Biography of Susan Glaspell

Biography Of Susan Glaspell

   Susan Glaspell, was born in Davenport, Iowa, on July 1, 1876, the second child and only daughter of Elmer and Alice Glaspell. Susan's ancestors were among the first families of Davenport, and Susan grew up sure of her place in her Midwest town.

After her graduation from Davenport High School in 1894, Susan went to work at the Davenport Morning Republican as a reporter. Two years later, she was appointed society editor of Weekly Outlook magazine. Although most of her editorials concern etiquette or social events among the Davenport elite, she also took the opportunity to argue her opinions on less frivolous topics, such as politics, literature, drama, and women's education.

   Having high intelligence and a strong sense of self, Susan was scornful of the lingering idea that a college education could ruin a young lady's femininity. In 1897, she enrolled at Drake University and tackled the same subjects as a young man would, including Greek, French, philosophy, and history. She balanced her studies with an active social life, also managing to contribute pieces to the college literary magazine.

Susan graduated with a bachelor's of philosophy in 1899 and went to work at the Des Moines Daily News as a statehouse reporter. Starting with very little knowledge of politics, she learned on the go, charming the legislators into helping her with her articles. She also wrote a column called "The News Girl," which discussed various topics both serious and humorous. A few of them showed a certain boredom with social matters, while others wondered whether it was fair for women to want all the traditional powers of men while demanding the traditional protections of women.

   Susan's health, never perfect, was now very poor. She had anemia, heart problems, and her eyes were failing. In 1947, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Finally, she contracted viral pneumonia and suffered a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in her lung. On July 27, 1948, at the age of 72, Susan Glaspell died. She was buried in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

   During her busy life, Susan wrote nine novels, fourteen plays, countless short stories and articles. She inspired and guided other writers and was a good friend to many. At times, her work and her personal choices reflect acceptance and admiration for the culture, values, and attitudes of her Iowa origins, and at other times rejection and scorn—but there is no doubt that she never lost sight of her Midwestern roots. In 1967, nineteen years after her death, Susan Glaspell was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.

Glaspell Literary Works.

Drama

- Trifles (A Jury of Her Peers) 1917

- The Outside (1917)

- Alison's House (1930)

Novel

- Fidelity (1915)

- The Morning Is Near Us (1939)

Short Stories

- A Jury of Her Peers (1917)

- The Road to the Temple (1926)

 I have chosen 'Trifles' for this blog simply because I found this drama/short story to be rather interesting and shows the feminist side of Susan Glaspell. And to be frank, I am familiar with the text. Below is the summary of the story:-

Trifles Summary.

The sheriff Henry Peters and the county attorney George Henderson arrive with the witness Lewis Hale, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hale at John Wright's farmhouse, where the police are investigating Wright's murder. Lewis Hale recounts how he discovered Mrs. Wright acting bizarrely, as she told him that her husband was murdered while she was sleeping. Although a gun had been in the house, Wright was gruesomely strangled with a rope. The men continually disparage the women for worrying about trifles instead of about the case, but Henderson allows the women to collect some items for Mrs. Wright, who is in custody, as long as he agrees that the objects are irrelevant to the case. While the men are investigating upstairs, Mrs. Hale reminisces about how happy Mrs. Wright had been before her marriage, and she regrets that she had not come to visit Mrs. Wright despite suspecting the unhappiness she had suffered as John Wright's wife. After looking around the room, the women discover a quilt and decide to bring it with them, although the men tease them for pondering about the quilt as they briefly enter the room before going to inspect the barn. Meanwhile, the women discover an empty birdcage and eventually find the dead bird in a box in Mrs. Wright's sewing basket while they are searching for materials for the quilt. The bird has been strangled in the same manner as John Wright. Although Mrs. Peters is hesitant to flout the men, who are only following the law, she and Mrs. Hale decide to hide the evidence, and the men are unable to find any clinching evidence that will prevent her from being acquitted by a future jury - which will, the play implies, most likely prove sympathetic to women.

Trifles Analysis.

   Trifles clearly want to show us the difference in thinking or view of the world between men and woman. The feminism drama of trifles showed the mocking of man for underestimating the woman in all sort of thing, situation and capability. The masculines see something with wider view to solve the mystery that made them couldn't find the big fat clue of the murderer meanwhile the feminist has minimized their view that came to solving the case. This story actually wants to tell the world what women or the female are capable of. They are always being misunderstood of their weakness and the way they are thinking. It want to show that woman is also capable of what men's capable of. Want to show that they are equal in many sort of things. The end of the 19th century remarked the birth of many feminist writers that showed their were able to go beyond their typical habits and do something greater.




"What men have thought about life in the past is less important than what you feel about it to-day."

SUSAN GLASPELL