Project Gutenberg 2004-02-01 Public domain in the USA. 277 Chesnutt, Charles W. (Charles Waddell) 1858 1932 The Wife of his Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, and Selected Essays The wife of his youth -- Her Virginia mammy -- The sheriff's children -- A matter of principle -- Cicely's dream -- The passing of Grandison -- Uncle Wellington's wives -- The bouquet -- The web of circumstance -- Three essays on the color line: What is a white man? The future American. The disfranchisement of the Negro. E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Andrea Ball, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, and Selected Essays" by Charles W. Chesnutt is a collection of short stories and essays written during the late 19th century, highlighting the complex issues of race, identity, and social class in post-Civil War America. The narratives often feature characters from the African-American community navigating the challenges posed by societal color lines, including the prejudices prevalent among their own ranks. Through these stories, Chesnutt explores themes of belonging, love, and the struggle for dignity and acceptance. The opening of the book introduces Mr. Ryder, a prominent member of the Blue Vein Society, a group of light-skinned African-Americans who aspire to elevate their social standing while grappling with the implications of their racial identity. As he prepares to host a ball in honor of Mrs. Molly Dixon—whom he admires—an unexpected encounter with an elderly black woman named 'Liza Jane brings to the surface deeper questions of loyalty and belonging. Her story of searching for her long-lost husband, who escaped slavery, contrasts sharply with Mr. Ryder's aspirations and invites reflections on past relationships and societal expectations. This initial segment sets the tone for Chesnutt's poignant exploration of race and the personal conflicts that arise from it. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 66.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en African Americans -- Fiction Race relations -- Fiction Racism -- Fiction Racially mixed people -- Fiction American essays Race awareness -- Fiction PS Text African American Writers Category: Short Stories Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature 523349 2025-08-05T06:20:51.429914 text/html 523357 523214 2024-11-05T07:50:19.050124 2023-10-05T08:05:54.410796 text/html text/html 295695 2025-08-05T06:21:00.123381 application/epub+zip 302029 2025-08-05T06:20:54.814944 application/epub+zip 271252 2025-08-05T06:20:53.597950 application/epub+zip 597845 2025-08-05T06:21:04.198414 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 574617 2025-08-05T06:20:59.178378 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 532511 2022-09-05T11:28:15.455305 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 486226 2025-08-05T06:20:50.902987 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 466180 2025-05-21T15:05:00 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19110 2025-08-05T06:21:04.332362 application/rdf+xml 24480 2025-08-05T06:20:54.100910 image/jpeg 4576 2025-08-05T06:20:53.848909 image/jpeg 292212 2025-08-05T06:20:51.469915 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia