The Quest of the Silver Fleece: A Novel

W. E. B. Du Bois

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2005

The Quest of the Silver Fleece

A Novel

W. E. B. Du Bois
Illustrator: H. S. De Lay

In the series Pine Street Books

https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812201796

Overview
Contents

About this book

Set in Alabama and Washington, D.C., in the early part of the twentieth century, W. E. B. Du Bois's first novel weaves the themes of racial equality and understanding through the stark reality of prejudice and bias. Originally published in 1911 and conceived immediately after The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois turned to fiction to carry his message to a popular audience who were unfamiliar with his nonfiction works. Du Bois addresses the fact that, despite the legal emancipation of African Americans, the instruments of oppression, in both the economy and government, remained in good working order. At the time he was writing, powerful white industrialists controlled the cotton industry, the "silver fleece" that depended, as it did during slavery, on the physical labor of African Americans. White Americans also controlled local and national government.

In the novel, Blessed "Bles" Alwyn, a young man seeking formal education to improve himself, is captivated by Zora, a vivacious, independent woman who lives outside society in a mysterious swamp. Faced with shocking events in Zora's past and ambivalence about how a black man should integrate into American society, Bles pursues his goals and ends up in Washington to assist on a senator's campaign. While in the city, he meets successful African Americans—and falls in love—but he ultimately recoils from the hypocrisies they must endure in order to be accepted in society. Instead, he is compelled to return to Alabama and Zora, where he must face his greatest challenges and fears.

With its frank and clear language, The Quest of the Silver Fleece is a remarkable portrait of racial prejudice at the turn of the twentieth century. Through the characters, Du Bois demonstrates the efficacy of self-sufficiency for those who face discrimination while championing the benefits of strength in diversity to American society as a whole.

Author / Editor information

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) was an American sociologist, author, and cofounder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). His pioneering works The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study and The Negro are also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Reviews

"The author has put into the story all his wealth of justice and passion."—Independent

"Dramatic, original, and convincing."—Literary Digest

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	1
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	7
1. Dreams Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
2. The School Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
3. Miss Mary Taylor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	26
4. Town Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
5. Zora Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	44
6. Cotton Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
7. The Place of Dreams Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	66
8. Mr. Harry Cresswell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
9. The Planting Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
10. Mr. Taylor Calls Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	101
11. The Flowering of the Fleece Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
12. The Promise Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	129
13. Mrs. Grey Gives a Dinner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	146
14. Love Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	152
15. Revelation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	158
16. The Great Refusal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	172
17. The Rape of the Fleece Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
18. The Cotton Corner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	190
19. The Dying of Elspeth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
20. The Weaving of the Silver Fleece Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	213
21. The Marriage Morning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
22. Miss Caroline Wynn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	232
23. The Training of Zora Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	244
24. The Education of Alwyn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	253
25. The Campaign Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	266
26. Congressman Cresswell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	282
27. The Vision of Zora Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	293
28. The Annunciation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	303
29. A Master of Fate Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	312
30. The Return of Zora Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	326
31. A Parting of Ways Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	337
32. Zora's Way Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	355
33. The Buying of the Swamp Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	363
34. The Return of Alwyn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	376
35. The Cotton Mill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	389
36. The Land Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	402
37. The Mob Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	418
38. Atonement Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	426

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 440
Illustrations
- Other: 4 illus.
Keywords: Fiction; Literature; Cultural Studies

eBook

Published: October 9, 2013
ISBN: 9780812201796