Susan Glaspell (1876–1948)
Author of Fidelity
About the Author
Image credit: Bachrach
Works by Susan Glaspell
Associated Works
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 929 copies
In the Shadow of Agatha Christie: Classic Crime Fiction by Forgotten Female Writers, 1850-1917 (2018) — Contributor — 94 copies
Women in the Trees: U.S. Women's Short Stories About Battering and Resistance, 1839-1994 (1996) — Contributor — 39 copies
The Best Short Stories of 1917 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story (2007) — Contributor — 25 copies
Twenty Five Best Plays of the Modern American Theatre: Early Series (1949) — Contributor — 25 copies
To the Queen's Taste: The First Supplement to 101 Years' Entertainment; Consisting of the Best Stories Published in the… (1946) — Contributor — 24 copies
The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story (1922) — Contributor — 15 copies
The Best Short Stories of 1919 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story (1919) — Contributor — 14 copies
Contemporary Short Stories: Representative Selections, Volume 3 — Contributor — 6 copies
La nueva mujer: Relatos de escritoras estadounidenses del siglo XIX — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Glaspell, Susan
- Legal name
- Glaspell, Susan Keating
- Birthdate
- 1876-07-01
- Date of death
- 1948-07-27
- Burial location
- Snow Cemetery, Truro, Massachusetts, USA
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Davenport, Iowa, USA
- Place of death
- Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
Delphi, Greece
London, England, UK
Chicago, Illinois, USA - Education
- Drake University(1899)
University of Chicago - Occupations
- novelist
playwright
short-story writer
theater director
journalist - Relationships
- Cook, George Cram (husband | widowed)
Matson, Norman (husband | divorced) - Organizations
- Provincetown Players(co-founder)
- Short biography
- Susan Keating Glaspell was born into the family of one of the founders of Davenport, Iowa. Before attending Drake University, she wrote for the Davenport Morning Republican and The Weekly Outlook. After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1899, she worked for the Des Moines Daily News and as a freelance reporter for some Chicago newspapers. Susan was married twice, firstly in 1913 to George Cram Cook, with whom she became a member of the New York City literary and political scene; and secondly to writer Norman Matson. She and Cook summered on Cape Cod and co-founded the experimental Provincetown Players with Eugene O’Neill. Susan wrote several plays including Suppressed Desires (1915) and Tickless Time (1918). She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1931 for her last play Alison’s House, about Emily Dickinson. Her novels included The Glory of the Conquered (1909), Brook Evans (1928), and The Fugitive’s Return (1929). She served as the director of the Midwest Play Bureau of the Federal Theater Project in 1936-38.
Members
Reviews
1 
japaul22 | 10 other reviews | Feb 28, 2024 |
japaul22 | 10 other reviews | Feb 28, 2024 | 
What a marvelous little story! I love it when I get more than I bargained for.
Two women are dragged along with their husbands, a sheriff and a witness, to the scene of a murder. While the men are "investigating", the women, who are subject to a snide, deprecating remark now and then, gather the real clues to what occurred at this house of a neighbor.
There is a lot being said by Ms. Glaspell. She addresses the relationships between men and women and those among women themselves. There is a thread of question: what might I have done? And one of responsibility: what if I had paid attention, what if I had offered help?
It is very hard to discuss in any detail without giving away too much of the plot, and I hope that others will read this gem, so I do not want to do that.… (more)
Two women are dragged along with their husbands, a sheriff and a witness, to the scene of a murder. While the men are "investigating", the women, who are subject to a snide, deprecating remark now and then, gather the real clues to what occurred at this house of a neighbor.
There is a lot being said by Ms. Glaspell. She addresses the relationships between men and women and those among women themselves. There is a thread of question: what might I have done? And one of responsibility: what if I had paid attention, what if I had offered help?
It is very hard to discuss in any detail without giving away too much of the plot, and I hope that others will read this gem, so I do not want to do that.… (more)
This is an extremely intense read, focussing completely on the emotions and inner life of its characters.
It's 1915 and Ruth Holland is returning to her childhood home. Some eleven years earlier, she ran off with a married man; since then her friends and relatives have cut her off, but now her father is dying...
Among those in town are her former admirer, now the local doctor. Despite being "thrown over" for the married man, he retains a fondness for her and recognises her sufferings- to the disgust of his supercilious young wife.
And then there are friends...some willing to reach out, some still sternly disapproving...and some of the former held in check by fear of the latter group and the demands of "Society". Not to mention the icy deserted wife.
The title-as becomes clear- pertains not only to one's marital vows but also - as Ruth discovers- the need to be faithful to what life has to offer.; not staying in a rut that no longer satisfies, but breaking free and living. A lesson she takes on board from poor yet free-thinking local girl, Annie (Chapter 23 is quite an inspiring look at how to live.)
VERY well written.… (more)
It's 1915 and Ruth Holland is returning to her childhood home. Some eleven years earlier, she ran off with a married man; since then her friends and relatives have cut her off, but now her father is dying...
Among those in town are her former admirer, now the local doctor. Despite being "thrown over" for the married man, he retains a fondness for her and recognises her sufferings- to the disgust of his supercilious young wife.
And then there are friends...some willing to reach out, some still sternly disapproving...and some of the former held in check by fear of the latter group and the demands of "Society". Not to mention the icy deserted wife.
The title-as becomes clear- pertains not only to one's marital vows but also - as Ruth discovers- the need to be faithful to what life has to offer.; not staying in a rut that no longer satisfies, but breaking free and living. A lesson she takes on board from poor yet free-thinking local girl, Annie (Chapter 23 is quite an inspiring look at how to live.)
VERY well written.… (more)
I did read this for school, so naturally, I came in with low expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the theme of this story. My biggest gripe is that it was difficult to understand what was going on or what the characters were saying because of the writing style, but that is understandable because it was written over a half a century ago.
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 35
- Also by
- 41
- Members
- 790
- Popularity
- #32,237
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 35
- ISBNs
- 131
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 5
This book is written in a highly interior manner. The author treats every character with an omniscient point of view and describes and analyzes their feelings and motives. At first I found this a little much, and thought I would prefer to see their actions and have a little more autonomy as a reader to draw my own conclusions. But it started to really work for me about half way through the book as so many characters were explored deeply. Just a short list of the characters that I truly got to know and saw their individual point of view: Ruth Holland; Stuart Williams; Ted Holland, Ruth's younger brother; Harriet Holland, Ruth's older sister; Edith, Ruth's best friend; Deane, Ruth's best male friend and the person the town thought she'd marry; Amy, Deane's wife who can't understand Deane's reaction to Ruth when she returns; Mrs. Williams, Stuart's wife who refuses a divorce.
It was so interesting to really delve in to how all of these people were affected by Ruth and Stuart's decision. And, without giving away the plot, I thought the ending was surprising for the times and perfect.… (more)