"Maddened by Wine and by Passion": The Construction of Gender and Race in Nineteenth-century American Temperance Literature

Download or read book "Maddened by Wine and by Passion": The Construction of Gender and Race in Nineteenth-century American Temperance Literature written by Heather Joy Thompson-Gillis and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper explores the function of gender and race in nineteenth-century American temperance literature, with special attention given to the role of women in temperance discourse and within the reform movement. Chapter One discusses the function of the saloon in temperance literature, focusing on Walt Whitman's Franklin Evans and T.S. Arthur's Ten Nights in a Bar-Room, two of the reform's most widely read publications. Maria Lamas' The Glass and Henrietta Rose's Nora Wilmot: A Tale of Temperance and Women's Rights are the focus of Chapter Two, which analyzes the less popular female authored fiction of the movement. Chapter Three discusses the function of race in Frances E.W. Harper's recently discovered temperance texts "The Two Offers" and Sowing and Reaping. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union is also explored in regards to their ability to challenge traditional gender roles and redefine women's position in the public sphere.