Agnes Repplier (April 1, 1855 – December 15, 1950) was an American essayist.

Early years

She was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1855,Nancy A. Walker, Nancy Nash-Cummings, Zita Dresner. Redressing the balance: American women's literary humor from Colonial times to the 1980s. University Press of Mississippi, 198
p.207
/ref> of French and German extraction, and was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Eden Hall at

Torresdale, Philadelphia Torresdale, also formerly known as Torrisdale, is a neighborhood in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Torresdale is located along the Delaware River between Holmesburg and Bensalem Township in neighboring ...

, and later at the Agnes Irwin School. Repplier was reportedly expelled from two schools for "independent behaviour" and illiterate until the age of ten. She received mentoring in writing by a nun who was herself a noted writer, Mary Paulina Finn, who published books, poetry and plays under the pseudonym M. S. Pine.

Career

Despite her school experiences, she became one of America's chief representatives of the discursive essay, displaying wide reading and apt quotation. Her writings contain literary criticism as well as comments on contemporary life. These characteristics were already apparent in the first essay which she contributed to the ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

'' (April 1886), entitled “Children, Past and Present.” Repplier's earliest national publications appeared in 1881 in ''

Catholic World ''The Catholic World'' was an American periodical founded by Paulist Father Isaac Thomas Hecker in April 1865. It was published by the Paulist Fathers for over a century. According to Paulist Press, Hecker "wanted to create an intellectual jo ...

''. Although she did write several biographies and some fiction, early in her career she decided to concentrate on essays, and for 50 years she enjoyed a national reputation. She was awarded honorary degrees by the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

(1902), Notre Dame (1911),

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

(1925), and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

(1927). She was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1928. Repplier received the Siena Medal from

Theta Phi Alpha Theta Phi Alpha (), commonly known as Theta Phi, is a women's fraternity founded at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 nation ...

in 1939.

Personal life

Repplier was a devout Catholic, and had a conservative's outlook on the issues of the day. She was an advocate of feminism and opponent of American neutrality during World War One, though an opponent of radicals and activists. Living and dying in Philadelphia, she also spent time in Europe.

Edward Wagenknecht Edward (Charles) Wagenknecht (March 28, 1900 – May 24, 2004) was an American literary critic and teacher who specialized in 19th-century American literature. He wrote and edited many books on literature and movies, and taught for many years at v ...

described her, in 1946, as "our dean of essayists".

Selected works

*''Philadelphia: The Place and the People'' (1898) *''The Fireside Sphinx'' (1901) *''In Our Convent Days'' (1905) *''The Cat'' (1912) *''Germany and Democracy'' (1914; with J. William White) *''The Promise of the Bell: Christmas in Philadelphia'' (1924) *''To Think of Tea!'' (1932) *''In Pursuit of Laughter'' (1936) a historical study of types of humor ;Essay collections *''Books and Men'' (1888) *''Points of View'' (1891) *''Essays in Miniature'' (1892) *''Essays in Idleness'' (1893) *''In the Dozy Hours and Other Papers'' (1894) *''Varia'' (1897) *''Compromises'' (1904) *''A Happy Half-Century and Other Essays'' (1908) *''Americans and Others'' (1912) *''Counter-Currents'' (1916) *''Points of Friction'' (1920) *''Under Dispute'' (1924) *''Times and Tendencies'' (1931) *''Eight Decades: Essays and Episodes'' (1937) ;Biographical studies *''J. William White, M.D.: A Biography'' (1919) *
Père Marquette: Priest, Pioneer and Adventurer
' (1929) (Jacques Marquette) *''Mère Marie of the Ursulines: A Study in Adventure'' (1931) (Marie de l'Incarnation) *''Junípero Serra: Pioneer Colonist of California'' (1933) *''Agnes Irwin: A Biography'' (1934) ;Short stories
"The Last Pages in the Journal of Eve de la Tour d'Arraine,"
''The Catholic World'' (1882)
"A Story of Nuremberg,"
''The Catholic World'' (1884) ;Selected articles
"The Good Humor of the Saints,"
''The Catholic World'' (1882)
"An Apostle of Doubt,"
''The Catholic World'' (1884)
"Heaven in Recent Fiction,"
''The Catholic World'' (1885)
"Falsehood as a Moral Agent,"
''The Catholic World'' (1885)
"English Voices on the French Revolution,"
''The Catholic World'' (1885)
"English Hymns,"
''The Catholic World'' (1886)
"Christmas Carols,"
''The Catholic World'' (1887)
"Education,"
''The Atlantic Monthly'' (1922)

References

External links

* * * * * * * *
Works by Agnes Repplier at IWP Books

Works by Agnes Repplier
at

JSTOR JSTOR ( ; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources founded in 1994. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary source ...

Essays by Agnes Repplier at Quotidiana.org

at the