Authors and Friends
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Summary
Annie Adams Fields was an American author, born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was the second wife of the publisher and author James Thomas Fields, whom she married in 1854, and with whom she encouraged up and coming writers such as Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary Freeman, and Emma Lazarus. She was equally at home with great and established figures including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose biography she fearlessly compiled. After Fields' husband died in 1881, she continued to occupy the center of Boston literary life. The hallmark of Fields' work is a sympathetic understanding of her friends, who happened to be the leading literary figures of her time.
Editor's review
Authors and Friends is a collection of reminiscences by Annie Adams Fields. As the wife of Boston publisher James Thomas Fields, she was long active in nineteenth-century American literary circles and close to figures such as Emerson, Mrs. Stowe, Jewett, and Lazarus. The book's value lies not in systematic literary criticism but in the eyewitness vignettes of contemporaries' words and manners and in the atmosphere of their social world; it reads like a profile of a literary salon. For readers studying nineteenth-century American literary society, publishing, and networks of women writers, it is useful firsthand corroborating material; for general readers, it is more like a window onto old Boston literary life. Note that such reminiscences carry personal bias and period limitations; evaluations of individuals should be checked against biographies, letters, and other sources. This edition is a reprint of a historical publication, and its layout and typography may not be modern; it is best read in fragments, taking notes as you go, rather than forced cover to cover.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Scholars and students of nineteenth-century American literature and print culture
- Biography readers interested in the lives of Emerson, Mrs. Stowe, and other writers
- Cultural historians of women's writing and literary social networks
- Readers who enjoy essayistic reminiscence and can accept an older prose style
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking systematic literary criticism or analyses of authors' works
- General readers who prefer modern typography and clean page design
- Beginners without basic familiarity with nineteenth-century American literary figures
Reading tips
- Start with the table of contents and dip into chapters on writers you know or find interesting; you need not read straight through.
- Before reading a chapter on a given writer, check a chronology of their life to gauge the context of the reminiscence.
- Jot down personal connections and social details as you go; they can form a small map of the literary network.
- Keep a critical distance from evaluative passages and read them against letters, biographies, and other sources.
Contents
- Copyright information
- LONGFELLOW: 1807-1882
- GLIMPSES OF EMERSON
- OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS AND UNPUBLISHE
- DAYS WITH MRS. STOWE
- CELIA THAXTER. BORN JUNE, 1835; DIED AUGUST, 1894.
- WHITTIER. NOTES OF HIS LIFE AND HIS FRIENDSHIPS
- TENNYSON
- EMILY, LADY TENNYSON
FAQ
Who was Annie Adams Fields?
She was an American writer born in Boston, Massachusetts, who married the publisher and author James Thomas Fields in 1854 as his second wife. She was close to the writers of her day, encouraged authors such as Jewett, Freeman, and Lazarus, and was acquainted with notable figures including Emerson and Mrs. Stowe.
Is this book literary criticism or memoir?
It is closer to reminiscence. It records observations and impressions from the author's acquaintance with contemporary writers rather than systematically analyzing their works. Its value therefore lies in the eyewitness vignettes and period atmosphere it preserves; its specific judgments reflect personal bias and should be used alongside biographies, letters, and other sources.
Which writers appear in the book?
Given the author's life and the book's title, it concerns contemporary literary figures close to her, including Emerson and Mrs. Stowe, as well as Jewett, Freeman, and Lazarus, whom she encouraged. The specific contents of each chapter should be checked against the book's table of contents; readers may begin with chapters on figures they know.
Will this edition be hard to read?
This edition is a reprint of a historical publication, so the layout and type may not be modern, and the older prose style takes some adjustment. It is best read in fragments, starting with chapters that interest you rather than forcing a cover-to-cover read. If you lack basic familiarity with nineteenth-century American literary figures, prepare a chronology of the people involved to assist your reading.
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About the author
Annie Fields
Author · American · 1834–1915
Annie Fields (1834–1915) was an American writer and the hostess of a literary salon in Boston. Public information about her early education and personal life is limited; what can be confirmed is that she co-authored books with her husband and received literary guests in her home, making her an active woman in Boston's cultural circles of the time. One work by her is held in this collection, Authors and Friends. Judging by the title and its common classification, the book centers on writers and friends and has the character of essays and reminiscences, with a plain and cordial style in its portraits of people and events. Through this work, readers can sense the atmosphere of literary social life in nineteenth-century Boston and the author's observations and reflections from her dealings with literary figures.
