Description
Book SynopsisThe story of the literary woman behind the public figure
Trade Review"Filled with wonderful surprises. . . . Addams emerges from this study as a woman intent upon sharing her moral vision and the world she knew with her readers."--
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society"Joslin was scrupulous in her archival research, and her prose is lively and eminently readable. . . . Highly Recommended."--
Choice"The task of Katherine Joslin's
Jane Addams: A Writer's Life is to reclaim the private woman long neglected by biographies that extol the public icon and to reposition Addams as a writer among literary figures. She does both admirably."--Grace Farrell,
Legacy“Katherine Joslin's
Jane Addams, A Writer's Life is a splendidly researched and masterfully written study of what is arguably the most extensive, wide-ranging, and enduring achievement of this remarkable woman, Addams's public and personal writing. Joslin's book enables us to appreciate how essential reading and writing were to Addams's understanding of life and, more importantly, how much the persuasive power of her ideas is inseparable from the eloquence of her literary expression. ‘The fact is, Madam,’ the philosopher William James wrote in admiration, ‘that you are not like the rest of us who seek the truth and try to express it. You inhabit reality; and when you open your mouth truth can't help being uttered.’ Joslin brilliantly reveals the reality Addams inhabited and the truths she uttered.”--Carl Smith, Northwestern University
"A breakthrough interdisciplinary study of the writings of Jane Addams, set in intense cultural and intellectual context. An extremely multidimensional and creative work, it deals seriously with the entire span of Addams's creative output, from childhood writings to final publications. There is simply no other book like this--I cannot over-emphasize its contribution."--Barbara Bair, The Jane Addams Papers Project, Duke University
"Joslin combines meticulous research with an intimate knowledge of her subject matter for a commanding literary biography."--Sheila Teahan, Michigan State University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Introduction: The Moral Imagination 1
1. Three Journeys 19
2. Finding a Voice 58
3. Public and Private 102
4. Telling a War Story 149
5. Honest Reminiscence 202
6. Writing a Life 242
Notes 263
Bibliography 283
Index 293
Illustrations follow page 17
