M is for Marietta Holley
(1836-1926)
Marietta Holley was consistently referred to as “The Female Mark Twain”. I am a big fan of Samuel Clemens, but I wonder if he wouldn’t mind being called “A Male Marietta Holley”? He certainly adored his wife and three daughters.
She was born the youngest of seven children on a farm in Jefferson County, New York. She lived in this area for most of her life. At age 14 she left school to help support the family financially, first offering piano lessons and eventually using her talent for writing as a way to generate much needed income.
She wrote poetry with accompanying illustrations anonymously until 1957, when she had several poems published in local magazines.
She had her first major literary success in 1872 with her novel My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet. She published more than 25 books in her lifetime. She never married but chose to write her most famous series using the pseudonym, Josiah Allen’s Wife. He was the fictitious husband of Marietta’s most famous heroine, Samantha, who spoke in a very folksy way about significant issues of the day, including “wummin’s rights”. Marrieta used her beliefs as a springboard for her character’s activities. She was a strong advocate for suffrage and temperance.
Her activism came only through her pen as she refused to make any public appearance due, most likely, to her shyness and a very slight speech impediment.
Eventually she traveled a bit. She even met several presidents, including Grover Cleveland. She was a good friend to Clara Barton.
By the time she died in 1926, her books were no longer read. I am one who is only beginning to read – and completely appreciate - them now.
This blog post is an entry in the A to Z Challenge. Each day in April (except Sundays) I will be featuring a woman in literary history. If you click on the logo below, you will be introduced to the writing of more than a thousand bloggers writing on a wide variety of topics in April, all from A to Z!
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She teaches a teleclass/ecourse "Discover the Power of Writing & Telling Engaging, Enlightening Stories" which begins again April 19, 2012. Find details by clicking this link.
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