Catharine Maria Sedgwick

Catharine Maria Sedgwick (December 28, 1789 – July 31, 1867) was an American novelist of domestic fiction. From the 1820s to the 1850s, Sedgwick made a living writing short stories for a variety of periodicals. She became one of the most notable female novelists of her time. She wrote work in American settings, and combined patriotism with protests against historic Puritan oppressiveness. Her topics contributed to the creation of a national literature, enhanced by her detailed descriptions of nature. Sedgwick created spirited heroines who did not conform to the stereotypical conduct of women at the time. She promoted Republican motherhood.

Early life and education

Catharine Maria Sedgwick was born December 28, 1789, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Her mother was Pamela Dwight (1752–1807) of the New England Dwight family, daughter of General Joseph Dwight (1703–1765) and granddaughter of Ephraim Williams, founder of Williams College. Her father was Theodore Sedgwick (1746–1813), a prosperous lawyer and successful politician. He was later elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and in 1802, was appointed a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Sedgwick's four brothers were educated for the law: they naturally followed the profession in which their father, Judge Sedgwick, had been eminent, yet only one of them followed him in the political career in which he had been equally distinguished. The eldest, Theodore, practiced law in Albany, New York and later served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives; Harry and Robert practiced law in New York; Charles, the youngest, practiced in Stockbridge. Her talents seem to have been appreciated by her brothers, Henry and Theodore, whose encouragement was acknowledged in the preface to a new edition of her works in 1849.