A Singular Life - Atlantic Monthly, January 1895

''A Singular Life'' is a novel published in 1895 by

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward (August 31, 1844January 28, 1911) was an early feminist American author and intellectual who challenged traditional Christian beliefs of the afterlife, challenged women's traditional roles in marriage and family, an ...

. It was first published in serial form in ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' from January through October 1895, and published in novel form in late 1895. It was the fourth highest best-selling book in the United States in 1896. Hackett, Alice Payne.
Seventy Years of Best Sellers 1895-1965
', p. 92 (1967) (the lists for 1895-1912 in this volume are derived from the lists published in ''

The Bookman (New York) ''The Bookman'' was a literary journal established in 1895 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It drew its name from the phrase, "I am a book-man," by James Russell Lowell. The phrase, without the hyphen, regularly appeared on the cover and title page of ...

'')(6 November 1895)
A Good Theological Novel (book review)
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (positive review)''The Atlantic Monthly''. Volume 75, Issue 447, January 1895
(first installment; note that the work itself is copyrighted 1894, although it did not begin appearing in print until the January 1895 issue)

Analysis

The book was published in a period when Americans were exploring how the teachings of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

could be applied to daily life. Several books considering the question were published in 1890s. ''A Singular Life'', in this vein, features a protagonist named Emanuel Bayard who pursues Jesus-inspired humanitarianism by forsaking ties to his orthodox church. Among Bayard's projects is positively influencing a prostitute named Magdalena (or "Lena") to become more respectable and use her talent for singing for a better purpose. When he suggests she pursue a new career, specifically household service, she balks and refuses the stereotypical domestic role and instead works for a gunpowder factory. Ward's books, including ''A Singular Life'' and her previous books like '' The Story of Avis'', depicted attempts at social

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

s as she demonstrated a focus on women's needs and a hope that men and women could live together equitably.Kesller, Carol Farley. ''Daring to Dream: Utopian Fiction by United States Women Before 1950'' (Second Edition). Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1995: 62. One of Ward's favorite novels among her many, the story follows a young minister who promotes

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

in a small fishing town.James, Edward T. (et al.
''Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary'', Volume 2
p. 540 (1971) The town of

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

was believed to be the model for the setting, and prompted a local attorney to pen a pamphlet titled ''Gloucester Vindicated''.(4 August 1901)
Gloucester - Where the Fish Come From - And Its People
''

References

External links

''A Singular Life''
full scan (1898 print) via Google Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Singular Life 1895 American novels Works originally published in The Atlantic (magazine) Novels set in Massachusetts Novels first published in serial form