Cosella Wayne

Cora Wilburn (1824-1906), born Henrietta Pulfermacher, emigrated from France to the United States under the name Henretty Jackson in 1848. Her novels, essays and poems mostly appeared in rare spiritualist journals and Jewish periodicals.Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and directs its Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. He is also chief historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History. He is author or editor of more than thirty books on American Jewish history and life, including American Judaism: A History.

Jonathan Sarna's edition of Cosella Wayne renders accessible to general readers-as well as to students and scholars of modern history, women's and gender studies, religion, and Jewish studies-the gripping tale of the global adventures and personal travails of its inimitable heroine, Cosella Wayne. Engrossing as a work of literature and enthralling as a window onto the life and world of its remarkable author, Cora Wilburn, Cosella Wayne is a family saga that grapples mightily with the nature of religious conversion, the implications of gender, the oppressiveness of poverty, and the destructiveness of child abuse. It paints intimate portraits of nineteenth-century Jewish and Spiritualist practices as well as of a courageous young woman's search for truth, love, and belonging. This highly readable edition will be particularly welcome in university classrooms, where it will draw students deep into the fundamental questions that animate a range of disciplines." - Paola Tartakoff, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies, Rutgers University

• AcknowledgmentsEditor's IntroductionA Note on the TextCosella Wayne: Or, Will and DestinyIntroduction1. A Wandering Childhood2. The Rhine Voyage3. Foreboding4. The Watcher by the Tomb5. The Jewish Betrothal6. Awakening7. The Dawn of the New Life8. The Dream's Reply9. Bereavement10. The Web of Destiny11. The Second Sorrow12. Light on the Pathway13. The Teachings of the Fathers14. Temptation and Trial15. The Virgin's Shrine16. The Step into the World17. Spirit Teachings18. Changes19. Retribution20. Manasseh's Letter21. Above the Clouds of Earth22. The Realities of Life23. Toil and Suffering24. The Mission of the Beautiful25. The Hour before Day26. Unrecognized27. Realization28. The River of Death, and the Waters of Life29. Fraternal and Heavenly UnionNotes to Cosella WayneSelections from the Diary of Cora Wilburn (1844-1848)