Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's A New England Nun

Between 1965 and 1914, realism was the prominent way of writing in America, and was largely read and published. There were many famous authors in this time period who began to help form this genre, and to pave the way for future American authors and their creativity. Some prominent figures of this time were, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, William Dean Howells, Kate Chopin, Mark Twain, and many other writers. Each of these individuals added their own flair to the mix and constructed a many tales which we still read today. The form of writing known as realism is built around character, plot, and setting as every other tale created has been based around. In this genre, each one of these pieces in the form of a story has very important characteristics in them. The character, which is the biggest player I all stories as they rely on them for a story to actually occur, must be representative of the people that, during the time the piece was written, the general public may encounter in their lives and are able to relate to. Their exterior appearance is that of an ordinary person, they have no extraordinary features (they would not be built like a Greek god or extremely beautiful). The …show more content…
The focus of this will be on Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, and her story “A New England Nun.” It is very important to know something about the author so that it is known how their experiences affect their story. Wilkins’ father owned his own business, and eventually died soon after his business went under. Wilkins family also forced her to attend a boarding school, and she eventually left it. After the death of her parents, she went into a “Boston Marriage,” a living situation between two friends where they would financially support each other. Wilkins wrote about strong lead female characters, and even patriarchal societies. Unfortunately, it seems that Wilkins did not live a happy