Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, A Brighter Coming Day

Terry Novak (Johnson and Wales University)

Ed. by Emory Elliott, University of California, Riverside
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.2: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University), Sean Seeger (University of Essex)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1853 - 1911

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Essay Collection
- Letter(s)
Speech/ Address
Story Collection

Resources

A Brighter Coming Day: A Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Reader is a recent compilation of shorter works written by Frances E. W. Harper between the years 1853 and 1911. The reader is edited and introduced by contemporary literary scholar Frances Smith Foster. Foster has divided the text into four sections representing different periods of Harper's life. Each section is comprised of letters, poetry, essays, speeches, and short fiction, as is appropriate for the period of time in question. This is an important contribution to Harper's published works since it gives the student of African-American literature a succinct view of the breadth of her output beyond that of her better known, longer fiction: Iola Leroy, Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping, and Trial and Triumph. In addition, much information about Harper's life and her work with the...

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376 words

Citation: Novak, Terry. "A Brighter Coming Day". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 July 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10172, accessed 08 December 2025.]

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, A Brighter Coming Day

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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