Grace Elizabeth King

Grace Elizabeth King (November 29, 1851 – January 14, 1932) was an American author of Louisiana stories, history, and biography, and a leader in historical and literary activities.

King began her literary career as a response to George Washington Cable's negative portrayal of Louisiana Creoles. King desired to create a sympathetic portrayal of Louisianians and Southerners based on her observations and experiences. King viewed herself as a type of representative for the region, although she herself was not in fact a Creole. King also became a representative for Southern women. In her literary works, King focuses primarily on women and women's issues in Reconstruction and its aftermath. King also emphasizes how race and class affected the lives of women. Some of King's most popular stories portray white women from aristocratic families experiencing poverty and black women struggling to find their place in society. These stories show King's concern for the changing status of all women in the South following the Civil War.

However, literary scholars debate over the significance of King's depiction of African-Americans. Feminist critics of the 1980s and 1990s valued King's emphasis on the experience of Southern women. Some feminist critics believed King's portrayal of black women gave them sexual independence. However, some feminist scholars believe King displayed white supremacism in her fiction. Other literary scholars disagree and believe that King created strong black female characters with moral agency.