LITTLE, Sophia (Louisa) Robbins

Born 1799, Newport, Rhode Island; died circa 1870s, Boston, Massachusetts

Wrote under: Sophia Louisa Little

Daughter of Asher Robbins; married William Little, Jr., 1824

Biographical information about Sophia Little is sparse. Her mother's name and the date of Little's death are not listed in any of the standard biographical sources.

Allibone's Critical Dictionary of English Literature and American Authors (1891) cites two works by Little, Pilgrim's Progress in the Last Days (1843) and The Betrothed (1844), which are not listed in the National Union Catalog. It may be that these works are no longer extant, as most of her work was privately printed in limited quantity. Little's books are therefore extremely rare, and most are not circulated by the libraries holding them.

She was both an abolitionist and a temperance advocate, and her prose works are primarily vehicles for spreading these gospels. The Branded Hand: A Dramatic Sketch, Commemorative of the Tragedies at the South in the Winter of 1844-5 (1845) is Little's tribute to Jonathan Walker, an abolitionist who was branded with the letters "SS" (slave stealer) for aiding slaves to escape from Florida to the West Indies. Thrice Through the Furnace: A Tale of the Times of the Iron Hoof (1852), another book on abolition, deals with the trials of Gilbert and Marian, Sedley Livingston's mulatto children, who are sold when his wife can no longer stand their resemblance to the Livingston family. They are purchased by Arthur St. Vallery, a cousin who wants Marian for a concubine. Aided by the Freemans, a Quaker family that defies the newly legislated Fugitive Slave Act, Marian and Gilbert escape. Arthur pursues them until he meets Aimee Freeman, who converts him and wins his heart. Marian and Gilbert are reunited with their slave sweethearts, Jasmyn and Cornelia, whom Arthur frees. All three couples marry and live together harmoniously on Arthur's land.

The Reveille; or, Our Music at Dawn (1854) is the story of Jerry Woodliffe, a reformed alcoholic who tries to remain sober despite the evil machinations of the Rum Club, a cabal of saloon keepers who strive to get Jerry publicly drunk to discredit the temperance movement. Some of Jerry's friends, all ex-alcoholics, succumb to rum cake served to them on Election Day by one of the plotters. Others are trapped by spiked "temperance punch." Jerry is lured by a rum-tainted glass of soda, but Mary, his vigilant wife, saves him by demolishing the grog shop. As she smashes the bottles, the other wives cheer her on. The temperance movement is victorious.

Little's religious poetry is a cycle depicting the life of Jesus. The first part, The Last Days of Jesus (1839), was first published by itself. Little then added sections on the Annunciation, Birth, and Resurrection. This work was printed several times, in various stages of completion.

Little's novels are very thin in both plot and characterization. The sufferings, romances, and narrow escapes are all very trite and predictable. Gilbert and Marian, the uneducated slaves, posture and soliloquize like Hamlet. The Rum Club plotters, who rejoice in names such as Stillworm and Rockheart, are clearly cartoons, not people. These books are interesting period pieces, but they were never literature. Little's poetry, however, has considerable merit. It is lyrical and emotional, but not effusive. Her verses have rhyme, meter, dignity, and restraint. Little's intellect and artistic sense are very much in control here. Although the religious subject matter, epic length, and poetic diction of these pieces are not in keeping with modern tastes, these works are a fine example of 19th century popular art.

Other Works:

The Birth, Last Days, and Resurrection of Jesus: Three Poems (1841). Poems (1841). Pentecost (1869). Massacre at Fort Griswold and Burning of New London, September 6, 1781: A Poem (n.d.).

Bibliography:

Reference works:

CAL. FPA.

—ZOHARA BOYD