The story is set in Nantucket, Massachusetts shortly after the War of 1812, and deals with the unlikely friendship between a Quaker girl, Dencey Coffyn, and Jetsam, the adopted son of the town drunk. Their friendship was formed when Dencey sought his forgiveness for hurting him with a stone. In exchange for his forgiveness, she taught him to read and they became even closer which was met with disapproval by her mother. The reason for this was because Jetsam was a socially outcast boy who displayed characteristics not in keeping with Quakerism. However, Dencey refused to part ways with Jetsam leading her mother to banish her to her room with only bread and water as punishment. Nevertheless, the friendship grew even stronger to the point where Jetsam saved Dencey's life from a deadly storm. She was trapped in it while attempting to save him from accepting a job with the horrible Professor Snubshoe. Afterwards, he gained favor with Dencey's family who adopted him and helped him to transform into an admirable young man. As Dencey and Jetsam grew closer and older, they developed romantic feelings for each other. Finally, Jetsam asked Dencey to marry him.[2]
CharactersEdit
Dionis "Dencey" Cofyn - The heroine of story. A girl who is viewed as a rebel but in her rebellion helps to change the life of a boy who was in need.
Jetsam - The young man who was rejected and mistreated by society but accepted by Dencey.
Lydia - Dencey's mother, a strong and devout woman who was worried about her daughter's morality.
Captain Tom Cofyn - Dencey's father who spent a lot of time away from his family while working at sea but when he returned he made his household happy.
Hopestill - Dencey's cousin who was pious and obedient.
Peggy - The maid who helped to take care of the Cofyn's household.
Injun Jill - Jetsam's adopted mother who was an alcoholic and beggar.
Professor Snubshoe - The evil magician
SequelEdit
A sequel, The Beckoning Road, was published in 1929. It follows the fortunes of Dencey's family as they move to Indiana and join the utopian community of New Harmony.[3]
downright, dencey, 1927, children, historical, novel, caroline, dale, snedeker, novel, illustrated, maginel, wright, barney, first, published, 1927, newbery, honor, recipient, 1928, authorcaroline, snedekerillustratormaginel, wright, barneygenrechildren, histo. Downright Dencey is a 1927 children s historical novel by Caroline Dale Snedeker The novel illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney was first published in 1927 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1928 1 Downright DenceyAuthorCaroline SnedekerIllustratorMaginel Wright BarneyGenreChildren s historical novelPublisherDoubledayPublication date1927Pages314ISBN1 883937 79 5OCLC317855938Followed byThe Beckoning Road Children s literature portal Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Sequel 4 References 5 External linksPlot EditThe story is set in Nantucket Massachusetts shortly after the War of 1812 and deals with the unlikely friendship between a Quaker girl Dencey Coffyn and Jetsam the adopted son of the town drunk Their friendship was formed when Dencey sought his forgiveness for hurting him with a stone In exchange for his forgiveness she taught him to read and they became even closer which was met with disapproval by her mother The reason for this was because Jetsam was a socially outcast boy who displayed characteristics not in keeping with Quakerism However Dencey refused to part ways with Jetsam leading her mother to banish her to her room with only bread and water as punishment Nevertheless the friendship grew even stronger to the point where Jetsam saved Dencey s life from a deadly storm She was trapped in it while attempting to save him from accepting a job with the horrible Professor Snubshoe Afterwards he gained favor with Dencey s family who adopted him and helped him to transform into an admirable young man As Dencey and Jetsam grew closer and older they developed romantic feelings for each other Finally Jetsam asked Dencey to marry him 2 Characters EditDionis Dencey Cofyn The heroine of story A girl who is viewed as a rebel but in her rebellion helps to change the life of a boy who was in need Jetsam The young man who was rejected and mistreated by society but accepted by Dencey Lydia Dencey s mother a strong and devout woman who was worried about her daughter s morality Captain Tom Cofyn Dencey s father who spent a lot of time away from his family while working at sea but when he returned he made his household happy Hopestill Dencey s cousin who was pious and obedient Peggy The maid who helped to take care of the Cofyn s household Injun Jill Jetsam s adopted mother who was an alcoholic and beggar Professor Snubshoe The evil magicianSequel EditA sequel The Beckoning Road was published in 1929 It follows the fortunes of Dencey s family as they move to Indiana and join the utopian community of New Harmony 3 References Edit Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1922 Present American Library Association Retrieved 2009 12 30 The Newbery Companion by John Thomas Gillespie and Corinne J Naden p 29 30 Synopsis of The Beckoning Road Ahsp com Retrieved 2012 12 24 External links EditFull text of Downright Dencey at HathiTrust Digital Library This article about a children s historical novel of the 1920s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it See guidelines for writing about novels Further suggestions might be found on the article s talk page vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Downright Dencey amp oldid 1157000684, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
