Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (''Mrs. Fordyce Coburn'') (September 22, 1872 – June 4, 1958) was an American author. She was a frequent contributor to ''

The Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

''.

Early life

Eleanor Hallowell Abbott was born on September 22, 1872, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. Abbott was the daughter of clergyman Edward Abbott and Clara (Davis), who edited the journal ''Literary World''; and the granddaughter of noted children's author

Jacob Abbott Jacob Abbott (November 14, 1803 – October 31, 1879) was an American writer of children's books. Early life On November 14, 1803, Abbott was born in Hallowell, Maine to Jacob Abbott II and Betsey Chandler. He attended the Hallowell Academy. ...

. Eleanor Hallowell Abbott grew up surrounded by literary and religious luminaries due to her father and grandfather. This resulted in her growing up knowing many famous literary people, like

Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

and Lowell.HAMBLEN, ABIGAIL ANN. "Abbott, Eleanor Hallowell." ''American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present'': ''A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present''. Ed. Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 2. ''Gale Virtual Reference Library''. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. This caused her childhood home to be one of great religious and scholarly thought. After attending private schools in Cambridge, she began courses at Radcliffe College. After completing her studies, she worked as a secretary and teacher at Lowell State Normal School. Here, she began to write poetry and short stories, but had little success in the beginning. It was only when ''Harper's Magazine'' accepted two of her poems that she saw promise in her work. This led to her winning three short-story prizes offered by '' Collier's ''and ''

The Delineator ''The Delineator'' was an American women's magazine of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded by the Butterick Publishing Company in 1869 under the name ''The Metropolitan Monthly.'' Its name was changed in 1875. The magazine was publis ...

''.

Later life and literary career

In 1908 Abbott married Dr. Fordyce Coburn and relocated with him to

Wilton, New Hampshire Wilton is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,896 at the 2020 census. Like many small New England towns, it grew up around water-powered textile mills, but is now a rural bedroom community with some m ...

."Abbott, Eleanor Hallowell." American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present. Gale. 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2012 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com Dr. Coburn was a medical advisor of the Lowell High School and would help his wife with her writing. Soon after moving, several widely read magazines accepted her work for publication. Two of her poems were accepted by Harper’s Monthly Magazine in 1909. She went on to publish seventy-five

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

and fourteen

romantic novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

s. ''Being Little in Cambridge When Everyone Else Was Big'' is an autobiography written by Abbott about her childhood in Cambridge. Abbott tells of how when she was a child, she was a nervous and excitable one, and through her fiction, she got in touch with this side to her. This is shown greatly through her work's intensity of feeling. Her writing is one of romance and even though some of her characters go through tough and painful times, each of her novels and stories carries a happy conclusion. The principal characters she uses are young girls who exhibit audacious behavior, are high strung, terribly talkative and full of unsettling demands while their male counterparts are the opposite - quiet, strong and tough against patient suffering. Abbott gives a unique style and aims for spontaneity and originality. She writes with extreme vivacity and startling imagery. Abbott would not allow her work to be published unless she truly liked it herself. Her chief concern while writing was to use her own feeling about the story she was working on. Due to this unique style, many critics comment that even though her work is charming it can feel sometimes forced. In spite of this, Abbott's work reveals the turning away from the harshness of the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

surroundings that was in place at the time. Abbott had no children. She died in 1958 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Eleanor Hallowell Abbott Papers are held by The University of New Hampshire Library in the Milne Special Collections. The collection primarily consists of typescripts of Abbott's short stories.

Selected works

*''Molly Make-Believe'' 1910 *''The Sick-a-Bed Lady (and other tales)'' 1911 *''The White Linen Nurse'' 1913 *''Little Eve Edgarton'' 1914 *''The Indiscreet Letter'' 1915 *''The Ne'er Do Much'' 1918 *''Love and Mrs. Kendrue'' 1919 *''Old-Dad'' 1919 *''Peace on Earth, Good-will to Dogs'' 1920 *''Rainy Week'' 1921 *''Silver Moon'' 1923 *''But Once A Year: Christmas Stories'' 1928 *''Being Little in Cambridge when Everyone Else was Big'' 1936

Film adaptations

*''

Molly Make-Believe ''Molly Make-Believe'' is a 1916 silent film drama directed by J. Searle Dawley and starring Marguerite Clark. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a 1910 novel, ''Molly Make-Believe'' b ...

'', directed by J. Searle Dawley (1916, based on the novel ''Molly Make-Believe'') *''Little Eve Edgarton'', directed by

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

(1916, based on the novel ''Little Eve Edgarton'') *''

Old Dad ''Old Dad'' is a 1920 American drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and written by J. Grubb Alexander. It is based on the 1919 novel ''Old Dad'' by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott. The film stars Mildred Harris, John St. Polis, Myrtle Stedman, Irving ...

'', directed by

Lloyd Ingraham Lloyd Chauncey Ingraham (November 30, 1874 – April 4, 1956) was an American film actor and director. Biography Born in Rochelle, Illinois, Ingraham appeared in more than 280 films between 1912 and 1950, as well as directing more than 100 f ...

(1920, based on the novel ''Old Dad'')

References

External links