View source for First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War

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'''''First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War''''' is a 2006 book by Joan E. Cashin, published by [[Harvard University Press]]. Its subject is [[Varina Davis]].
It was the first biography of Davis written for an academic purpose,<ref name=PW>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780674022942|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|magazine=[[Publishers Weekly]]|year=2006|volume=253|issue=21|page=40|access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> and the first written by a historian who adopted the job as a career.<ref>Manning, p. 555.</ref> Additionally, LeeAnn Whites of the [[University of Missouri, Columbia]], described it as "the first professional biography" of the subject.<ref name=Whitesp1542>Whites, p. 1542.</ref>
Frances Clarke of the [[University of Sydney]] stated that the work not only discusses Davis but also "the paradoxes of Southern history and the trajectory of Confederate memory".<ref name=Clarkep145/>
==Background==
Cashin worked for [[Ohio State University]] as a professor with the rank associate.<ref name=McCurryp422>McCurry, p. 422.</ref>
Virginia J. Laas of [[Missouri Southern State University]] stated that prior to the publication of this book, scholars had to use ''First Lady of the South: The Life of Mrs. Jefferson Davis'', a 1958 book that she called "superficial".<ref name=Laasp756>Laas, p. 756.</ref>
==Content==
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The initial portion of the book discusses how, towards the end of her life, Varina attempted to write an autobiography.<ref name=McElyap363>McElya, p. 363.</ref>
The book is a comprehensive biography of all stages of Varina's life. Cashin argued that Varina's beliefs were determined by her views on social class, culture, gender, and racial beliefs, which the author groups into four themes.<ref name=Laasp756/>
The book's discussion of Varina's initial years includes those of the culture, customs, and history of the antebellum Southern United States.<ref name=Clarke146>Clarke, p. 146.</ref>
Stephanie McCurry of [[University of Pennsylvania]] wrote that the book covers relatively little of the [[American Civil War]] itself.<ref name=McCurryp423>McCurry, p. 423.</ref>
The later parts of the book touch upon the retrospective point of view of history among White Southerners. Clarke stated that "narrow-minded shrillness (in fact, downright craziness)" of [[Neo-Confederates]] is evident in these portions.<ref name=Clarke146/>
In the portions discussing Varina's life before she publicly repudiated the South, Laas states, especially in regards to African-American issues and slavery, that the author "becomes impatient with her subject, wanting Varina to be a real rebel".<ref name=Laasp758>Laas, p. 758.</ref> The final portion of the book states that repudiation, when Varina stated that the Union was the correct side to achieve victory in the civil war.<ref name=McElyap364>McElya, p. 364.</ref>
Laas concludes that the book's picture of [[Jefferson Davis]], Varina's husband, was "a devastating portrait of a self-absorbed and egotistical man."<ref name=Laasp757>Laas, p. 757.</ref> McCurry agreed, stating that Jefferson Davis was "so utterly self-regarding, so painfully disloyal to his own family."<ref name=McCurryp424>McCurry, p. 424.</ref> McCurry added that the information "does more to destroy the man's reputation than anything his political critics could possibly have said of him."<ref name=McCurryp424/>
==Reception==
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Clarke stated that the work is "enthralling",<ref name=Clarkep145>Clarke, p. 145.</ref> and that even non-academic readers may find interest in the work due to the historical details and because it is  "unusually well-paced".<ref>Clarke, p. 147.</ref> Citing how the author gives context throughout the book to each detail, Clarke described the author as "an exemplary historian".<ref name=Clarke146/>
Janet L. Coryell of [[Western Michigan University]] stated that the text is "lively" and the "research is impeccable".<ref>Coryell, p. 368.</ref>
Brad Hooper of ''[[Booklist]]'' wrote that the author had "well-researched" the work, and that she has a "Sympathetic but not uncritical" tone.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hooper|first=Brad|url=https://www.booklistonline.com/First-Lady-of-the-Confederacy-Varina-Davis-s-Civil-War-Joan-E-Cashin/pid=1693713|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|magazine=[[Booklist]]|year=2006|volume=102|issue=21|page=23}} - Available on the [[Wikipedia Library]].</ref>
Laas stated that the work is a "fine biography",<ref name=Laasp756/> and that it is "wonderfully crafted and insightful".<ref name=Laasp758/> She argued that the author was even-handed in presenting [[Jefferson Davis]] so a reader would understand why Varina did not leave him. Laas also argued, in regards to Varina Davis's lack of commitment to the Confederate cause, that the author "does an outstanding job of exploring the ramifications of Varina's" beliefs.<ref name=Laasp757/>
Chandra Miller Manning of [[Georgetown University]] stated that the book does not say as much about the years Varina was First Lady of the Confederacy, which was her reason for notability but also the period where she perceived herself most as being stifled. Manning overall praised the efforts of the author, stating "the pleasure of getting to know [the subject of the book] is worthwhile in its own right."<ref name=Manningp556>Manning, p. 556.</ref> She argued that, due to the limitations of the subject, "even the most delightful biography of Davis mainly confirms rather than adds to what we already know" about various subjects.<ref name=Manningp556/>
McCurry praised the author's work in making the book.<ref name=McCurryp422/> She favored the focus on Varina's life instead of on the civil war. McCurry argued that the enjoyment of reading the book differed by section, which reflected how Varina felt during her marriage; she argued that while the initial part is "vibrant and engaging", the married life part was "dull and slogging" "as if marriage[...]dragged down author with subject."<ref name=McCurryp423/> Then, in the last portion of the book, after Jefferson Davis is dead, McCurry states that "Joan Cashin and Varina Howell Davis have a much better time".<ref name=McCurryp425>McCurry, p. 425.</ref>
Micki McElya of the [[University of Connecticut]] stated that the book is "exhaustively researched and illuminating".<ref name=McElyap363/>
Whites praised the book as being "meticulously researched, compellingly written, and thoughtfully presented".<ref name=Whitesp1542/>
[[Publishers Weekly]] gave the book a starred review and stated that it is "a terrifically winning" work, and that the author is "a strong, clear writer".<ref name=PW/>
==See also==
* [[Bibliography of Jefferson Davis]]
==References==
* {{cite journal|last=Clarke|first=Frances|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41220087|title=''First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War'' by Joan E. Cashin|journal=[[Australasian Journal of American Studies]]|volume=27|issue=2|date=December 2008|pages=145–147|jstor=41220087}}
* {{cite journal|last=Coryell|first=Janet L.|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14664658.2011.631385|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|journal=[[American Nineteenth Century History]]|year=2011|volume=12|issue=3|pages=366–368|doi=10.1080/14664658.2011.631385 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Laas|first=Virginia J.|url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA182977860&sid=sitemap&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|journal=[[Journal of Southern History]]|year=2008|volume=74|issue=3|pages=756–758|doi=10.2307/27650270 |via=[[Gale Academic OneFile]]|jstor=27650270}}
* {{cite journal|last=Manning|first=Chandra Miller|url=https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/96/2/555/727931|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|journal=[[The Journal of American History]]|year=2009|volume=96|issue=2|pages=555–556|doi=10.1093/jahist/96.2.555-a }}
* {{cite journal|last=McCurry|first=Stephanie|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/14/article/224432/pdf|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War (review)|journal=[[Civil War History]]|date=December 2007|volume=53|issue=4|pages=422–425|doi=10.1353/cwh.2007.0085 |via=[[Project MUSE]]}}
* {{cite journal|last=McElya|first=Micki|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/continuity-and-change/article/abs/joan-e-cashin-first-lady-of-the-confederacy-varina-daviss-civil-war-cambridge-ma-and-london-belknap-press-of-harvard-university-press-2006-pages-416-29951995/7661068CC64460140D19AC2D2E37277A|title=Joan E. Cashin, First lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War. (Cambridge, MA and London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006.) Pages 416. $29.95/£19.95|journal=[[Continuity and Change]]|date=August 2008|volume=23|issue=2|pages=363–364|doi=10.1017/S0268416008006784 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Whites|first=LeeAnn|url=https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/112/5/1541/41829|title=Joan E. Cashin. The First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War .:The First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|journal=[[The American Historical Review]]|date=December 2007|volume=112|issue=5|pages=1541–1542}}
===Notes===
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
; Journal articles:
* {{cite journal|last=Cook|first=Cita|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|journal=[[The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society]]|year=2007|volume=105|issue=2|pages=306–308}}
* {{cite journal|last=Dunn|first=Elizabeth Bramm|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|journal=[[The North Carolina Historical Review]]|year=2007|volume=84|issue=1|pages=109–110}}
; Magazine articles:
* {{cite magazine|last=Clemens|first=Tom|title=Reviews in Brief|magazine=[[America's Civil War]]|date=November 2006|volume=19|issue=5|page=72}}
* {{cite magazine|last=Edmunds|first=Robin Farrell|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|magazine=ForeWord|year=2006}}
* {{cite magazine|last=Minchew|first=Tessa L H|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War|magazine=[[Library Journal]]|year=2006|volume=131|issue=12|page=87}}
==External links==
* ''[https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674030374 First Lady of the Confederacy]'' - [[Harvard University Press]]
* {{cite book
|last=Cashin
|first=Joan
|year=2006
|title=First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War
|url=https://archive.org/details/firstladyofconfe00cash
|url-access=registration
|location=Cambridge, MA
|via=[[Internet Archive]]
|publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
|isbn=9780674022942
}}
[[Category:Harvard University Press books]]
[[Category:2006 books]]
[[Category:Jefferson Davis]]
[[Category:Books about women]]