Fanny Fern! My new hero. What a story and through it all she persevered. She knew she could break the mold and pave the way for women authors. Thx for sharing her story and honoring her today with this wonderful piece.
What a wonderful biographical sketch of an incredible woman. I love it. Had she been a man her story would be the stuff of legends, of a hardscrabble American clawing his way to success. As it is, this is the first I've ever heard of Sara Payson Willis Parton.
I also love how you wove in an excerpt from the Declaration of Sentiments, a document that should be read by every schoolchild in America--except, of course, those children in Florida, Idaho, and Texas (Heaven forbid!).
The short closing chapter in the "Matrimonial Advertisements" link is beautifully and poetically written.
Thank you, Ken. It's too bad your American Lit faculty didn't find a place for Fanny Fern in the curriculum! ;-) It's amazing how quickly she can shift between her satiric and poetic modes. Her novel, Ruth Hall, does that, too.
Very necessary and informative. Wonder if you've encountered John Trudell's CD DNA (Descendant Now Ancestor). His take of Matriarchal systems as opposed to the Patriarchy of the three dominant Desert Religions (and others) speaks clearly what has been lost in the modern world.
Agreed. If others read this and would be interested in a summer read-along of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this would be a good place to let me know if that’s of interest. That book reads well on its own and even better with some contexts.
I want to add no one should fear this book. Stowe writes with an easy style. She's much easier to read than Hawthorne, or Poe. Her narrative style is less evasive. Themes are tragically big, like Shakespeare, but now I'm raving : )
Fascinating Tara. Loved hearing about Sara/Fanny. I can't even imagine how difficult and scary it would've been for a woman in her circumstanced back then. But you (and she) describe it so well here. Which is why I appreciated your last sentence.
"What you and I can make of our circumstances may also be enough."
I agree with you. She put on a bold face for the world that showed her so little sympathy, but there must have been some days and nights of terrible fear.
This is marvelous, Tara! Perfect timing. I’ve been in a funk lately, which now feels self-indulgent. The misogyny of that time! My goodness. I knew about it but the details are maddening. I kept exclaiming aloud. Just, wow. Even her own brother. 🤦🏼♀️ Great storytelling.
Glad to hear Fanny Fern is helping your courage, as she does mine. She was not sparing with her famous brother in the autobiographical novel Ruth Hall (1854). It created controversy when someone outed Fanny Fern as the sister of Nathaniel P. Willis, prominent editor of a family magazine and supposed champion of women. On the upside, an older brother, farther from her in years, owned the magazine that gave her the first contract for a regular column in 1852. In that case, someone else on the staff made the offer to her pseudonym. When her identity was revealed to the editor, brother Richard stood by the offer and published his sis. It's quite a story. I hope your funk leads to creative and generative places. 🌺
I did not know anything about Fanny Fern other than the fragments that I've seen in anthologies. What a powerful essay, Tara, and so nicely woven with the personal. Uncanny that I'm planning to write next week about fathering daughters -- an essay in which I reference Margaret Fuller and a visit to the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, where the Declaration of Sentiments is etched in stone behind a waterwall.
Thank you, Josh. I’m glad to shine a little light on Fanny Fern’s remarkable life. I’ve never been to Seneca Falls. It sounds like a good destination for a family trip. Margaret Fuller’s story is harder to tell. Looking forward to your essay!
I suspect that a trip to Seneca Falls would be even more bittersweet for you than it was for me. It clearly did not receive the level of funding that many other national monuments did at their founding. That, too, is part of the story it tells. But I do wish (partly for my daughters, partly for us all) for a monument to women's rights that strikes a chord similar to, say, Arlington Cemetery or the Lincoln Memorial. That reality is still a long way off.
I must admit I knew little about Fanny Fern. But as I read her story here, I am drawn to her resilience and determination. I think it was Shirley Jackson who said she wrote on the edges of the day, much like Fern did as a mother and wife with limited resources. Thank you for enlightening me with this piece of history. Here's to another strong woman! 💪
Showcasing Fern's writing and telling her bitter path to survival before success, feels like a public service. Thank you for doing it so elegantly, Tara!
Well done Tara on a fantastic piece. For those who thinly think that IWD is not necessary, this reminds us why it is. I like to imagine what Fanny/Sara would do if she were alive today.
I love Fanny Fern and I love this essay for so many reasons—fantastic to find others sharing the voices of ignored women! 👏 This was fantastic, so happy you wrote about her amazing work. 💜
amazing woman/life 🌟
Agreed!
Fanny Fern! My new hero. What a story and through it all she persevered. She knew she could break the mold and pave the way for women authors. Thx for sharing her story and honoring her today with this wonderful piece.
She had grit to the moon. Hero - yes!
What a wonderful biographical sketch of an incredible woman. I love it. Had she been a man her story would be the stuff of legends, of a hardscrabble American clawing his way to success. As it is, this is the first I've ever heard of Sara Payson Willis Parton.
I also love how you wove in an excerpt from the Declaration of Sentiments, a document that should be read by every schoolchild in America--except, of course, those children in Florida, Idaho, and Texas (Heaven forbid!).
The short closing chapter in the "Matrimonial Advertisements" link is beautifully and poetically written.
Thank you, Ken. It's too bad your American Lit faculty didn't find a place for Fanny Fern in the curriculum! ;-) It's amazing how quickly she can shift between her satiric and poetic modes. Her novel, Ruth Hall, does that, too.
Very necessary and informative. Wonder if you've encountered John Trudell's CD DNA (Descendant Now Ancestor). His take of Matriarchal systems as opposed to the Patriarchy of the three dominant Desert Religions (and others) speaks clearly what has been lost in the modern world.
Thank you for the restack. 🙏 I have not heard that CD, though I do know of John Trudell. That does sound right on the subject. I'll look for it.
Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin cannot be missed. Read it, if you haven't. They didn't teach it to us in college. A shameful omission.
Agreed. If others read this and would be interested in a summer read-along of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this would be a good place to let me know if that’s of interest. That book reads well on its own and even better with some contexts.
I'm in.
Me!
I'm up for it too.
I want to add no one should fear this book. Stowe writes with an easy style. She's much easier to read than Hawthorne, or Poe. Her narrative style is less evasive. Themes are tragically big, like Shakespeare, but now I'm raving : )
Well said. I’ve never had a student read Uncle Tom’s Cabin and say, “Now that was obscure.”
Fascinating Tara. Loved hearing about Sara/Fanny. I can't even imagine how difficult and scary it would've been for a woman in her circumstanced back then. But you (and she) describe it so well here. Which is why I appreciated your last sentence.
"What you and I can make of our circumstances may also be enough."
I agree with you. She put on a bold face for the world that showed her so little sympathy, but there must have been some days and nights of terrible fear.
This is marvelous, Tara! Perfect timing. I’ve been in a funk lately, which now feels self-indulgent. The misogyny of that time! My goodness. I knew about it but the details are maddening. I kept exclaiming aloud. Just, wow. Even her own brother. 🤦🏼♀️ Great storytelling.
Glad to hear Fanny Fern is helping your courage, as she does mine. She was not sparing with her famous brother in the autobiographical novel Ruth Hall (1854). It created controversy when someone outed Fanny Fern as the sister of Nathaniel P. Willis, prominent editor of a family magazine and supposed champion of women. On the upside, an older brother, farther from her in years, owned the magazine that gave her the first contract for a regular column in 1852. In that case, someone else on the staff made the offer to her pseudonym. When her identity was revealed to the editor, brother Richard stood by the offer and published his sis. It's quite a story. I hope your funk leads to creative and generative places. 🌺
I did not know anything about Fanny Fern other than the fragments that I've seen in anthologies. What a powerful essay, Tara, and so nicely woven with the personal. Uncanny that I'm planning to write next week about fathering daughters -- an essay in which I reference Margaret Fuller and a visit to the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, where the Declaration of Sentiments is etched in stone behind a waterwall.
Thank you, Josh. I’m glad to shine a little light on Fanny Fern’s remarkable life. I’ve never been to Seneca Falls. It sounds like a good destination for a family trip. Margaret Fuller’s story is harder to tell. Looking forward to your essay!
I suspect that a trip to Seneca Falls would be even more bittersweet for you than it was for me. It clearly did not receive the level of funding that many other national monuments did at their founding. That, too, is part of the story it tells. But I do wish (partly for my daughters, partly for us all) for a monument to women's rights that strikes a chord similar to, say, Arlington Cemetery or the Lincoln Memorial. That reality is still a long way off.
Yes. Seneca Falls would be a good place.
Love this Tara. I hadn’t heard of Sara/Fanny and now I have! She’s remarkable and inspiring. Thank you!
Thank you, Emily! Glad you enjoyed meeting her.
I must admit I knew little about Fanny Fern. But as I read her story here, I am drawn to her resilience and determination. I think it was Shirley Jackson who said she wrote on the edges of the day, much like Fern did as a mother and wife with limited resources. Thank you for enlightening me with this piece of history. Here's to another strong woman! 💪
Somehow it is strengthening to hear these stories, isn't it? Glad you enjoyed this one - yes!
Showcasing Fern's writing and telling her bitter path to survival before success, feels like a public service. Thank you for doing it so elegantly, Tara!
Thank you, Jeffrey. That is a lovely way to put it.
Well done Tara on a fantastic piece. For those who thinly think that IWD is not necessary, this reminds us why it is. I like to imagine what Fanny/Sara would do if she were alive today.
Also, I love your five word ending!
I wonder if she would be on Substack, and I wonder how long I'll be thinking in five word units. 😂 Glad you enjoyed it.
Tara Penry You Amaze Me!
Another Woman Erased From History.
Who Would Have Thunk That?
Hat Pins Come To Mind,
Here In the Jersey Pines.
I love Fanny Fern and I love this essay for so many reasons—fantastic to find others sharing the voices of ignored women! 👏 This was fantastic, so happy you wrote about her amazing work. 💜
Thank you, Freya! The list of people already familiar with Fanny Fern has been all too short. I appreciate the restack. 🙏