Author Gene Stratton-Porter

1 author

1.1 years
1.2 novels
1.3 nature books
1.4 magazine articles
1.5 children s stories , poetry

author
early years

stratton-porter began career in 1895, when sent nature photographs had made recreation magazine. first published article, new experience in millinery, appeared in publication s february 1900 issue. article described concerns harming birds in order use feathers hat trims. @ magazine s request, stratton-porter wrote photography column called camera notes. in july 1901 switched doing similar work outing, natural history magazine. stratton-porter submitting short stories , nature-related material magazines on regular basis increasing success. first short story, laddie, princess, , pie, published in metropolitan magazine in september 1901. attract wider audience stratton porter decided include fictional elements in nature writing , began writing novels. stratton-porter s writing included poetry , children s stories, in addition essays , editorials published in magazines nationwide circulation such mccall s , housekeeping.

novels

although published anonymously in 1893, circumstantial evidence suggests stratton-porter s first book strike @ shane s. however, stratton-porter never acknowledged had written , author never revealed.

bobbs-merrill published first, full-length attributed novel, song of cardinal (1903), red bird living along wabash river. book explained how birds lived in wild , included photographs. although novel modest commercial success , warmly received literary critics, stratton-porter s publisher believed nature stories not become popular romance novels. second novel, stratton-porter decided combine nature , romance. freckles (1904), published doubleday, page , company, became bestseller. book s popularity among readers helped launch career successful novelist, despite lackluster reviews critics.

title page

a girl of limberlost (1909), highly successful , best-known work, brought worldwide recognition. central character, elnora comstock, lonely, poverty-stricken girl living on farm in adams county, goes limberlost swamp escape troubles , earns money pay education collecting , selling moth specimens. main character s strong, individualistic nature similar stratton-porter s. literary critics called novel written , wholesome story. initial sales of third novel, @ foot of rainbow (1907), 2 friends enjoy fishing , trapping, disappointing, stratton-porter reached peak of popularity publication of next novel, harvester (1911). reached number 1 on best-seller list in 1912.

freckles (1904), girl of limberlost (1909), , harvester (1911) set in wooded wetlands , swamps of northeast indiana. stratton-porter loved area , wildlife , had documented them extensively. inexpensive reprints of freckles , girl of limberlost brought stratton-porter public s attention in united states abroad. translations of book other languages increased international audience. in 1910, when stratton-porter reached long-term agreement doubleday, page , company publish books, agreed provide 1 manuscript each year, alternating between novels , nonfiction nature books.

stratton-porter s next novel, laddie: true blue story (1913), of best-selling novels, included elements corresponded life. written while supervised construction of home @ sylvan lake in noble county, indiana, , described autobiographical novel. narrative told in first person twelfth child of stanton family. title character modeled after stratton-porter s deceased older brother, leander, whom stratton-porter nicknamed laddie. in stratton-porter s own family, laddie connected land , identifies father s vocation of farming.

michael o halloran (1915), seventh novel, inspired newsboy had encountered @ philadelphia, while visiting daughter, jeannette, , family. daughter of land (1918), next novel, did not sell earlier works. on time, sales of stratton-porter s novels had declined , 1919 status best-selling author began fade. undeterred, continued write until death in 1924.

her father s daughter (1921), 1 of stratton-porter s last novels, set in southern california, outside los angeles, had moved around 1920. novel biased against immigrants of asian descent. judith reick long, 1 of stratton-porter s biographers, stated world war i-era racial prejudice , nativism prevalent in united states , not unusual anti-asian in southern california @ time. barbara olenyik morrow, of biographers, explained book intentionally playing era s ethnic prejudices. literary review, ignoring anti-asian content, noted wholesome charm.

the white flag (1923), criticized old-fashioned melodrama, failed make bestseller list; however, story serialized in housekeeping magazine beginning in 1923, in advance of book s release. time of publication, stratton-porter s interests had shifted toward filmmaking.

the keeper of bees (1925) , magic garden (1927) last of stratton-porter s novels completed before death. both of them written @ home on catalina island , published posthumously. keeper of bees story world war veteran regains heath through restorative power , beauty of nature. story serialized in mccall s magazine february through september 1925 , published in book form later year. magic garden, girl of divorced parents, written 2 granddaughters, parents divorced when young. filmmaker james leo meehan, stratton-porter s business partner , son-in-law, wrote screenplay of novel shortly after stratton-porter had completed manuscript.

millions of copies of stratton-porter’s novels sold , of them became best sellers, literary establishment criticized them unrealistic, virtuous, , idealistic. despite criticisms, popular among readers of novels. stratton-porter once claimed, time, hearts of readers, , files of publisher find me ultimate place.

nature books

front cover of moths of limberlost (1912)

stratton-porter, keen observer of nature, wrote 8 nonfiction nature books moderate sellers compared novels. have done birds (1907) first appeared six-month illustrated series ladies home journal april august 1906. bobbs-merrill company published material in book format includes stratton-porter’s photographs. birds of bible (1909), illustrated reference book published jennings , graham of cincinnati, included eighty-one of stratton-porter’s photographs. both of these nature books slow sellers. music of wild (1910), published jennings , graham, warned of adverse effects destruction of trees , swamps have on rainfall. warnings appeared 2 decades before dust bowl of 1930s , in advance of present-day environmental concerns climate change.

moths of limberlost (1912), nature book of stratton-porter proud, dedicated neltje blanchan, fellow nature writer , wife of publisher, frank nelson doubleday. prior move california in 1919, stratton-porter completed manuscript homing birds (1919). praised content, described birdlife using easy-to-understand language general public. wings (1923) published year before death; tales won t believe (1925) published posthumously.

while literary critics called novels overly sentimental, academics dismissed nature writing because felt research methods unscientific. stratton-porter, not trained scientist, centered field research on own interests in observing domestic behavior of wild birds, such nest-building, diets, , social behavior. writing tried explain nature in ways readers understand , avoided scientific jargon , tedious, dry statistics.

magazine articles

stratton-porter regularly contributed articles , photographs magazines included metropolitan, recreation, outing, country life in america, , ladies home journal. after move california in 1919, stratton-porter wrote articles izaak walton league s publication, outdoor america, , thirteen-part series of nature articles housekeeping. agreed write series of editorials mccall s magazine in monthly column called gene stratton-porter s page, beginning in january 1922. tales won t believe (1925), collection of articles stratton-porter had written housekeeping, , let highly resolve (1927), collection of essays had appeared in mccall s magazine, published after death.

children s stories , poetry

morning face (1916), collection of children s stories included photographs, dedicated granddaughter, jeannette monroe, whom stratton-porter had nicknamed morning face. symbols, first poem appear in national magazine, published in housekeeping in january 1921. fire bird (1922), native american tragedy, first of long narrative poems published in book form. sales weak , not received literary critics. in 1922 housekeeping published stratton-porter s poem, euphorbia, in 3 installments , paid $12,500, had ever received poetry. jesus of emerald (1923), of long narrative poems, describes tiberius caesar s search details of jesus s works , appearance. stratton-porter explains religious beliefs in afterward of book.