Mary Tappan Wright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Tappan Wright
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Wright, c. 1894
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| Born | Mary Tappan December 14, 1851 Steubenville, Ohio |
| Died | August 25, 1916 (aged 64) Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1887–1912 |
| Notable works | Aliens (1902) |
Mary Tappan Wright (1851–1916) was an American writer. She wrote novels and short stories. She was known for creating interesting characters. She also wrote about life at universities.
Mary Tappan Wright was married to John Henry Wright, a scholar of ancient Greek and Roman studies. She was also the mother of Austin Tappan Wright, who wrote about an imaginary perfect society, and John Kirtland Wright, a geographer.
About Mary Tappan Wright
Mary Tappan was born on December 14, 1851. Her birthplace was Steubenville, Ohio. Her father, Eli Todd Tappan, was the president of Kenyon College.
Mary went to school at Auburn Young Ladies' Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio. On April 2, 1878, she married John Henry Wright. He was a professor of Greek at Dartmouth College. Later, he taught at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University. He also became a dean at Harvard.
Mary and John had three children. Their daughter, Elizabeth, passed away when she was young. Their sons were Austin Tappan Wright and John Kirtland Wright. The family lived in different places. These included Hanover, New Hampshire, Baltimore, Maryland, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. For a time, they even lived in Greece. This was when John taught at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
In 1900, Mary helped start the Boston Authors Club. Her husband, John, died in 1908. Mary Tappan Wright passed away on August 25, 1916, in Cambridge. Her two sons survived her.
Her Writing Career
Mary Tappan Wright and her husband often worked together on their writing. Mary's first story was "How They Cured Him." It appeared in The Youth's Companion magazine in 1887. She wrote several stories for this magazine. Some of these stories were about holidays. They also featured characters who appeared in more than one tale.
Short Stories and Novels
Mary's stories for Scribner's Magazine became very popular. Her first story there was "As Haggards of the Rock" in 1890. Six of her early stories were put together in her first book. This book was called A Truce, and Other Stories (1895). She wrote many other short stories, but they were not published in book form during her lifetime.
Much of Mary's writing was about university life in America. She often set her stories in a made-up college town. She called this town Dulwich or Great Dulwich. This town was a mix of Kenyon College and Harvard University.
Her first novel, Aliens (1902), got a lot of attention. It showed what life was like for people from the North living in a Southern town called Tallawara. This town had racial tensions at the time.
Her next novel was The Test (1904). It was about a young woman who had been wronged. Some people found the story's topic a bit difficult. However, many praised it for being well-written.
The Tower (1906) was a love story. It was set in a college community. It showed the lives of professors and their families. The Charioteers (1912) also explored the social lives of college professors.
Mary's first four books were published by Charles Scribner's Sons. Her fifth book was published by D. Appleton & Company. Her short stories appeared in many magazines. These included Scribner's Magazine, The Youth's Companion, Christian Union, The Outlook, The Independent, Harper's Magazine, and Harper's Weekly. She also reviewed books for the North American Review.
Today, all of Mary Tappan Wright's novels are available online. Some of her books, like Aliens and The Tower, have been reprinted. Her short stories that were not collected in books have also been published in new collections.
Her Personal Writings
Mary Tappan Wright's personal papers are kept in libraries at Harvard University. These papers include letters and original stories. There is also an early notebook from 1870 to 1877. It mostly contains poetry. This notebook is part of the Stone-Wright family papers. They are stored at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
