Mrs. Spring Fragrance and Other Writings Background

Mrs. Spring Fragrance and Other Writings Background

Mrs. Spring Fragrance (1912) is a collection of short stories by Sui Sin Far (who published the collection under the name pen name Edith Maude Eaton). Although not incredibly popular, the collection was incredibly important because it marked the first time that, according to Broadview Press, "[a] book of fiction [was] published in the United States by an author of mixed Chinese and white descent." Interestingly, most the stories were written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it wasn't published until 1912.

The collection is divided into two groups: 1) stories for adults (called Mrs. Spring Fragrance, which has a total of 15 stories) and 2) stories for children (called Tales of Chinese Children, which has a total of 9 stories). Regardless their intended audience, every story is set in either Seattle or San Francisco. And again, regardless their intended audience, they tell the story of the lives -- particularly their struggles -- in their new home in North America. Some issues the stories cover are the discriminatory racist laws that were levied against the Chinese and cultural conflicts between the Eurasians and recent immigrants.

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.