Mary wilkins freeman short stories

Scholars regard Mary E. Wilkins Freeman as one of the most prominent female writers of the Gilded Age. Born in Randolph, Massachusetts on October 31^st, 1852, Freeman was raised as a Congregationalist—a religion whose ideas were closely connected with those of Puritans. She lived a protected lifestyle as a result of her religious background, but also because of her family’s attitude toward her upbringing. Scholar Leah Glasser in her work on the author states that Freeman’s family “made [her] more aware of her fragility rather than her strength” and from this sheltered life she developed into the private writer that she was (37). Freeman attended Mount Holyoke Seminary, but failed in her studies there. Following her failure, her mother’s health declined, and Freeman later suffered the loss of both of her parents. These events caused her to remain distant from others, but they also led to her writing. Freeman’s first story was “The Revolt of a Mother” in 1891, beginning her outward denial of conventional female gender roles. This denial reflected her own life, especially in her choice to wait until age 50 for marriage.

Most scholars link Freeman’s short fiction stories to the very manner in which she grew up. As quoted in Joyce Warren's work on Freeman, Glasser remarks that Freeman’s writing is “women centered” because of the “wealth of oral histories” from the women that she lived around (492). These experiences can be seen throughout all of her works, providing many topics of discussion for scholars over time. Additionally, Freeman’s work achieved distinction in the literary world due to her focus on New England lifestyle. Her short stories such as “Luella Miller” and “A New England Nun” are just a couple examples where Freeman sets the narrative in the New England region, leaving it open for interpretation if Freeman meant to link her stories to her personal life. Many of Freeman’s works demonstrate rebellion, independence, and female issues that were prevalent during the early 1900s.

Bibliography

Glasser, Leah Blatt, and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. “Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930).” Legacy, vol. 4, no. 1, 1987, pp. 37–45.,

Warren, Joyce W. "In a Closet Hidden: The Life and Work of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman." The New England Quarterly 70.3 (1997): 491-3. ProQuest. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.