By Emma Ward | On May 26, 2017 | Updated October 17, 2022 | Comments (2)
Willa Cather‘s works of fiction and nonfiction represented consummate craftsmanship of the written word, so it’s no surprise that she left a body of insightful quotes. The following sampling of quotes by Willa Cather give a sense of her clean, spare style.
Her college classmates and teachers secretly submitted an essay she wrote to the Nebraska State Journal. Until then, she had planned to study medicine, but seeing her work in print changed her plans: “… What youthful vanity can be unaffected by the sight of itself in print! It was a kind of hypnotic effect.” Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 25, 2017 | Updated August 25, 2023 | Comments (3)
Anne Brontë (1820 – 1849) may be less known to readers than her sisters, Charlotte and Emily, but her contribution to English literature was significant. Following is a sampling of quotes by Anne Brontë from Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the only published novels of this talented novelist and poet who died at age twenty-nine.
Anne was born in Thornton, West Yorkshire, the daughter of Patrick Brontë, a clergyman, and Maria Branwell. Anne grew up in Haworth, an isolated town on the moors of Yorkshire.
She was one of six siblings raised by her father after the death of their mother. The two oldest sisters, Elizabeth and Maria, died of illness at early ages, leaving Anne, the youngest, followed by Branwell, Emily, and Charlotte. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 25, 2017 | Updated May 15, 2024 | Comments (0)
Frances Hodgson Burnett began writing at the young age of sixteen to help the family out with finances after the death of her father. Through depression and illness, Burnett found inspiration for her work and often spent time in her garden.
A Little Princess (1904) is the story of Sara Crewe, a young girl who loses everything dear to her. When she arrives at the private English boarding school as the richest and best-dressed girl, she’s treated like a little princess.
She gets the prettiest room, her own pony, a maid to wait on her, and the cloying attention ofMiss Minchin, the headmistress. Read More→
By Skyler Gomez | On May 24, 2017 | Updated December 24, 2025 | Comments (2)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 – 1861), the English romantic poet, demonstrated an early aptitude for her future calling — she began reading novels at age six, and wrote her first significant poem at about age seven.
By age eleven, she wrote a four-volume poem, The Battle of Marathon (1820), privately published by her father.
At age fifteen, Elizabeth contracted the mysterious illness that would become her lifelong battle. It left her frail and in constant pain. It has been suggested by her biographers that the strong opiate medication given to her might have augmented her already fiercely vivid imagination that was evident in her evocative poetry. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On May 23, 2017 | Updated March 17, 2023 | Comments (0)
Pearl S. Buck (1892 – 1973) was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. As a child, she grew up in China, which influenced writings and world view. Always a humanitarian, ever a feminist, here are inspirational quotes by Pearl S. Buck for you to ponder and enjoy.
Pearl Buck started multiple foundations, including the East West Foundation, the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, and the Welcome House. (photo at right courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
She received the Pulitzer Prize and Howells medal for her most widely read novel, The Good Earth. But it’s a disservice to readers to stop at this much-studied classic. See her incredibly prolific bibliography.
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