Fanny Fern: An Independent Woman

Fanny Fern: An Independent Woman by Warren, Joyce. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780813517643.

Fanny Fern is a name that is unfamiliar to most contemporary readers. In this first modern biography, Warren revives the reputation of a once-popular 19th-century newspaper columnist and novelist. Fern, the pseudonym for Sara Payson Willis Parton, was born in 1811 and grew up in a society with strictly defined gender roles. From her rebellious childhood to her adult years as a newspaper columnist, Fern challenged societys definition of womens place with her life and her words. Fern wrote a weekly newspaper column for 21 years and, using colorful language and satirical style, advocated womens rights and called for social reform. Warren blends Ferns life story with an analysis of the social and literary world of 19th-century America.