Oak Hill Cemetery is proud to announce a Book Talk from Dr. Rose Neal, author, about the life and legacy of Oak Hill Notable, E.D.E.N. Southworth.
Join us at the Renwick Chapel on Friday, October 17 at 6:30 pm for this lively and educational event!
Uncover the legacy of E.D.E.N. Southworth, the trailblazing novelist whose daring heroines
and progressive ideals captivated a generation, only to be forgotten by history—until now.
E.D.E.N. Southworth (Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte) was one of the nineteenth century’s most
prolific and successful authors, with more novels to her credit than Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman
Melville, and Mark Twain combined. Readers loved her feisty heroines who rode horses, shot
pistols, captured notorious villains, became sea captains, and had other such grand adventures. In
1859, countless readers named their daughters Capitola after their favorite character in
Southworth’s best-selling The Hidden Hand.
In her fifty-plus novels, Southworth wrote about unspeakable topics for the time, including
alcoholism, domestic violence, poverty, and capital punishment—all nicely tucked away within the
pages of her “domestic fiction.” Despite being raised in a slave-owning family, she wrote for The
National Era (a known abolitionist magazine), supported emancipation, and encouraged her
longtime friend Harriet Beecher Stowe to publish Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Southworth also advocated
for better education for girls and better living conditions for the poor and joined the early
women’s rights movement.
Although Southworth achieved international fame in her lifetime, knowledge of her work virtually
disappeared as readers were drawn to the new Modernist literature. Because Southworth never
discussed her progressive views publicly—a necessity as a single mother who made a living by her
pen—she has long been incorrectly categorized as being against causes she in fact supported.
Now, by combining details from Southworth’s novels, newspapers, and personal letters, Rose Neal
has set the record straight, piecing together the fascinating life of a woman who was as
determined as the heroines she created.
About the Author:
After more than twelve years of researching E.D.E.N. Southworth, Rose Neal, PhD, is one of
the preeminent scholars on the author’s work and life. In 2012, she finished her master’s
thesis on Southworth before embarking on a doctorate in literature from Swansea University
in Wales, where she successfully defended her dissertation on Southworth’s impact on female
education. Dr. Neal has also presented about the author at professional conferences and
libraries.
After a twenty-plus-year career in teaching, both at the high school and university levels, Dr.
Neal retired and is now devoting herself full-time to a second career as a writer. In addition to
her love of research and storytelling, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Chris, and
spending time in her garden. She lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.
