Catherine M. Sedgwick - Stockbridge, MA
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neoc1
N 42° 17.126 W 073° 19.088
18T E 638665 N 4682837
The grave of 19th century American novelist Catherine Maria Sedgwick is located in the Sedgwick Pie of Stockbridge Cemetery in Stockbridge, MA.
Waymark Code: WM1128R
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/03/2019
Views: 1
The grave of novelist Catherine Maria Sedgwick is marked by a triangular marble headstone that supports a Latin cross on which is a relief of an ivy vine. The front of the triangle is inscribed:
CATHERINE M. SEDGWICK
born
Dec. 28, 1789
died July 31, 1867
The back of the triangle is inscribed:
Faith Hope and Love
and the greatest of these
is Love.
Catherine Maria Sedgwick was the first American female novelist. She was born on into the prominent New England Sedgwick family on December 28, 1789. He father was the lawyer and politician Theodore Sedgwick and her mother was Pamela Dwight, the daughter of General Joseph Dwight.
Catherine was educated first at local schools then at private boarding schools. She converted from Calvinism to Unitarianism and became a follower of William Ellery Channing. This led to her writing of her first pamphlet denouncing religious intolerance which was the basis for her first and highly successful novel A New-England Tale; Or Sketches of New-England Character and Manners written in 1822.
Catherine was a prolific writer. She wrote works set in America which challenged the prevailing Puritan oppressiveness. She was an early champion of woman's rights. Her novels were referred to as "domestic fiction" as she created strong women protagonists who did not conform to the expected conduct of women in the 19th century. Her work achieved a wide audience and she was able to support herself with her writing.
Her writings, according to Wikipedia, include:
Novels
A New-England Tale; Or Sketches of New-England Character and Manners (1822)
Redwood: A Tale (1824)
Hope Leslie; or, Early Times in the Massachusetts (1827)
Clarence; or, A Tale of Our Own Times (1830)
The Linwoods; or, "Sixty Years Since" in America (1835)
Home (1835)
The Poor Rich Man, and the Rich Poor Man (1836)
Live and Let Live; or, Domestic Service Illustrated (1837)
Married or Single? (1857)
Children's Writings
The Travellers: A Tale Designed for Young People (1825)
The Deformed Boy (1826)
Stories for Young Persons (1840)
The Boy of Mount Rhigi. "Do the Duty Nearest to You" (1848)
Other Writings
Tales and Sketches (1835)
Letters from Abroad to Kindred at Home, in two volumes (1841)
Tales and Sketches, Second Series (1844)
Slavery in New England (1853)