Intro to the novel by N. Harper Lee

born April 28, 1926Childhood friend of famous

author Truman Capote (In Cold Blood, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “A Christmas Memory”)

Youngest of four children born to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee

Grew up in Monroeville, Alabama

Father was a lawyerWas a “tomboy” when younghttp://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap10/

lee_harper.html?newwindow=true Biography from Wikipedia.org

Attended all-female Huntingdon College (in Alabama) and later University of Alabama

Joined a sorority, but was known as a “loner”

Began law school, but left it to pursue writing

Moved to New York City at age 23 to write

Never wrote a second novel

Became notoriously reclusive after achieving fame for Mockingbird

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-2477

Subgenre of Gothic fiction

takes place exclusively in the American South.

relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot.

uses these tools not solely for the sake of suspense, but to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South.

employs the use of macabre, ironic events to examine the values of the American south.http://www.magicumbrella.com/xmas.htm Wikipedia.org

History of slavery and racism

Culture of HonorPoliteness is highly

valuedToughness and

protection of one’s family (esp. women)

“Men were expected to act like gentlemen, displaying courage, moral strength, perseverance, and chivalry in defense of the honor of their family name. Women were expected to be models of feminine purity, grace, and virginity until it came time for them to provide children to inherit the family legacy. Faith in God and profound concern for preserving the family reputation provided the grounding for these beliefs” (sparknotes.com).

http://commentariesonthetimes.wordpress.com/tag/monique-wins-oscar/

In 1863, the Civil War was ended and the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln

70 years later, in the 1930s, racism was still a major issue

Segregation existed legally until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 It still exists in practice in

many places around the country

It remains a problem today, but major change happened in the 1960s due to the Civil Rights Movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1943_Colored_Waiting_Room_Sign.jpg

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070805/13rock.htm

http://www.examiner.com/american-history-in-national/segregated-drinking-fountains-photo

usafamilymedicine.wordpress.com

The 1968 Civil Rights Act began our modern hate crime laws, but prior to that they were not a separate type of crime.

WWI era (1914-18): Ku Klux Klan committed many hate crimes, including lynching

Lynching was a vigilante execution that involved executing someone without trial, often by hangingCould involve anyone

accused of a crime, but were often racially motivated

http://wonkette.com/424655/georgetown-u-finds-piece-of-rope-assumes-lynching-racist

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