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Amelia E. Barr 1831-1919
In 1889, a critic reviewing the twelve novels Amelia E. Barr had written in the previous five years concluded his essay with the assessment that "Mrs. Amelia E. Barr may very well rank as the foremost woman novelist in America" (Adams, O. 268). Barr would publish fifty more novels and novellas, as well as a steady stream of short stories, poems, and essays, in a writing career that lasted nearly fifty years, yet she never achieved the critical recognition this early admirer predicted, nor has her work attracted the interest of modern feminist critics. The qualities that led that critic to such high praise of Amelia Barr, however, arc qualities that make many of Barr's books still highly readable today -- excellent story-telling combined with a genuine interest in history and human nature, especially the ability to rise above adversity. Her main significance lies in the way she transforms the popular romance novel, through attention to historical detail, greater depth of characterization, and often intelligent attention to serious issues, from abortion to wife-beating. While she does not directly challenge mores (her women, e.g., do not seek careers), she depicts a world in which women and men negotiate sensible and fair ways of working within the boundaries of gender expectations.
For Barr, writing was more a craft than an art, and she is preeminently a good popular novelist, able to tell a story that entertains and stimulates readers, while at the same time developing the moral and spiritual lessons that were important to her. The credo everywhere evident in her novels is well expressed in a passage she wrote as a Christmas message for Good Housekeeping in 1915: "Daily life teaches us many great lessons. Chief among them are these three: the highest success is to trust God, the greatest happiness is to love and be loved, the truest satisfaction is a good day's work well done" (770). She finds many interesting ways to express this message through characters and stories on a wide variety of topics. While all of her novels feature a love interest, she also addresses such serious subjects as the Salem witch hunt (The Black Shilling, 1903), slavery (She Loved a Sailor, 1890), abortion (The Measure of a...