Marie Howland
Encyclopedia
Marie Stevens Case Howland (1836 – 1921) was an American feminist
writer of the nineteenth century, who was closely associated with the utopia
n social movements of her era.
Marie Stephens had to leave school and support her younger sister when their father died in 1847; at the age of twelve she went to work in a cotton mill in Lowell, Massachusetts
. In the ensuing decade she moved to New York City, graduated from the New York Normal College and became a teacher, and married a radical lawyer, Lyman Case, whom she later divorced. Late in the 1850s she lived at Stephen Pearl Andrews
's co-operative Unity House, where she met her second husband, the social radical Edward Howland.
Howland was noteworthy in that she "actually lived in three utopian communities of very different size and denomination...." In 1864 she and her second husband lived for a time at the Fourierist
"Familistère" established in Guise
by the French industrialist and reformer Jean-Baptiste Godin. Howland later used the experience as the subject of her best-known work, Papa's Own Girl (1874), a novel about an American father and daughter living in a comparable fictional establishment in New England. The heroine, Clara Forest, goes on to live a satisfying life as an independent businesswoman. The book was controversial but also a popular success in its day. Later editions altered the title to The Familistère.
The Howlands returned to the United States after the end of the American Civil War
, and in 1868 they settled in Hammonton, New Jersey
, where they were part of a circle of radical thinkers and activists in Hammonton and Vineland
. (Both towns were another type of planned community, created by a capitalist promoter instead of utopian idealists.) Howland was an active journalist throughout her career; she also translated Godin's Solutions sociales (1871) into English as Social Solutions (1886).
Howland was an admirer and supporter of Edward Bellamy
after the publication of his famous Looking Backward
in 1888; conversely, Howland's work has been cited as a possible influence on Bellamy.
In the late 1880s and the 1890s Howland was associated with Albert Kimsey Owen's planned community Pacific City in Topolobampo
, Mexico. Howland edited the community's periodical. She left there when the experiment ended in 1894. (Her husband had died in 1890.)
Howland spent her final years in one more planned community, Fairhope, founded on Mobile Bay
in Alabama in 1894. She became the town's librarian and wrote for its newspaper.
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
writer of the nineteenth century, who was closely associated with the utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n social movements of her era.
Marie Stephens had to leave school and support her younger sister when their father died in 1847; at the age of twelve she went to work in a cotton mill in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. In the ensuing decade she moved to New York City, graduated from the New York Normal College and became a teacher, and married a radical lawyer, Lyman Case, whom she later divorced. Late in the 1850s she lived at Stephen Pearl Andrews
Stephen Pearl Andrews
Stephen Pearl Andrews was an American individualist anarchist and author of several books on Individualist anarchism.-Early life and work:...
's co-operative Unity House, where she met her second husband, the social radical Edward Howland.
Howland was noteworthy in that she "actually lived in three utopian communities of very different size and denomination...." In 1864 she and her second husband lived for a time at the Fourierist
Charles Fourier
François Marie Charles Fourier was a French philosopher. An influential thinker, some of Fourier's social and moral views, held to be radical in his lifetime, have become main currents in modern society...
"Familistère" established in Guise
Guise
Guise is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The ruins of the medieval castle of Guise, seat of the Dukes of Guise, are located in the commune.-Miscellaneous:...
by the French industrialist and reformer Jean-Baptiste Godin. Howland later used the experience as the subject of her best-known work, Papa's Own Girl (1874), a novel about an American father and daughter living in a comparable fictional establishment in New England. The heroine, Clara Forest, goes on to live a satisfying life as an independent businesswoman. The book was controversial but also a popular success in its day. Later editions altered the title to The Familistère.
The Howlands returned to the United States after the end of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and in 1868 they settled in Hammonton, New Jersey
Hammonton, New Jersey
Hammonton is a town in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 14,791. It is located directly between Philadelphia and the resort town of Atlantic City, along a former route of the Pennsylvania Railroad currently used by New Jersey...
, where they were part of a circle of radical thinkers and activists in Hammonton and Vineland
Vineland, New Jersey
Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 60,724...
. (Both towns were another type of planned community, created by a capitalist promoter instead of utopian idealists.) Howland was an active journalist throughout her career; she also translated Godin's Solutions sociales (1871) into English as Social Solutions (1886).
Howland was an admirer and supporter of Edward Bellamy
Edward Bellamy
Edward Bellamy was an American author and socialist, most famous for his utopian novel, Looking Backward, set in the year 2000. He was a very influential writer during the Gilded Age of United States history.-Early life:...
after the publication of his famous Looking Backward
Looking Backward
Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a lawyer and writer from western Massachusetts; it was first published in 1887...
in 1888; conversely, Howland's work has been cited as a possible influence on Bellamy.
In the late 1880s and the 1890s Howland was associated with Albert Kimsey Owen's planned community Pacific City in Topolobampo
Topolobampo
Topolobampo is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome , reporting a 2005 census population of 6,032 inhabitants....
, Mexico. Howland edited the community's periodical. She left there when the experiment ended in 1894. (Her husband had died in 1890.)
Howland spent her final years in one more planned community, Fairhope, founded on Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
in Alabama in 1894. She became the town's librarian and wrote for its newspaper.