Ellen Glasgow
A sharp-eyed novelist from Virginia who chronicled the South's social upheavals with unflinching realism, earning a Pulitzer for her final work.
1873–1945 (age 72)·American novelist·Birthday: April 22·The Gilded Age
Biography
Ellen Glasgow spent her life in Richmond, Virginia, observing a society clinging to romantic myths. From her first novel in 1897, she set herself against the prevailing 'moonlight and magnolias' school of Southern writing, choosing instead to dissect the region's class conflicts, the changing roles of women, and the psychological toll of a fading aristocracy. Her characters were often modern women or struggling farmers, portrayed with a wit and irony that was groundbreaking for its time. Though her work gained a dedicated readership, full national recognition came late, with the Pulitzer Prize awarded for 'In This Our Life' the year before her death. Her twenty novels collectively form a meticulous social history of the American South in transition, establishing her as a foundational voice of Southern realism.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Ellen was born in 1873, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ellen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1873
Ellen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1873Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1886Became a teenager
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Could drive
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1891Could vote
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Turned 21
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Turned 30
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 40
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 50
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 60
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 70
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1945Died at 72
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
Key Achievements
- Won the 1942 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel for 'In This Our Life'.
- Authored a cycle of approximately 20 novels that documented the social history of Virginia from the Civil War to the mid-20th century.
- Received the Howells Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1941 for distinguished work in fiction.
- Her novel 'Barren Ground' (1925) is considered a landmark of Southern realist literature.
Did You Know?
She suffered from profound hearing loss from a young age, which she said sharpened her powers of observation.
She was an outspoken supporter of women's suffrage and animal rights.
Her memoir, 'The Woman Within', was published posthumously in 1954.
She owned and bred dogs, particularly Scottish Deerhounds.
“The only difference between a rut and a grave is the dimensions.”
