Born in the 1st of July in 1876 in Iowa, Davenport, she was originally Susan Keating Glaspell. Her parents, Elmer Glaspell and Alice Keating, a farmer and a teacher respectively, gave her a conservative, middle class home and a family that was not well off. Living on the family farm, she was an animal lover and would often rescue stray animals. Later on, the family farm was increasingly threatened by urban development. Glaspell’s view of the world was shaped and formed by her grandmother’s tales who talked a lot about the regular visits of Indians to the farm in the years before Iowa became a state. Glaspell’s growing up across an ancestral village, she was influenced with the belief that Americans should worthy inheritors of the land. This became a recurring element in her elements. This lifestyle in Davenport had an intense influence in her work and gave her a voice that was unique from any other American writer of playwright of her time.
Little was known about Glaspell’s early life or her parents but one point that remains clear was that she had kept many virtues she acquired during her childhood and from her birthplace. These virtues were reflected in her works both positive element s and negative elements.
She attended public school in Davenport and in 1897, she entered Drake University in Des Moines. It was in college that she aspired to be a writer and was fostered. She then began to submit stories to magazines. Two years later she received her BA and went on to be a journalist for the Des Moines News. After years of works, she decided to give up her job and to go back to Davenport and focus on her own writing.
1903, Glaspell enrolled herself into the University of Chicago to do graduate work but it was known that she did not achieve any degrees higher than her BA that she received from Drake. During this period, Glaspell’s life was partially in shadows.
She was introduced to George Cram Cook who later became her husband after travelling together. They moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts where they alternate their summers and winters there and Greenwich Village in New York. Their migration between the two locations was a result of being involved with the Liberal Club. This group helped Cooks to create the Provincetown Players, the group of actors that help produced Glaspell’s plays.
Through 1915 and 1916, Glaspell had her first formal season with the Provincetown Players, who produced two of her one-act plays: Suppressed Desires (1915) and Trifles (1916). Suppressed Desires was co-written with her husband and Trifles was her most anthologized play. Trifles, one of the most commonly-taught plays in American Literature classes was surprisingly not an award winner.
She attended public school in Davenport and in 1897, she entered Drake University in Des Moines. It was in college that she aspired to be a writer and was fostered. She then began to submit stories to magazines. Two years later she received her BA and went on to be a journalist for the Des Moines News. After years of works, she decided to give up her job and to go back to Davenport and focus on her own writing.
1903, Glaspell enrolled herself into the University of Chicago to do graduate work but it was known that she did not achieve any degrees higher than her BA that she received from Drake. During this period, Glaspell’s life was partially in shadows.
She was introduced to George Cram Cook who later became her husband after travelling together. They moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts where they alternate their summers and winters there and Greenwich Village in New York. Their migration between the two locations was a result of being involved with the Liberal Club. This group helped Cooks to create the Provincetown Players, the group of actors that help produced Glaspell’s plays.
Through 1915 and 1916, Glaspell had her first formal season with the Provincetown Players, who produced two of her one-act plays: Suppressed Desires (1915) and Trifles (1916). Suppressed Desires was co-written with her husband and Trifles was her most anthologized play. Trifles, one of the most commonly-taught plays in American Literature classes was surprisingly not an award winner.
The background for Trifles was from a crime Glaspell covered when she was working as a journalist for Des Moines News. On December 2, 1900, John Hossack was murdered with an axe as he slept. His 57 year old wife, Margret, was charged with the killing.the jury did not believe her story that she slept through the killing, even though she lay next to her husband as he was murdered. She was found not guilty.
Trifles was the play that allowed Glaspell to begin refining her technique of one-act plays, but more importantly, it allowed her to employ a device which she could make uniquely of her own. This device appeared numerous times through the span of her work and it became a trademark of Glaspell’s plays.
Seven years with the Provincetown Players and she contributed ten plays the theater group. After creating a name for herself, she left for Greece with her husband in March of 1922. After about two years there, her husband died in Delphi and was buried in Greece. Glaspell continued travelling Europe and had a second marriage with Norman Matson in 1925. Their marriage was short lived and divorced in 1931.
Trifles was the play that allowed Glaspell to begin refining her technique of one-act plays, but more importantly, it allowed her to employ a device which she could make uniquely of her own. This device appeared numerous times through the span of her work and it became a trademark of Glaspell’s plays.
Seven years with the Provincetown Players and she contributed ten plays the theater group. After creating a name for herself, she left for Greece with her husband in March of 1922. After about two years there, her husband died in Delphi and was buried in Greece. Glaspell continued travelling Europe and had a second marriage with Norman Matson in 1925. Their marriage was short lived and divorced in 1931.
While they were married, they wrote a play together, called The Comic Artist, but like their marriage, it was not successful.
1930 Susan Glaspell wrote another play, Alison’s House. It was a play loosely based on incidents of the life of Emily Dickinson. Employing Glaspell’s signature device, the unseen central character, it was a full length play of three acts. It was not received well by audience and was only staged a mere 42 times but it was chosen to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1931.
Susan Glaspell died on 27th July 1948.
1930 Susan Glaspell wrote another play, Alison’s House. It was a play loosely based on incidents of the life of Emily Dickinson. Employing Glaspell’s signature device, the unseen central character, it was a full length play of three acts. It was not received well by audience and was only staged a mere 42 times but it was chosen to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1931.
Susan Glaspell died on 27th July 1948.
References:
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 8: Susan Glaspell.." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. . n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/glaspell.html>.
Simkin, John . "Susan Glaspell." Spartacus Educational. n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jglaspell.htm>.
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 8: Susan Glaspell.." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. . n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/glaspell.html>.
Simkin, John . "Susan Glaspell." Spartacus Educational. n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jglaspell.htm>.
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