Fred Lewis Pattee, long regarded as the father of American literary study, also wrote fiction. Originally published in 1905 by Henry Holt, The House of the Black Ring was Pattee’s second novel—a local-color romance set in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. The book’s plot is driven by family feud, forbidden love, and a touch of the supernatural. This new edition makes this novel accessible to new generations of modern-day readers. General readers will find in The House of the Black Ring a thriller that preserves details of rural life and language during the late nineteenth century. Scholars will read it as an expression of cultural anxiety and change in the decades after the Civil War. An introduction by poet and essayist Julia Spicher Kasdorf situates the novel within the context of social and literary history, as well as Pattee’s own biography, and provides a compelling argument for its importance, not only as a literary artifact or record of local customs, but also as a reflection of Pattee’s own story intertwined with the history of Penn State at the turn of the twentieth century. Joshua Brown draws on his expertise in Pennsylvania German ethno-linguistics to interpret the dialect writing and to give readers a clearer view of the customs and regionalisms depicted in the book.
Fred Lewis Pattee was Professor and Head of the Department of English at the Pennsylvania State College (now the Pennsylvania State University). Pattee is regarded as the first “Professor of American Literature,” having published the groundbreaking works “Is There an American Literature?” in 1896 and A History of American Literature Since 1870 in 1915.Julia Spicher Kasdorf is Associate Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Penn State. In 2009 Penn State Press released a paperback edition of her collection of essays, The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life.Joshua R. Brown is Assistant Professor of German at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.
ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Julia Spicher KasdorfNote on the Publication History James L. W. West IIIThe House of the Black RingPreface to the 1916 EditionI. The Affair at Tressler’s FarmII. Where the Devil Treads, Who Looks for Snow?III. Rose HartswickIV. The Wooing at Hartswick HallV. The Horse-Racing on Moon RunVI. The Windy Side of the LawVII. The Flitting DinnerVIII. The Firing of Heller’s CabinIX. The Fire on Cherry CreekX. The Mill Down Foaming ValleyXI. Lona HellerXII. The Play and the ChorusXIII. The Pow-wowing at Roaring RunXIV. In the Wild AzaleaXV. The Murder in Sugar ValleyXVI. The Mob at Heller’s GapXVII. The Hour of the Powers of DarknessXVIII. In the Heart of the LimestoneXIX. The Last of the HartswicksXX. The Revenge of Matthew HellerNotesBibliography
“This book is a gift to those interested in the history of Penn State and the rich cultures that surround it. Julia Spicher Kasdorf does a brilliant job of placing Fred Lewis Pattee and his neglected novel within their historical moment, and her love of this labor shines bright from start to finish.”—Scott Herring, Indiana University, Bloomington