Constance Rourke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Constance Rourke
Constance Rourke, Fall 1938
Born	Constance Mayfield Rourke
Occupation	Writer, historian, folklorist
Notable works	American Humor
Notable awards	Newbery Honor

Constance Mayfield Rourke (born November 14, 1885 – died March 29, 1941) was an American writer and teacher. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She studied at the Sorbonne and Vassar College. She also taught at Vassar from 1910 to 1915. Constance Rourke passed away in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1941.

Exploring American Culture

Constance Rourke loved to study American popular culture. She wrote many articles for magazines like The Nation and The New Republic. She became well-known for writing biographies. These were stories about the lives of famous Americans.

Famous People She Wrote About

Rourke wrote about many interesting people. Some of them include John James Audubon, who studied birds. She also wrote about P.T. Barnum, a famous showman. Other subjects were Lotta Crabtree, a popular actress, and Davy Crockett, a frontier hero. She even wrote about artist Charles Sheeler.

Her Most Famous Book: American Humor

Constance Rourke also wrote books about American culture and its history. Her most famous book is American Humor: A Study of the National Character. It was first published in 1931. This book explored what makes American humor special.

Working for the Arts

In the 1930s, Rourke worked on the Index of American Design. This was part of the Federal Art Project. It was a program by the Works Progress Administration. This project helped artists during the Great Depression. Rourke's work helped create the study of American Studies and American Literature. She also received the Newbery Honor award for one of her books.

Her Lasting Impact

Constance Rourke's work, especially American Humor, was very important. It helped people in the early 1900s understand American popular culture. After she passed away, parts of her writings were often collected in books.

A Biography of Her Life

A book about Constance Rourke's life was written by Joan Shelley Rubin in 1980. This book helped people learn more about her.

Why Her Work is Still Important

Even though some of her books are not as well-known today, Rourke still has many fans. They believe her work is very important. For example, Michael Denning wrote about her in his book The Cultural Front.

The famous music writer Greil Marcus wrote an introduction for a 2004 edition of American Humor. This shows her book is still valued.

On Rourke's birthday in 2011, writer Luc Sante shared his thoughts. He said she died too young from an accident. He believed if she had finished her big project, Roots of American Culture, it would have been amazing.

What American Humor Explored

Sante noted that American Humor looked at how American culture started. Rourke thought that humor was key. She believed laughter helped people deal with challenges. She saw three main characters in early American humor:

• The Yankee peddler
• The backwoodsman
• The Negro minstrel

These characters helped Americans feel free from old traditions. They spread jokes and new ideas across the country.

Her Books

Here are some of the books Constance Rourke wrote:

• Trumpets of Jubilee. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1927.
• Troupers on the Gold Coast, or The Rise of Lotta Crabtree. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1928.
• American Humor: a Study of the National Character. 1931.
• Davy Crockett. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1934.
• Audubon. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1936. This book received the Newbery Honor award in 1937.
• Charles Sheeler: Artist in the American Tradition. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1938.
• The Roots of American Culture, edited by Van Wyck Brooks. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1942.