Soliloquy of a Farmer's Wife: The Diary of Annie Elliott Perrin 17 December 1917-31 December 1918

by Perrin, Annie Elliott; Randall, Dale B. J.; Randall, Dale B. J.

• ISBN13: 9780821412671
• ISBN10: 0821412671
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-06-01
• Publisher: Ohio Univ Pr

Summary

Soliloquy of a Farmer's Wife is the bare-bones diary of a Geneva, Ohio, farmer's wife, Annie Perrin, who wrote during the last three weeks of 1917 and all of 1918 -- that is, during the final battles, climax, and close of World War I. Her entries recount her family's trip to Florida where they considered settling before deciding to make a go of their farm near Lake Erie. She writes also of the daily chores and personal stresses of dealing with a difficult husband, sending a son off to the Navy, and worrying about the health of her younger son. In addition to the work and worry, and despite the fact that their farm was without electricity or running water, and despite the outbreak of the Spanish influenza epidemic, Annie Perrin records the occasional good times, including visits to the nearest cities, Ashtabula to the east, Cleveland to the west.

Author Biography

Dale B. J. Randall, Professor of English and Professor of the Practice of Drama at Duke University, is the author of numerous scholarly books and essays. He is originally from Ohio.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Preface	xv
A Note on the Text	xxv
Introduction	1	(72)
The Diary of Annie Elliott Perrin
``Our Trip to Florida''
17 December 1917-23 March 1918	73	(58)
Early Spring to Early Summer
24 March-30 June 1918	131	(70)
From Henry's Furlough to Harvest Time
1 July-30 September 1918	201	(62)
From First Frost to Year's End
1 October-31 December 1918	263	(54)
Postscript: Annie's Later Years	317	(16)
Appendix A A Letter from Annie to Her Sister-in-Law Pearl (1897)	333	(4)
Appendix B Four Letters from Henry B. Perrin to Lettie Perrin (1918)	337	(15)
Appendix C A Partial Family Tree of the Elliotts and Perrins	352	(2)
Appendix D ``Soliloquy of a Farmer's Wife''	354	(3)
Research Sources	357	(10)
Index	367