Louise Clark Pyrnelle
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Brief Biography
Louise Clarke Pyrnelle was born on an Alabama plantation and received her early education through private tutors. Following the Civil War, her family relocated to Selma, Alabama, and Pyrnelle continued her studies at an Episcopal school in Montgomery. She later studied elocution in New York and embarked on a tour of New England and Canada, captivating audiences with her performances of dialect stories. Returning to Alabama in the late 1870s, she worked as a tutor before getting married and traveling throughout Alabama and Florida while teaching, tutoring, and contributing to the Episcopal Church. Pyrnelle authored her first book, Diddy, Dumps, and Tot, in 1882, and it quickly became a success. After her husband's passing in 1901, she resided in Birmingham until her death in 1907. Her second book, Miss Li'l' Tweety, was published posthumously in 1917. Both books are now recognized as romanticizations of slavery despite being well-received at the time of publication.
Publications
Diddie, Dumps, and Tot. New York; Grosset and Dunlap Publishers, 1882.
Aunt Flora Courtship and Marriage. Alabama; Confederate Publishing Co., 1906.
Miss Li'l' Tweety. New York; Harper Brothers, 1917.
Aunt Flora Courtship and Marriage. Alabama; Confederate Publishing Co., 1906.
Miss Li'l' Tweety. New York; Harper Brothers, 1917.
Themes
Louise Clark Pyrnelle was a children's author who wrote short stories and novels about plantation life. Her stories use Black dialect and romanticize slavery.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Pyrnelle, Louise Clark, “Louise Clark Pyrnelle,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/645.