calsfoundation@cals.org
May 16, 1917
Author Ruth McEnery Stuart died in New York. Stuart produced a body of fiction and poetry based on her experiences in Arkansas. She was one of the most successful fiction writers of her time and, in recent years, has been studied by feminist and social literary critics. In academic terms, Stuart belongs to the school of American local color writing that emphasizes regional characteristics in landscape, way of life, and language. Her works draw on three main threads of her experience: the white “plain folk” of Washington, the immigrants and aristocrats of New Orleans, and African Americans in the South.