Mary Tappan Wright
Encyclopedia
Mary Tappan Wright was an American
novelist and short story
writer best known for her acute characterizations and depictions of academic life. She was the wife of classical scholar John Henry Wright
and the mother of legal scholar and utopian novelist Austin Tappan Wright
and geographer John Kirtland Wright
.
, Ohio
, or December 18 of the same year, the daughter of Eli Todd Tappan
, president of Kenyon College
, and Lydia (McDowell) Tappan. She was educated at Auburn Young Ladies' Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio. She married, April 2, 1878, John Henry Wright
, then an associate professor of Greek at Dartmouth College
and later professor of classical philology and dean of the Collegiate Board of Johns Hopkins University
, professor of Greek at Harvard University
, and dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The couple had three children, Elizabeth Tappan Wright (who died young), Austin Tappan Wright, and John Kirtland Wright. They lived successively in Hanover
, New Hampshire
, Baltimore, Maryland
and Cambridge
, Massachusetts
, aside from one period during which John was a professor at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
, when they resided in Greece. Wright was a founding member of the Boston Authors Club in 1900. Her husband died November 25, 1908, and she herself died August 25, 1916 in Cambridge. She was survived by her two sons.
(March 24, 1887), one of several written for that periodical. Some of the Youth's Companion tales form a loose series centering around holidays and featuring recurring characters; some of the early Dulwich tales were also published in that magazine. However, Wright's tales for Scribner's Magazine
, beginning with "As Haggards of the Rock" (May 1890), attracted more notice, and the initial six of them, including also "A Truce," "A Portion of the Tempest," "From Macedonia," "Deep as First Love," and "A Fragment of a Play, With a Chorus," were collected in her first book, A Truce, and Other Stories
(1895). None of her other short stories were gathered into book form in her lifetime.
Much of her fiction dealt with American university life, often set in the fictional college town she called Dulwich in her short stories and The Test, and Great Dulwich in her other novels, which combines elements of both Kenyon College and Harvard University. Her novels are all set in college towns, the third and fourth in Dulwich itself (the first and second also mention it peripherally). Her first novel, Aliens
(1902), attracted much attention when it appeared for its portrait of contemporary northerners in the racially tense Southern town of Tallawara. The next, The Test (1904), the story of a wronged young woman, received mixed reviews for what some perceived as its unpleasant subject matter and unsympathetic characters, though it was generally praised as well-written. The Tower (1906) was described as "a love story placed against the life of a college community taken from the faculty side and told with deep understanding and the most delicate art" and The Charioteers (1912) as "a story of the social life and environment of college professors and their families."
Wright’s first four books were published by Charles Scribner's Sons
, the fifth being issued by D. Appleton & Company
after having been rejected by the Houghton Mifflin Company
. Close to half of her short pieces appeared in Scribner's Magazine; others appeared in The Youth's Companion, Christian Union and its successor The Outlook
, The Independent, Harper's Magazine
, Harper's Weekly
, and an anthology of works by various authors. She also contributed a book review to the North American Review
.
All of Wright’s novels are currently available in e-editions on Book Search. Aliens was reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, LLC, in June, 2007; The Tower was reprinted by Kessinger in December, 2008. Wright's previously uncollected short stories were issued in new collections by Fleabonnet Press from December, 2007-November 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer best known for her acute characterizations and depictions of academic life. She was the wife of classical scholar John Henry Wright
John Henry Wright
John Henry Wright was an American classical scholar, born at Urumiah, Persia. He was the son of missionary and oriental scholar Austin Hazen Wright, the brother of classical archaeologist Lucy Wright Mitchell, the husband of author Mary Tappan Wright and the father of legal scholar and utopian...
and the mother of legal scholar and utopian novelist Austin Tappan Wright
Austin Tappan Wright
Austin Tappan Wright was an American legal scholar and author, best remembered for his major work of Utopian fiction, Islandia...
and geographer John Kirtland Wright
John Kirtland Wright
John Kirtland Wright was an American geographer, notable for his cartography, geosophy, and study of the history of geographical thought. He was the son of classical scholar John Henry Wright and novelist Mary Tappan Wright, and the brother of legal scholar and utopian novelist Austin Tappan...
.
Life and family
Wright was born Mary Tappan December 14, 1851, in SteubenvilleSteubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, or December 18 of the same year, the daughter of Eli Todd Tappan
Eli Todd Tappan
Eli Todd Tappan was an American educator, mathematician, author, lawyer and newspaper editor who served as president of Kenyon College, among other public distinctions...
, president of Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
, and Lydia (McDowell) Tappan. She was educated at Auburn Young Ladies' Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio. She married, April 2, 1878, John Henry Wright
John Henry Wright
John Henry Wright was an American classical scholar, born at Urumiah, Persia. He was the son of missionary and oriental scholar Austin Hazen Wright, the brother of classical archaeologist Lucy Wright Mitchell, the husband of author Mary Tappan Wright and the father of legal scholar and utopian...
, then an associate professor of Greek at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and later professor of classical philology and dean of the Collegiate Board of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, professor of Greek at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The couple had three children, Elizabeth Tappan Wright (who died young), Austin Tappan Wright, and John Kirtland Wright. They lived successively in Hanover
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, aside from one period during which John was a professor at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is one of 17 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:...
, when they resided in Greece. Wright was a founding member of the Boston Authors Club in 1900. Her husband died November 25, 1908, and she herself died August 25, 1916 in Cambridge. She was survived by her two sons.
Works
Wright and her husband are said to have "worked together on their literary activities." Wright's first known published story was "How They Cured Him," which appeared in The Youth's CompanionYouth's Companion
The Youth's Companion , known in later years as simply The Companion—For All the Family, was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with The American Boy in 1929...
(March 24, 1887), one of several written for that periodical. Some of the Youth's Companion tales form a loose series centering around holidays and featuring recurring characters; some of the early Dulwich tales were also published in that magazine. However, Wright's tales for Scribner's Magazine
Scribner's Magazine
Scribner's Magazine was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. Scribner's Magazine was the second magazine out of the "Scribner's" firm, after the publication of Scribner's Monthly...
, beginning with "As Haggards of the Rock" (May 1890), attracted more notice, and the initial six of them, including also "A Truce," "A Portion of the Tempest," "From Macedonia," "Deep as First Love," and "A Fragment of a Play, With a Chorus," were collected in her first book, A Truce, and Other Stories
A Truce, and Other Stories
A Truce, and Other Stories is a collection of six short stories by Mary Tappan Wright. It was first published in hardcover by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1895 and was reprinted by Fleabonnet Press, in November, 2008. The stories had previously been published in Scribner's Magazine between 1890 and...
(1895). None of her other short stories were gathered into book form in her lifetime.
Much of her fiction dealt with American university life, often set in the fictional college town she called Dulwich in her short stories and The Test, and Great Dulwich in her other novels, which combines elements of both Kenyon College and Harvard University. Her novels are all set in college towns, the third and fourth in Dulwich itself (the first and second also mention it peripherally). Her first novel, Aliens
Aliens (1902 novel)
Aliens is a novel by Mary Tappan Wright. It was first published in hardcover by Charles Scribner's Sons in March, 1902. It was Wright's first published novel and second published book...
(1902), attracted much attention when it appeared for its portrait of contemporary northerners in the racially tense Southern town of Tallawara. The next, The Test (1904), the story of a wronged young woman, received mixed reviews for what some perceived as its unpleasant subject matter and unsympathetic characters, though it was generally praised as well-written. The Tower (1906) was described as "a love story placed against the life of a college community taken from the faculty side and told with deep understanding and the most delicate art" and The Charioteers (1912) as "a story of the social life and environment of college professors and their families."
Wright’s first four books were published by Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
, the fifth being issued by D. Appleton & Company
D. Appleton & Company
D. Appleton & Company was an American company founded by Daniel Appleton , who opened a general store which included books.- Timeline :* 1813 Relocated from Haverhill to Boston and imported books from England...
after having been rejected by the Houghton Mifflin Company
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
. Close to half of her short pieces appeared in Scribner's Magazine; others appeared in The Youth's Companion, Christian Union and its successor The Outlook
The Outlook (New York)
The Outlook was a weekly magazine, published in New York City.-History:In 1900, the ranking weekly journals of news and opinion were The Independent , The Nation , the Outlook , and in a different class or with a different emphasis, The Literary Digest .-Notable contributors:*Theodore Roosevelt...
, The Independent, Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
, Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
, and an anthology of works by various authors. She also contributed a book review to the North American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
.
All of Wright’s novels are currently available in e-editions on Book Search. Aliens was reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, LLC, in June, 2007; The Tower was reprinted by Kessinger in December, 2008. Wright's previously uncollected short stories were issued in new collections by Fleabonnet Press from December, 2007-November 2008.
Critical reception
In her writing Wright was praised as having "a keen sense of humor, good descriptive powers, a good working knowledge of human nature, an effective style" and the ability to "tell a story well." Her skill at characterization was also noted.Papers
Wright’s papers, including correspondence and original manuscripts and fragments, are found in various archival collections at the Harvard University Library and the Houghton Library at Harvard College. An early commonplace book from 1870–77, containing mostly poetry, is in the Stone-Wright family papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society.Novels
- AliensAliens (1902 novel)Aliens is a novel by Mary Tappan Wright. It was first published in hardcover by Charles Scribner's Sons in March, 1902. It was Wright's first published novel and second published book...
(1902) (Google e-text) - The TestThe Test (novel)The Test is a novel by Mary Tappan Wright. It was first published in hardcover by Charles Scribner's Sons in February, 1904. It was Wright's second published novel and third published book.-Plot:...
(1904) (Google e-text) - The Tower (1906) (Dulwich series) (Google e-text)
- The Charioteers (1912) (Dulwich series) (Google e-text)
Collections
- A Truce, and Other StoriesA Truce, and Other StoriesA Truce, and Other Stories is a collection of six short stories by Mary Tappan Wright. It was first published in hardcover by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1895 and was reprinted by Fleabonnet Press, in November, 2008. The stories had previously been published in Scribner's Magazine between 1890 and...
(1895) (e-text) - Pro Tempore, and Other Stories (2007) (e-text)
- Dead Letters, and Other Pieces (2008) (e-text)
- Beginning Alone, and Other Stories (2008) (e-text)
- Uncollected Works (2008) (e-text)
Short stories
- "How They Cured Him" (Mar. 1887) (Holiday series) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "Alice's Christmas" (Dec. 1889) (Holiday series) (e-text)
- "Numbered With Thy Saints" (Apr. 1890) (Dulwich series) (e-text)
- "As Haggards of the Rock" (May 1890) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "Beginning Alone" (Sep.-Oct. 1890) (Dulwich series) (e-text)
- "A Truce" (Jan. 1891) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "A Fragment of a Play, With a Chorus" (May 1891) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "Divided Allegiances" (Feb. 1892) (e-text)
- "A Lad—Dismissed" (Jul.-Aug. 1893) (e-text)
- "The Gray Fur Rug" (Nov. 1893) (Holiday series) (e-text)
- "Deep as First Love" (Feb. 1894) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "A Portion of the Tempest" (Jun. 1894) (Jackson series) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "His Last" (Jun. 1894; reprinted as "His Last Offence, A Story of College Life", 1900) (Dulwich series) (e-text)
- "From Macedonia" (Oct. 1894) (Jackson series) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "Three Fires at Redmont" (Jun. 1895) (e-text)
- "Cunliffe" (Sep. 1896) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "The Key of the Fields" (Feb. 1898) (Making of America e-text) (another e-text)
- "An Exception" (Jan. 1899) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "The Best Laid Plans" (ca.1901)
- "A Day Together" (Jan. 1901) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "Dead Letters" (Sep. 1901) (Dulwich series) (e-text)
- "A Sacred Concert" (Jul. 1903) (Dulwich series) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "Vox" (Oct. 1903) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "Pro Tempore" (Jun. 1906) (Dulwich series) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
- "The Mountain" (Feb. 1907) (e-text)
- "Asphodel" (Oct. 1909) (Google e-text) (another e-text)
Reviews
- "The Iron Woman" (review of the novel by Margaret DelandMargaret DelandMargaret Deland was an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet. She also wrote an autobiography in two volumes.-Life:...
) (Dec. 1911) (e-text)
General references
- American Authors and Books. 1640 to the present day. Third revised edition. By W.J. Burke and Will D. Howe. Revised by Irving Weiss and Anne Weiss. New York: Crown Publishers, 1972.
- Adams, Oscar FayOscar Fay Adams-Biography:He was born at Worcester, Massachusetts, was educated in secondary schools, and graduated from the New Jersey State Normal School. He taught classes in English literature, and after 1880 wrote much for periodicals.-Works:...
. A Dictionary of American Authors. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1897. - Coyle, William, ed. Ohio Authors and Their Books. Biographical data and selective bibliographies for Ohio authors, native and resident, 1796-1950. Cleveland: World Publishing Co., 1962.
- “Wright, Mary Tappan” in The Encyclopedia AmericanaEncyclopedia AmericanaEncyclopedia Americana is one of the largest general encyclopedias in the English language. Following the acquisition of Grolier in 2000, the encyclopedia has been produced by Scholastic....
: A Library of Universal Knowledge. New York: Encyclopedia Americana Corporation, v. 29, 1920, p. 570. - Herringshaw, Thomas WilliamThomas William HerringshawThomas William Herringshaw was an American journalist, publisher, genealogist and biographical author, best known for editing and publishing biographical reference works.-Biography:...
, ed. Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography. Chicago, Ill., American Publishers' Association, 1914, p. 784. - Leonard, John William, ed. Woman's Who's Who of America. A biographical dictionary of contemporary women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915. New York: American Commonwealth Co., 1914, p. 907.
- Lexikon der Frau in zwei Bänden. Band II, I-Z. Zürich, Encyclios Verlag 1954, p. 1662.
- Motter, H. L., ed. The International Who's Who; Who's Wo in the World, 1912, New York, The International Who's Who Publishing Company, c1911, p. 1121.
- Wallace, W. Stewart. A Dictionary of North American Authors Deceased before 1950. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1951.
- Warner, Charles Dudley, ed. Biographical Dictionary and Synopsis of Books Ancient and Modern. Akron, OH: Werner Co., 1902.
- Who Was Who in America. Volume 1, 1897-1942. Chicago: A. N. Marquis Company, 1943.
- Who's Who in America, a Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States, 1903-1905. Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company, 1903, p. 1658.
- Who's Who in New England . 2nd ed. Chicago : A. N. Marquis & Company, 1916. p. 1186.