SOURCE: “Jean Toomer: Fern,” in The Black American Short Story in the 20^th Century, edited by Peter Bruck, B.R. Grüner Publishing Co., 1977, pp. 53-69.

In the following essay, Jung examines the circumstances surrounding the publication of and the critical reaction to “Fern,” and surveys the major themes of the story.

“Fern” is from Jean Toomer's book Cane, which he published in 1923 and which to his chagrin sold no more than 500 copies.¹ However, if we are to believe the late Dr. Bontemps “a few sensitive and perceptive people went quietly mad”² about the book. The judgement of those readers who were more articulate was not unanimous. Some of the reviews that Cane drew and which have been collected by John M. Reilly in his bibliographical checklist³ and partly reprinted in Frank Durham's Studies in Cane⁴ were frankly hostile (although these constituted only a minority). Many people were...