In this, Chesnutt's first novel, he tells the tragic story of love set against a backdrop of racism, miscegenation and “passing” during the period spanning the antebellum and reconstruction eras in American history. And through his use of the vernacular prevalent in the South of that time, Chesnutt lent a compassionate voice to a group that America did not want to hear. More broadly, however, Chesnutt illustrated, in this character play, the vast and perhaps insurmountable debt this country continues to pay for the sins of slavery. (Summary by James K. White)
Chapters
1
A Stranger From South Carolina Read by James K. White 20:26
2
An Evening Visit Read by James K. White 28:10
3
The Old Judge Read by James K. White 5:21
4
Down The River Read by James K. White 13:31
5
The Tournament Read by James K. White 20:02
6
The Queen of Love and Beauty Read by James K. White 6:08
7
'Mid New Surroundings Read by James K. White 6:25
8
The Courtship Read by James K. White 15:30
9
Doubts And Fears Read by James K. White 16:40
10
The Dream Read by James K. White 12:17
11
A Letter and A Journey Read by James K. White 11:53
12
Tryon Goes To Patesville Read by James K. White 17:59
13
An Injudicious Payment Read by James K. White 11:56
14
A Loyal Friend Read by James K. White 11:45
15
Mine Own People Read by James K. White 14:11
16
The Bottom Falls Out Read by James K. White 11:01
17
Two Letters Read by James K. White 7:55
18
Under The Old Regime Read by James K. White 35:32
19
God Made Us All Read by James K. White 18:37
20
Digging Up Roots Read by James K. White 6:35
21
A Gilded Opportunity Read by James K. White 15:39
22
Imperative Business Read by James K. White 9:14
23
The Guest of Honor Read by James K. White 16:56
24
Swing Your Partners Read by James K. White 12:40
25
Balance All Read by James K. White 7:33
26
The Schoolhouse In The Woods Read by James K. White 9:08
27
An Interesting Acquaintance Read by James K. White 7:02
28
The Lost Knife Read by James K. White 11:30
29
Plato Earns Half A Dollar Read by James K. White 13:58
30
An Unusual Honor Read by James K. White 12:04
31
In Deep Waters Read by James K. White 13:36
32
The Power of Love Read by James K. White 7:33
33
A Mule And A Cart Read by James K. White 21:09
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , the text (opens gutenberg.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
