Finley, Martha

Finley, Martha

▪ American writer
born April 26, 1828, Chillicothe, Ohio, U.S.
died Jan. 29, 1909, Elkton, Md.

      prolific and, in her day, immensely popular American writer of children's books about pious youngsters rewarded for their virtue.

      In 1853, after the deaths of both her parents, Finley moved to New York City; later she moved to Philadelphia and then to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. She taught school for a time and then turned to writing. A few early attempts at children's novels were not particularly successful, but with Elsie Dinsmore (1867) she found a formula that would bring her fame and fortune.

      The tale of a preternaturally virtuous young girl valiantly resisting various relatively petty temptations in the name of a somewhat fundamentalist Christianity found a wide audience that grew, over the course of 27 sequels that took Elsie to grandmotherhood, to some 25 million readers in the United States and Britain. In addition to the Elsie Dinsmore series, Finley also produced a 7-volume series beginning with Mildred Keith (1878), a 9-volume Do-Good Library, a 12-volume Pewit's Nest series, and a Finley series of books for adults—a total of more than a hundred books. Finley's books were generally ignored in their day by critics, though they were enormously popular with the public. When the fashion for priggishness in literary children passed, they were all but forgotten. Finley lived in Elkton, Maryland, from 1876 until her death.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Martha Finley — (April 26, 1828 – January 30, 1909)[1] was a teacher and author of numerous works, the most well known being the 28 volume Elsie Dinsmore series which was published over a span of 38 years. The daughter of Presbyterian minister Dr. James Brown… …   Wikipedia

  • Karen Finley — (b. 1956, Evanston, Illinois) is a controversial American performance artist, whose theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labelled obscene due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement. She was notably one …   Wikipedia

  • Anexo:Episodios de Beverly Hills, 90210 — Artículo principal: Beverly Hills, 90210 Contenido 1 Temporada 1 (1990 1991) 2 Temporada 2 (1991 1992) 3 Temporada 3 (1992 1993) …   Wikipedia Español

  • Liste der Biografien/Fi — Biografien: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • US-amerikanische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur — Amerikanische Schulkinder wählen in der kleinen Bibliothek ihrer Grundschule Bücher aus (1938)[1] Die amerikanische Kinder und Jugendliteratur umfasst alle literarischen Arbeiten, die für ein Publikum von Kindern und Jugendlichen geschaffen,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • A Life of Faith — books are based on Martha Finley s Elsie Dinsmore books. They have been adapted to appeal to modern children. The language has been updated, and the stories have been shortened. The books are published by Mission City Press, located in Franklin,… …   Wikipedia

  • Amerikanische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur — Amerikanische Schulkinder wählen in der kleinen Bibliothek ihrer Grundschule Bücher aus (1938)[1] Die amerikanische Kinder und Jugendliteratur umfasst alle literarischen Arbeiten, die für ein Publikum von Kindern und Jugendlichen geschaffen,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Curt Schilling — Schilling with the Red Sox in October 2007 Pitcher Born: November 14, 1966 (1966 11 14) (age 45) …   Wikipedia

  • Commissioner of Baseball — This article is about the MLB Commissioner. For the NPB Commissioner, see Commissioner of Baseball (NPB). Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and …   Wikipedia

  • Theodore Cleaver — Infobox character name = Theodore Beaver Cleaver caption = Jerry Mathers as Beaver Cleaver in the premiere episode. real name = Theodore Cleaver portrayer = Jerry Mathers creator = Joe Connelly Bob Mosher species = gender = Male first = It s a… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”