South African literature of the first literary works of note is Olive Schreiner's 1883 "The Story of an African Farm", which can be linked to Van den Heever's "Laat Vrugte" as a "plaasroman". The novel was a revelation in Victorian literature: it is heralded by many as introducing feminism into the novel form. However, Mossman (1990: 41) argues that "The most frequently taught work of South African literature in American classrooms is "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1948) by Alan Paton". A possible reason for this is that it was made into a film starring James Earl Jones, and it depicts a typical racist
The Cry (book) was never able to complete it before she died. After working on "The Cry", Fielding began to focus on the lives of women and the conditions that they live, which later influenced her work within the Bath community. The community was a group of female writers that challenged the traditional ideas of female education and the role of women in society. "The Cry" features stories by characters with responses by a group known as "the Cry". They operate as a sort of chorus in the novel. A meeting is held among Portia, Una, and the Cry, who regard Portia as