The House Behind the Cedars

The House Behind The Cedars is a novel by Charles W. Chesnutt, first published in 1900. The story takes place in the post-Civil War South and follows the lives of two mixed-race siblings, John and Rena Walden. John, who is light-skinned enough to pass as white, leaves his hometown in North Carolina to pursue a career as a lawyer in a nearby city, where he meets and falls in love with a white woman named Alice. But when Alice discovers John’s true racial identity, she breaks off their engagement. Meanwhile, Rena, who is darker-skinned and unable to pass as white, remains in their hometown and struggles to make a life for herself and her family. As John rises in prominence as a lawyer, he is forced to confront the prejudices and racism of his white colleagues and clients. He also grapples with his own identity and the consequences of passing as white. Rena, on the other hand, faces her own challenges as she tries to navigate the social and economic barriers placed in front of her as a black woman in the South. The House Behind The Cedars is a powerful exploration of race, identity, and the legacy of slavery in America. Chesnutt, who himself was of mixed-race, draws on his own experiences and observations to create a complex and nuanced portrait of a society still grappling with the aftermath of slavery and the challenges of racial integration. The novel is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers today.''That, my dear Rowena, is my good friend and client, George Tryon, of North Carolina. If he had been a stranger, I should have said that he took a liberty; but as things stand, we ought to regard it as a compliment. The incident is quite in accord with the customs of chivalry. If George were but masked and you were veiled, we should have a romantic situation.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.