Life in America by William Gilmore Simms
May 2023
This collection of nine stories of the antebellum South, Life in America; or, The Wigwam and the Cabin, dating from the very founding of the United States as a nation or even earlier in some cases, is surprisingly macabre, eerie, or offbeat in its plotlines. Unusual for early American fiction. The collection provides a unique viewpoint of early American life in the South, as well as an edifying glimpse at the superstitions and supernatural beliefs of some of the area’s earliest citizens.
The nine stories in order of their appearance: Story I., Grayling; or, “Murder will out;” Story II., The Two Camps: A Legend of the Old North State; Story III., The Last Wager; or The Gamester of the Mississippi; Story IV., The Arm-Chair of Tustenuggee; A Tradition of the Catawba; Story V., The Snake of the Cabin; Story VI., Oakatibbe; or, The Choctaw Sampson; Story VII., Jocassée: A Cherokee Legend; Story VIII., Mr. Green; and Story IX., “How would You like it?”
The nine stories in order of their appearance: Story I., Grayling; or, “Murder will out;” Story II., The Two Camps: A Legend of the Old North State; Story III., The Last Wager; or The Gamester of the Mississippi; Story IV., The Arm-Chair of Tustenuggee; A Tradition of the Catawba; Story V., The Snake of the Cabin; Story VI., Oakatibbe; or, The Choctaw Sampson; Story VII., Jocassée: A Cherokee Legend; Story VIII., Mr. Green; and Story IX., “How would You like it?”