The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
• In My Fathers House
• A Gathering of Old Men
• A Lesson Before Dying

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Ernest GainesLiterary Aspects

• Writes in first person narrative
• Writes with multiple viewpoints
• Racism a major theme
• Discarded usual stereotypes of racism
• Integrated the landscape and cultures of south
  Louisiana throughout his novels and short stories

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Ernest Gaines Personal Conflicts

• Born in slave quarters on a plantation
• Fifth generation of his family to be born there,
  moved to California at 15
• Only attended school a few months out of the year
  as a child up to grade six
• Overcame cultural and educational barriers to
  become a celebrated writer

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Ernest Gaines Character Conflicts

• Each of his characters overcome an amazingly
  difficult situation
• Ex. A Lesson Before Dying
• Grant and Jefferson experienced immense
  personal growth due to their interactions

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Henry Clay Lewis

• Born 1825 in South Carolina
• Entered doctor apprenticeship then medical school
• Settled in Madison Parish near the Tensas River
• Died 1850 trying to cross a flooded bayou to see
  a patient

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Henry Clay Lewis Published Works

• Published one collection of sketches after his
  death entitled Odd Leaves from the Life of a
  Louisiana Swamp Doctor
• Some sketches were first published in the Spirit
  of the Times, a journal in the 1800s.

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Henry Clay LewisLiterary Aspects

• Utilized pseudonym Madison Tensas
• Genre was Southwestern Humor
• Main character involved in harrowing situation
• Dark, often satirical humor used to bring dire
  situations into a humorous light
• Infused sketches with swampy environment

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Henry Clay LewisPersonal Conflicts

• Wanted literary recognition despite using
  pseudonym to hide
• Works were autobiographical, main character, Dr.
  Tensas, performed some scandalous acts
• Internal conflict of wanting to hide his true
  self from his readers and craving their attention

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Henry Clay LewisCharacter Conflicts

• Madison Tensas caught in multiple sticky
  situations
• Multiple conflicts with the barbaric swamp
  environment and its inhabitants
• As following southwestern humor, protagonist
  overcame these situations effortlessly and with
  the use of humor

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Alice Dunbar Nelson

• Born 1875 in New Orleans
• Light complexion and often passed for white
• Politically active supported the Anti-lynching
  Bill
• Active in issues that affected African
  Americans and women in her time

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Alice Dunbar NelsonPublished Works

• Authored short stories, lyric poetry, and
  Collections include Violets and Other Tales,The
  Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories, and
  Give Us Each Day The Diary of Alice
  Dunbar-Nelson
• Also had multiple fiction and nonfiction articles
  published in periodicals

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Alice Dunbar Nelson Literary Aspects

• Themes in her writings racism, roles of gender
  in society and importance of love, death, war,
  and nature
• Authored short stories, lyric poetry and literary
  criticisms

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Alice Dunbar NelsonPersonal Conflicts

• Overcame racial issues in New Orleans
• Often passed for white because she had a lighter
  complexion
• Was an activist for race and gender issues in
  society
• Unable to fully overcome these issues, but worked
  towards positive improvement

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Alice Dunbar NelsonCharacter Conflicts

• Wrote many short stories with a female main
  character
• Many of the characters were faced with overcoming
  ill fated love
• Characters also must overcome family and personal
  constraints