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Elizabeth Stevenson

エリザベス・スティーブンソン

Elizabeth Stevenson

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1919-06-13 （Ancón, Panama (Panama Canal Zone)）
Died
1999-07-30 （Decatur, Georgia, United States） age 80
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Great Falls, Montana, United States → Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Career

Occupations
author, biographer, editor, university staff
Active Years
1940-1996
Affiliations
Emory University (Institute for the Liberal Arts), Atlanta Public Library (staff)
Influenced By
Henry James, Henry Adams (as a subject of study)

Education

Agnes Scott College
Liberal Arts / Department of English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1938–1942
Year of Graduation: 1942
Country: United States
Majored in English; graduated in the early 1940s

Awards

Bancroft Prize
1956
Work: Henry Adams: A Biography
Organization: Columbia University Libraries
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1951
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1958
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Georgia Writers Association Literary Achievement (The Crooked Corridor)
1950
Work: The Crooked Corridor: A Study of Henry James
Category: 文学業績
Organization: Georgia Writers Association
Result: 受賞
Georgia Writers Association (Henry Adams)
1956
Work: Henry Adams: A Biography
Organization: Georgia Writers Association
Result: 受賞
Georgia Writers Association (Lafcadio Hearn)
1962
Work: Lafcadio Hearn: A Biography
Organization: Georgia Writers Association
Result: 受賞
Atlanta Woman of the Year in Arts
1956
Organization: City of Atlanta
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Humanities (research stipend)
1974
Work: Research for Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted
Organization: National Endowment for the Humanities
Result: 助成
American Council of Learned Societies grant
1975
Work: Research for Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted
Organization: American Council of Learned Societies
Result: 助成

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Crooked Corridor: A Study of Henry James

1949 literary criticism 280 pages

A study of Henry James's work and life, analyzing his literary techniques and recurring themes.

modernismstream of consciousnesscharacter analysis

Henry Adams: A Biography

1955 biography 452 pages

A scholarly biography of American historian Henry Adams based on extensive research; widely praised and award-winning.

biography of intellectualsAmerican history

A Henry Adams Reader (editor)

1958 editorial anthology 220 pages

An edited reader collecting major works and excerpts by Henry Adams with commentary.

textual editingintellectual thought

Lafcadio Hearn: A Biography

1961 biography 360 pages

A biography of Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), including on-site research in Japan and Martinique.

cross-cultural exchangemigration and identity

Babbitts and Bohemians: The American 1920s

1967 cultural history 310 pages

A cultural history of 1920s America examining tensions between mass culture and bohemian/intellectual circles.

urban culturemass culture

Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted

1977 biography / environmental history 420 pages

A biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, exploring his life, park designs, and the historical significance of urban landscape planning.

urban planninglandscape design

Figures in a Western Landscape: Men and Women of the Northern Rockies

1994 biographical essays / regional history 256 pages

A collection of short biographies and essays about figures from the Northern Rockies, including Calamity Jane and regional personalities.

regional historybiographical portraits

Bibliography

  • The Crooked Corridor: A Study of Henry James (1949)
  • Henry Adams: A Biography (1955)
  • A Henry Adams Reader (editor) (1958)
  • Lafcadio Hearn: A Biography (1961)
  • Babbitts and Bohemians: The American 1920s (1967)
  • Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted (1977)
  • Figures in a Western Landscape: Men and Women of the Northern Rockies (1994)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly, document-based biographical narrativeclear and explanatory prose
Recurring Motifs
in-depth portrayals of historical figuresAmerican culture and landscapes

Health

  • cancer
    1999
    Her health declined late in life; she died under hospice care.

Legacy

Known for thoroughly researched biographies, she earned scholarly recognition for works on Henry Adams and Frederick Law Olmsted. Her papers are held at Emory University.

Museums

  • Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (Emory University) Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Academic Societies

  • Georgia Writers Association
  • American Council of Learned Societies (grantee)

Archives

  • Elizabeth Stevenson papers, Emory University

Quotes

  • "maps or diagrams ... would have been helpful"
    Source: Ray Murphy, review in The Boston Globe ('Park pioneer') (1977)

Trivia

  • In 1956 she won the Bancroft Prize for Henry Adams, becoming the first woman to receive the award.
  • Held the title of emeritus at Emory University after retirement.
  • Conducted on-site research in places such as Japan and Martinique.