Lynda L. Hinkle

Reaping the Whirlwind: Regaining the Irish Catholic Literary Voice of Nineteenth Century America Through the Work of Christine Faber Lynda L. Hinkle

Christine Faber was born with the name Mary E. Smith in Savannah, Georgia on August 19, 1849. Faber, who would later associate with one of the most notoriously radical abolitionists of his time, James Redpath, was ironically born in the Old South, surrounded by slavery. But it was New York, and especially Brooklyn, with which she became more intimately connected in professional life. She was a popular literary figure, particularly among Catholics and more specifically Irish Catholics, who read her twelve novels and countless short story contributions to various magazines. Time has forgotten her, and this voice was quieted, because of it's less popular ethnic and religious base. This collection of her stories was gleaned from Redpath Weekly, a Catholic magazine of the period. Analyzing her work and her impact, we are reminded that the most popular voices of one generation can be silenced in another...despite their importance.