Ruth Hall and Other Writings by Fanny FernWhen Ruth Hall was originally published in 1855, it caused a sensation. In it, Fanny Fern (Sara Payson Willis Parton) portrays a mid nineteenth century woman who realizes the American Dream solely on her own becoming the incarnation of the American individualist regarded at that time as a role designed exclusively for men. Based on the author's life, the novel reflects her spirit of practical feminism that a woman was only truly independent when she