Résumé
Résumé de Iola Leroy, ou les Ombres relevées
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who love nineteenth century American fiction, stories of identity and freedom, and a Black woman's view of Reconstruction. Iola's story brings together family secrets, reunions, and questions of justice, education and duty.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
What does freedom mean to a woman who never knew she was not free? Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, is a novel by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, published in 1892. Harper was a poet, lecturer and reformer, and this is among the first novels by a Black woman published in the United States. Iola grows up in comfort, educated in the North, believing she is white. She learns the truth in the worst possible way. Her story runs through slavery, war and Reconstruction.
Dans ce résumé
- 1A comfortable home built on a secretFree
- 2Enslaved people wait and watch for freedom
- 3A father's death shatters Iola's world
- 4The war arrives and rescue comes
- 5A proposal Iola cannot accept
- 6Freedom brings new questions and a search for family
- 7Identity means choosing your people
- 8Education, work and uplift are the road ahead
- 9How Harper tells the story
Point clé 1 sur 9
A comfortable home built on a secret
Eugene Leroy is a wealthy Mississippi planter. His wife, Marie, was once enslaved, and she has been freed and educated. He loves her and has married her, though the law and the neighbors would treat the marriage with scorn.
The couple keep their children, Iola and Harry, in ignorance of their mother's origins. Both look white, so the parents hope to protect them by raising them as white children. Iola is sent North to school, where she grows into a thoughtful, steady young woman.
Harper makes the secret feel like a weight rather than a safety. Eugene's kindness is real, yet he still lives from enslaved labor. The law gives a child the status of the mother, so the happy home rests on ground that can give way at once.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Who’s who
- Iola Leroy
- An educated young woman raised as white, Iola is Eugene and Marie's daughter and Harry's sister.
- Marie Leroy
- Iola and Harry's mother, Marie is a formerly enslaved woman whose husband seeks to protect their family.
- Eugene Leroy
- A wealthy Mississippi planter, Eugene is Marie's husband and the father of Iola and Harry.
- Harry Leroy
- Iola's brother and Eugene and Marie's son, Harry shares his sister's sheltered upbringing and concealed ancestry.
- Alfred Lorraine
- Eugene's relative, Alfred threatens Marie and her children by exploiting laws governing slavery and inheritance.
- Dr. Gresham
- A white Union physician, Dr. Gresham admires Iola's nursing work and becomes her suitor.
- Dr. Frank Latimer
- A Black physician committed to helping formerly enslaved people, Dr. Frank Latimer shares Iola's ideals of service.
- Uncle Daniel
- An elder among the enslaved plantation community, Uncle Daniel sustains others through faith and practical wisdom.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 76,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 5 h 5 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about Iola Leroy, ou les Ombres relevées
What is Iola Leroy about?
It follows Iola, a young woman raised to think she is white, who learns that her mother was enslaved. She faces slavery, serves in the Civil War and works for her people during Reconstruction.
When was Iola Leroy written and is it a true story?
Harper published it in 1892. It is fiction, but it draws on real conditions of slavery, the war and Reconstruction, and on the causes Harper spoke for as a reformer.
What does Shadows Uplifted mean in the title?
It points to the hope that the long darkness of slavery and prejudice can be lifted. The phrase suggests a people moving from suffering toward education, dignity and light.
Who is Frances Ellen Watkins Harper?
She was a Black American writer and activist who lectured against slavery and for women's rights. She wrote poetry and fiction, and Iola Leroy is among the earliest novels by a Black woman published in the United States.
Is Iola Leroy hard to read?
The language is clear. The plot is easy to follow.