The Crucial Moment (eBook)

Mary Noailles Murfree (January 24, 1850 – July 31, 1922), was an American fiction writer acclaimed for her local color stories featuring the Appalachian region of Tennessee. She initially wrote under the masculine pen name Charles Egbert Craddock to mask her gender and ensure her works received fair consideration in a male-dominated literary market of her time. Murfree's expertise in portraying the rugged landscape and the inhabitants of the Cumberland region with a mix of realism and romanticism distinguished her literary style. In her noteworthy contribution, 'The Crucial Moment', Murfree adeptly weaves human emotions with the intricacies of rural life, showcasing her ability to draw readers into her vividly depicted worlds. Among her other significant works are 'In the Tennessee Mountains' (1884) and 'The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains' (1885). Her detailed and sympathetic portrayals of the mountaineers, coupled with her use of regional dialects, contributed to the authenticity of her narratives and resonate the ethos of the American South. Murfree's contribution to the local color movement in American literature is indelible, offering insights into the lives and landscapes that were often underrepresented in the literary canon of her time.