The following book was written by Thomas Nelson Page. Like many of his stories, it is inspired by Plantation tradition—in fact, he popularized it— which is a genre of literature based in the Southern United States that is heavily nostalgic for antebellum times. Page's postbellum fiction featured a nostalgic view of the South in step with what is termed Lost Cause ideology. Twisting the historical reality of slavery, enslaved people are depicted as faithful, happy and simple, slotted into a paternalistic society. Because of this, the languages and concepts used in this novel are incredibly dated to modern times; but it nevertheless shows an accurate depiction of a time in the U.S. when such views were espoused.
