SOURCE: "A Pedigree for a New Century: The Colonial Experience in Popular Historical Novels, 1890-1910," in The Colonial Revival in America, edited by Alan Axelrod, W. W. Norton & Company, 1985, pp. 278-93.

In the following excerpt, Seaton discusses some common characteristics of colonial American historical novels, asserting that they were especially popular among middle-class Americans and that they provided "a spiritual ancestry for liberal religion, patterns for social behavior, comforting reminders of … 'racial purity,' and delightful glimpses of a sumptuous style of life.'"

Between 1890 and 1910, historical novels about the colonial period were very popular with American middle-class readers. During this time, six appeared on the best-seller lists: Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker by S. Weir Mitchell, Richard Carvel by Winston Churchill, Janice Meredith by Paul Leicester Ford, To Have and to Hold and Audrey by Mary Johnston, and Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson. In addition, many...