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Marion, a talented actress and artist, struggles to find acceptance and success in a world that discriminates against her for her race and gender. Set in the early 20th century, Marion: The Story of an Artist’s Model by Onoto Watanna is a romantic drama based off the life of her sister, Sarah Eaton-Bosse, that explores themes of race, gender, and class.
About the author
Winnifred Eaton, (1875-1954) better known by her penname,
Onoto Watanna was a Canadian author and screenwriter of Chinese-British ancestry. First published at the age of fourteen, Watanna worked a variety of jobs, each utilizing her talent for writing. She worked for newspapers while she wrote her novels, becoming known for her romantic fiction and short stories. Later, Watanna became involved in the world of theater and film. She wrote screenplays in New York, and founded the Little Theatre Movement, which aimed to produced artistic content independent of commercial standards. After her death in 1954, the Reeve Theater in Alberta, Canada was built in her honor.
Summary
Born into a large family of Asian ethnicity in Canada, Marion Ascough always felt like an outsider, not just because of her heritage, but also because of her aspiration to be an artist. At home, her siblings often take notice in the ways she defies expectation, and their next-door neighbors call Marion and her siblings “heathens” because they are not white. As Marion comes of age, she escapes the scrutiny of her siblings and the racism of Quebec to move to New York. There, Marion is dedicated to following her dream of having a successful art career. In New York, Marion is now labeled as a Canadian rather than ethnic, which lessens the racial discrimination she faces, but is instead disenfranchised because she is a woman. Because of this, Marion struggles to be taken seriously. While she fights to start her career and earn a consistent living, she meets Reggie, the man of her dreams. The two grow close and quickly talk of marriage. But when Reggie reveals that he wants all the benefits of a marriage without the actual ceremony, Marion becomes suspicious of his intentions.
Set in three major cities, Quebec, Boston, and New York, Onoto Watanna’s Marion: The Story of an Artist’s Model provides invaluable insight on the 20th century societal values and practices present in these cities. With compelling themes of race, gender, and class, Marion: The Story of an Artist’s Model allows readers a gripping and rare perspective of the experience of people of Asian descent in the United States in the early 20th century.
First published in 1916, Miss Numé of Japan: A Japanese American Romance is rarely found in print. This special edition features a stunning cover design and is printed in an easy-to-read font. With these accommodations, this edition of Miss Numé of Japan: A Japanese American Romance caters to contemporary readers by restoring the novel to modern standards while preserving the original intricacy of Onoto Watanna’s work.
