Ruth McEnery Stuart
Ruth McEnery Stuart was an American author born on May 21, 1849, in Marksville, Louisiana, into a family of wealth and prominence. Following the Civil War and her family's financial difficulties, she worked as a primary school teacher before marrying her cousin Alfred Oden Stuart in 1879. After her husband’s death in 1883, she moved to New York City, where she dedicated herself to writing. Stuart's literary career began in earnest with her first short story published in 1888, leading to numerous contributions to prominent magazines. Her works often reflect her Southern upbringing, portraying the lives of poor whites and African Americans, and intertwining local dialects and customs within her narratives. While her writing has been critiqued for potential racist overtones, it also features strong African American characters, showcasing a complex view of post-Civil War society. Stuart became a well-respected figure in literary circles, earning acclaim from contemporaries such as Mark Twain and Kate Chopin, and was recognized as one of the highest-paid writers in the U.S. at the turn of the century. She passed away on May 6, 1917, leaving behind a legacy celebrated by literary societies and noted for its sentimentality and optimism regarding the South's future.
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Subject Terms
Ruth McEnery Stuart
Author
- Born: May 21, 1849
- Birthplace: Marksville, Louisiana
- Died: May 6, 1917
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Ruth McEnery Stuart was born Routh McEnery on May 21, 1849, in Marksville, Louisiana. Her father, James McEnery, was a well- known cotton merchant and slave owner. Her mother, Mary Routh McEnery, came from a prominent Louisiana family. When Stuart was three years old, her family moved to New Orleans, where she attended public and private schools and enjoyed a life of privilege.
After the Civil War, the family was in financial stress, and Stuart was forced to work as a primary school teacher. In 1879 she married her cousin, Alfred Oden Stuart, and relocated to Washington, Arkansas. Her husband, thirty years her senior, had eleven grown children. The couple had one son who died tragically in 1904 after falling from a window. After her husband’s death in 1883, Stuart moved to New York City and began concentrating on her writing.
Stuart’s writing career began with a short story published in New Princeton Review, in 1888. This was followed by many publications in journals and magazines such as Harper’s New Monthly Magazine and Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. Her stories draw upon her southern upbringing and the interactions of immigrants, Creoles, and African Americans in New Orleans. Their accents and customs come through tenderly in Stuart’s writings. Her characters are frequently poor whites and African Americans, and her stories feature colloquial language and local characters that were popular literary elements during that era.
Her first book, A Golden Wedding, and Other Tales (1893), followed by Carlotta’s Intended, and Other Tales (1894) and The Story of Babette, A Little Creole Girl (1894), feature many of her stories that had been published in magazines. These stories deal with the seedier side of New Orleans. Her most popular work, Sonny: A Story (1896), focuses on a poor white Arkansas boy, Sonny. Sonny rules the house of his devoted parents, and correlations have been made to Stuart’s relationship as both mother and father to her son.
Stuart’s writings have been accused of carrying racist overtones. Her parents were slave owners and she grew up with the customs of the Old South. However, many of her stories do feature strong, intelligent African American protagonists. Her optimistic view of the South’s potential after the Civil War is a constant theme in her works.
In addition to writing, Stuart had a very successful career as a guest lecturer, reader, and speaker, and gained praise and attention of many authors, including Mark Twain and Kate Chopin. By 1900 she was among the highest paid writers in the United States.
Stuart died May 6, 1917, in New York City. She was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree from Rulane University in 1915, and she was featured as Harper’s Bazaar’s “Woman of the Hour” in 1899. In 1907 the Ruth McEnery Stuart Clan, a literary society which still exists, was founded in New Orleans to celebrated Stuart’s commitment to the Old South and its future. Stuart’s sentimentality toward the Old South and her optimism of its possibilities were her greatest contributions to American literature.