Ella Higginson (1861–1940)
Author of Alaska, the great country
About the Author
Image credit: Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery (image use requires permission from the New York Public Library)
Works by Ella Higginson
Associated Works
Sisters of the Earth: Women's Prose and Poetry About Nature (1991) — Contributor — 443 copies, 5 reviews
Prize stories from Collier's, 5 volumes — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Higginson, Ella
- Legal name
- Higginson, Ella Rhoads
- Birthdate
- 1861
- Date of death
- 1940-12-27
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- poet
writer - Organizations
- Progressive Literary and Fraternal Club
Bellingham Soroptimists
Washington State Federation of Women’s Clubs - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Council Grove, Kansas, USA
- Places of residence
- Council Grove, Kansas, USA
Portland, Oregon, USA
Oregon City, Oregon, USA
Bellingham, Washington, USA - Place of death
- Bellingham, Washington, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
This collection of short stories, first published in the 1890s, are a very good read.
I’d no idea what to expect, having never heard of Ella Higginson, but I’m impressed overall. Okay, the style isn’t great, with lots of adverbs and adjectives, the use of the passive voice, etc., but I tend to be more forgiving of this in pre-1950 texts, and more so if it’s pre-1900.
The only style element I will criticise is the vernacular used in the dialogue, which is sometimes hard to understand, show more and it slows the narrative down. In some instances, the endless punctuation is needless. For example, abbreviating “should” to “sh’u’d” is pointless. Who wouldn’t pronounce “should” as “shud”?
Apart from the above, though, the stories and characters make this collection an engaging read. Every plot feels original and relatable. All characters are vivid and believable. It’s amazing how, as people, our attitudes in may respects haven’t changed over the past 125 years.
Most stories have unhappy endings, which evokes sympathy for the characters. I particularly felt sorry for a little girl who was excited about being part of a parade. I won’t elaborate because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but this is one of several tales that highlight the author’s gift as a storyteller.
One thing is for sure, I’d like to read more works by Ella Higginson. show less
I’d no idea what to expect, having never heard of Ella Higginson, but I’m impressed overall. Okay, the style isn’t great, with lots of adverbs and adjectives, the use of the passive voice, etc., but I tend to be more forgiving of this in pre-1950 texts, and more so if it’s pre-1900.
The only style element I will criticise is the vernacular used in the dialogue, which is sometimes hard to understand, show more and it slows the narrative down. In some instances, the endless punctuation is needless. For example, abbreviating “should” to “sh’u’d” is pointless. Who wouldn’t pronounce “should” as “shud”?
Apart from the above, though, the stories and characters make this collection an engaging read. Every plot feels original and relatable. All characters are vivid and believable. It’s amazing how, as people, our attitudes in may respects haven’t changed over the past 125 years.
Most stories have unhappy endings, which evokes sympathy for the characters. I particularly felt sorry for a little girl who was excited about being part of a parade. I won’t elaborate because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but this is one of several tales that highlight the author’s gift as a storyteller.
One thing is for sure, I’d like to read more works by Ella Higginson. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 9
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 31
- Popularity
- #440,252
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 1
- ISBNs
- 8
