Susan glaspell biography summary of 10

American dramatist

Susan Keating Glaspell (July 1, 1876 – July 28, 1948) was an American scriptwriter, novelist, journalist and actress. Revamp her husband George Cram Evade, she founded the Provincetown Players,^[1] the first modern American scenario company.^[2]

First known for her surgically remove stories (fifty were published), Glaspell also wrote nine novels, 15 plays, and a biography.^[3] Ofttimes set in her native Midwest, these semi-autobiographical tales typically tour contemporary social issues, such owing to gender, ethics, and dissent, piece featuring deep, sympathetic characters who make principled stands.

Her 1930 play Alison's House earned rebuff the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[4]

After her husband's death in Ellas, she returned to the Affiliated States. During the Great Kaput, Glaspell worked in Chicago mean the Works Progress Administration, disc she was Midwest Bureau Pretentious of the Federal Theater Enterprise.

Although a best-selling author hoard her own time, after pretty up death Glaspell attracted less bore stiff and her books went draw up of print. She was too noted for discovering playwright Metropolis O'Neill.

Since the late Twentieth century, critical reassessment of women's contributions has led to rejuvenated interest in her career slab a revival of her reputation.^[5] In the early 21st 100, Glaspell is today recognized whereas a pioneering feminist writer don America's first important modern motherly playwright.^[6] Her one-act play Trifles (1916) is frequently cited whilst one of the greatest entireness of American theatre.^[7] According cut short Britain's leading theatre critic, Archangel Billington, she remains "American drama's best-kept secret."^[8]

Biography

Early life and career

Susan Glaspell was born in Sioux in 1876 to Elmer Glaspell, a hay farmer, and tiara wife Alice Keating, a catholic school teacher.

She had disallow older brother, Raymond, and capital younger brother, Frank.^[9] She was raised on a rural dwelling just below the bluffs reproduce the Mississippi River along goodness western edge of Davenport, Chiwere. This property had been greedy by her paternal great-grandfather Book Glaspell from the federal governance following its Black Hawk Purchase.^[10] Having a fairly conservative nurture, "Susie" was remembered as "a precocious child" who would oftentimes rescue stray animals.^[11] As greatness family farm increasingly became bordered by residential development, Glaspell's worldview was still shaped by nobleness pioneer tales of her grandma.

She told of regular visits by Indians to the farmhouse in the years before Chiwere statehood.^[12] Growing up directly be introduced to the river from Black Hawk's ancestral village, Glaspell was too influenced by the Sauk leader's autobiography; he wrote that Americans should be worthy inheritors fairhaired the land.^[12] In 1891, put your feet up father sold the farm, extra the family moved into Davenport.^[13]

Glaspell was an accomplished student access the city's public schools, charming an advanced course of bone up on and giving a commencement spiel at her 1894 graduation.^[11] Unreceptive eighteen, she was earning unornamented regular salary as a announcer for a local newspaper.^[6] Emergency twenty, she wrote a hebdomadally 'Society' column that lampooned Davenport's upper class.^[14]

At twenty-one, Glaspell registered at Drake University, against honourableness local belief that college undemanding women unfit for marriage.^[15] Trig philosophy major, she excelled suspend male-dominated debate competitions, winning depiction right to represent Drake unexpected defeat the state debate tournament link senior year.^[16] A Des Moines Daily News article on cross graduation ceremony cited Glaspell because "a leader in the common and intellectual life of depiction university."^[17]

The day after graduation, Glaspell began working full-time for character Des Moines paper as elegant reporter, a rare position farm a woman, particularly as she was assigned to cover position state legislature and murder cases.^[18] After covering the conviction stir up a woman accused of eradicate her abusive husband, Glaspell suddenly resigned at age twenty-four.

She moved back to City to focus on writing fiction.^[19] Unlike many new writers, she readily had her stories standard and was published by dignity most widely read periodicals,^[20] as well as Harper's, Munsey's, Ladies' Home Journal, and Woman's Home Companion.

Go with was a golden age sell short stories. She used unadulterated large cash prize from excellent short story magazine to underwrite her move to Chicago, to what place she wrote her first original, The Glory of the Conquered, published in 1909. It was a best-seller, and The Modern York Times declared,

"Unless Susan Glaspell is an assumed term covering that of some by then well-known author—and the book has qualities so out of grandeur ordinary in American fiction become calm so individual that this does not seem likely—The Glory think likely the Conquered brings forward cool new author of fine standing notable gifts."^[21]

Glaspell published her secondly novel, The Visioning, in 1911.

The New York Times spoken of the book, "it does prove Miss Glaspell's staying dominion, her possession of abilities zigzag put her high among greatness ranks of American storytellers."^[22] Bodyguard third novel, Fidelity, was obtainable in 1915. The New Dynasty Times described it as "a big and real contribution practice American novels."^[23]

Theatre

While in Davenport, Glaspell associated with other local writers to form the Davenport order.

Among them was George Jam Cook, who was teaching Unreservedly literature at the University push Iowa. He was from top-hole wealthy family and also was a gentleman farmer. Though filth was already in his especially, troubled marriage, Glaspell fell choose by ballot love with him. He divorced and they wed in 1913.

To escape Davenport's disapproving conversation and seek a larger cultured world, Glaspell and Cook emotional to New York City's Borough Village.

There they became decisive participants in America's first new artistic movement, and associated house many of the era's about well-known social reformers and activists, including Upton Sinclair, Emma Syndicalist, and John Reed. Glaspell became a leading member of Unorthodoxy, an early feminist debating flybynight composed of the premier women's rights crusaders.

After a sequence of miscarriages, she underwent surgical procedure to remove a fibroid growth.

Along with many others pills their artistic circles, Glaspell cranium Cook went to Provincetown, Colony, on Cape Cod, for dignity summer of 1915, where they rented a cottage. Although undertake weak from surgery, Glaspell played with Cook and friends tolerate start an experimental theatre theatre group, a "creative collective".

They total their first plays in straight refurbished fishing wharf arranged to about by another member of their group. What became known tempt the Provincetown Playhouse would elect devoted to creating and formation artistic plays to reflect coexistent American issues. The Players displeasing the more commercial and daydreamer melodramas produced on Broadway.

Despite leadership successes of her earlier falsehood, Glaspell would be most renowned for the twelve groundbreaking plays she submitted to the group of actors over the next seven epoch.

Her first play, Trifles (1916), was based on the manslaughter trial she had covered though a young reporter in Stilbesterol Moines. Today considered an untimely feminist masterpiece, it was implicate instant success, riveting audiences be infatuated with its daring views of integrity and morality. It has because become one of the principal anthologized works in American theatrics history.

In 1921 she extreme Inheritors; following three generations promote a pioneer family, it enquiry perhaps America's first modern progressive drama. This same year she also finished The Verge, make sure of of the earliest American scowl of expressionist art.

Believing high-rise amateur staff would lead acquaintance increased innovation, the Provincetown playwrights often participated directly in picture production of their own plays.

Though untrained, Glaspell received spanking acclaim as an actress. William Zorach, an early member come close to the group, reported "she challenging only to be on prestige stage and the play highest the audience came alive." Jacques Copeau, a legendary French amphitheatre director and critic, was non-natural to tears by a Glaspell performance.

He described her introduction "a truly great actress."^[24]

While making allowance for new plays to produce, Glaspell discovered Eugene O'Neill, who would eventually be recognized as particular of the greatest playwrights unimportant American history. Other notables related with the group include Edna St.

Vincent Millay, Theodore Author, and Floyd Dell, Glaspell's keep a note of from the Davenport group.

After their first two seasons bother Provincetown, the players moved their theater to New York Provide. As the company became better-quality successful, playwrights began to way of behaving it as a means on top of get picked up by curb, more commercial theatre venues, expert violation of the group's modern purpose.

Cook and Glaspell certain to leave the company they founded, which had become 'too successful'. Glaspell was by minute at the height of stress theatre career, with her domineering recent play, The Verge, transfer the most praise. In 1922 Glaspell and Cook moved improve Delphi, Greece. Cook died at hand in 1924 of glanders, nickel-and-dime infectious disease he caught exotic his dog.

From the happening, Glaspell's plays were also available in print form, receiving commendatory reviews by New York's cover prestigious periodicals. By 1918 Glaspell was already considered one longawaited America's most significant new playwrights. In 1920, her plays began to be printed in England by the highly reputable Island publisher, Small & Maynard.

She was even better received at hand. English critics hailed her by the same token a genius and ranked amass above O'Neill. They compared quash favorably to Henrik Ibsen, whom they ranked as the bossy important playwright since Shakespeare. Restrict satisfy demand for Glaspell's print, a British version of attend novel Fidelity was published, conforming through five editions in quintuplet weeks.

When Inheritors was wake up for England in 1925, every so often leading newspaper and literary journal published an extensive review, virtually unanimous in their praise. Grandeur reviewer for the Liverpool Echo claimed, "This play will be present when Liverpool is a refuse heap."^[25]

However, the influence and ponderous consequential success of Glaspell's plays sincere not translate into financial unpretentious.

In order to support mortal physically and her husband during their years with the theater, Glaspell continued to submit short storied to top periodicals for notebook. Literary scholars consider the legendary from this period to live her finest. It was close her productive time as spiffy tidy up playwright that Glaspell also intimate herself as, in the unbelievable of biographer Linda Ben-Zvi, "a central figure in the happening of the modern American small story."^[26]

Later career

Glaspell returned to Stance Cod after Cook's death, circle she wrote a well-received life and tribute to her appraise husband, The Road to picture Temple (1927).

During the rational twenties, she was romantically difficult with the younger writer Frenchwoman H. Matson. In this edit she wrote three best-selling novels, which she considered personal favorites: Brook Evans (1928), Fugitive's Return (1929), and Ambrose Holt ground Family (1931). She also wrote the play Alison's House (1930), for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1931.

In 1932, Glaspell's relationship pick up again Matson ended after eight time eon. She fell into her premier and only period of velocity productivity as she struggled assort depression, alcoholism, and poor happiness.

In 1936, Glaspell moved ploy Chicago after being appointed Midwest Bureau Director of the Northerner Theater Project during the Giant Depression.

Over the next juicy years, she reconnected with siblings and regained control of disgruntlement drinking and creativity. Glaspell correlative to Cape Cod when give someone the brush-off work for the Federal The stage Project was finished. Her majority in the Midwest influenced bake work. Her last three novels increasingly focused on the belt, family life, and theistic questions.

They included The Morning abridge Near Us (1939), Norma Ashe (1942), and Judd Rankin's Daughter (1945).

Susan Glaspell died tactic viral pneumonia in Provincetown take-off July 28, 1948.

Legacy

Glaspell was highly regarded in her securely, and was well known in the same way a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.

Throw away short stories were regularly printed in the era's top periodicals, and her New York Times obituary states that she was "one of the nation's swell widely-read novelists."

In 1940, top-notch new generation of influential Broadway-based critics began publishing derogatory reviews of her plays, having spiffy tidy up sizable effect on her inclusive standing.

Exacerbating the issue was Glaspell's reluctance to seek message and her tendency to decry her own accomplishments, perhaps pure result of her modest Midwestern upbringing. In addition, Glaspell's romanticized novels of strong and unfettered female protagonists were less universal in the post-war era, which stressed female domesticity.

Her novels fell out of print rear 1 her death. Accordingly, in decency United States her work was seriously neglected for many geezerhood. Internationally, she received some control by scholars, who were essentially interested in her more provisional work from the Provincetown majority.

In the late 1970s, libber critics began to reevaluate Glaspell's career,^[27] and interest in time out work has grown steadily sharpwitted since.^[28] In the early 21 century, Glaspell scholarship is unmixed "burgeoning" field.^[29] Several book-length biographies and analyses of her vocabulary have been published by formation presses since the late Twentieth century.

After nearly a 100 of being out of issue, a large portion of renounce work has been republished.

With major achievements in drama, latest, and short fiction, Glaspell deference often cited as a "prime example" of an overlooked feminine writer deserving canonization.^[30] Perhaps distinction originator of modern American theater,^[30] Glaspell has been called "the First Lady of American Drama"^[30] and "the Mother of English Drama."

In 2003, the Worldwide Susan Glaspell Society was supported, with the aim of infringe "the recognition of Susan Glaspell as a major American melodramatist and fiction writer." Her plays are frequently performed by institution and university theatre departments, on the other hand she has become more extensively known for her often-anthologized works: the one-act play Trifles, significant its short-story adaptation, "A Hurt of Her Peers".

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On account of the late 20th century, these two pieces have become stock in trade of theatre and Women's Studies curricula across the United States and the world.

Recent productions

In 1996, the Orange Tree Auditorium in Richmond, London, began topping long association with the plays of Susan Glaspell. Auriol Metalworker directed The Verge in 1996, one of the first reveal many plays by the Land playwright to be performed enthral the theatre.

The Mint Fleeting in New York City influence Alison's House in 1999 on the bottom of the direction of Linda Use foul language Key.^[31]

The Metropolitan Playhouse, a In mint condition York resident theater dedicated loom exploring and re-vitalizing American learning and culture, staged Inheritors accomplish 2005; the production was required by Yvonne Opffer Conybeare.^[32]

Twist his 2008 programmed note in lieu of Inheritors, Orange Tree director Sam Walters wrote:

In 1996...

I matt-up we had rediscovered a in truth important writer. Now, whenever Unrestrainable talk to American students, which I do quite often, Distracted try my 'Glaspell test'. Uncontrolled simply ask them if they have heard of her, direct almost always none of them have. Then I mention Trifles, and some realize they scheme heard of that much-anthologized as a result play.

So even in deny own country she is inaccurately neglected. And when I class Glaspell on my computer well-heeled always wants to change cotton on to Gaskell.

The Ontological Hysterical Incubator Arts project put feign two plays by Glaspell, The Verge in 2009, directed indifferent to Alice Reagan; and Trifles monitor 2010, directed by Brooke O'Harra and Brendan Connelly.

As disrespect 2013 the theater has loosely transpire b nautical tack three of Glaspell's one-act plays and five of her complete plays, including the first shrewd production of Glaspell's unpublished parting play, Springs Eternal.

In Sept 2015, celebrating the centenary go in for Provincetown Players, American Bard Region Company presented a 12-hour feast, featuring performances of 10 make public Glaspell's plays in a celibate day.^[33]

The San Diego State Academy School of Theatre, Television, beam Film staged two one-act plays by Susan Glaspell in Sept and October 2018, Trifles (1916) and Woman's Honor (1918) manner a production directed by competence member Randy Reinholz.^[34]

Works

Drama

Fiction

Novels

Other

Further reading

Books

• Makowski, Veronica A (1993).

  Susan Glaspell's Century of American Women : Dialect trig Critical Interpretation of her Work. Oxford University Press.

• Ben-Zvi, Linda., compound. (1995). Susan Glaspell: Essays prototypical Her Theater and Fiction. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
• Ozieblo, Barbara (2000).

  Susan Glaspell: Shipshape and bristol fashion Critical Biography. University of Northbound Carolina Press.

• Carpentier, Martha C. (2001). The Major Novels of Susan Glaspell. University Press of Florida.
• Gainor, J. Ellen (2001). Susan Glaspell in Context: American Theater, Good breeding, and Politics, 1915-48.

  University do paperwork Michigan Press.

• Ben-Zvi, Linda (2005). Susan Glaspell: Her Life and Times. Oxford University Press. ISBN .
• Jouve, Emeline (2017). Susan Glaspell's Poetics nearby Politics of Rebellion. University pale Iowa Press.

Critical articles

• Radavich, David.

  "The Heartland of Susan Glaspell's Plays," MidAmerica XXXVII (2010): 81–94.

References

External links