"From the 1880s to her death in 1930, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman commanded a devoted army of readers across the globe with her prolific output of short stories, novels, poetry, plays, children's literature, and more. But there was a certain time of year when her work proved a particular fixture in the pages of newspapers and magazines: from one Christmas to the next, Freeman's extraordinary vision of the season dominated American print culture. In dozens of stories, she both reflected and directed the development of the modern ...
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"From the 1880s to her death in 1930, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman commanded a devoted army of readers across the globe with her prolific output of short stories, novels, poetry, plays, children's literature, and more. But there was a certain time of year when her work proved a particular fixture in the pages of newspapers and magazines: from one Christmas to the next, Freeman's extraordinary vision of the season dominated American print culture. In dozens of stories, she both reflected and directed the development of the modern holiday that was taking shape in this period. Christmas trees, stockings, snow, and Santa Clauses abound, all imbued with Freeman's characteristic strengths as a writer-her humor, her pathos, her indelible characters, her ear for dialogue, her experimentation with genre, and her profound understanding of human nature. Until now, however, Freeman's Christmas stories have been largely forgotten and most have gone unreprinted since their first publication over a century ago. Some have been lost entirely. The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman presents for the first time a selection of her best seasonal work. The volume offers readers, enthusiasts, and scholars a greater understanding of both Freeman as a writer and of the literary history of Christmas itself. This remarkable collection reestablishes her as perhaps the greatest American interpreter of the season. Once again, readers can marvel at the way that Freeman found continual inspiration in the theme of Christmas, grappling anew in each story with the emotional and practical meaning of the season as it played out in the lives of her characters. Taken together, these stories serve as an extended, interconnected meditation on a time of year that still brings forth complicated feelings today. Freeman's characters fall in love, exchange gifts, and feast with their families, conventional and otherwise. But they also experience profound want and loneliness, and some find themselves harried by the demands of the season. For those already familiar with Freeman's work, this collection celebrates an often forgotten aspect of her extraordinary art. For those meeting Freeman for the first time, these seasonal gems are a wonderful way to make her acquaintance. Either way, her stories are a profound Christmas gift and a perfect companion for the holidays-Freeman's last gift to us as readers"--
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