Sophie Jewett | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1861-06-03)June 3, 1861 Moravia, New York |
| Died | October 11, 1909(1909-10-11) (aged 48) |
| Pen name | Ellen Burroughs |
| Occupation | Poet, translator, college professor |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Lyric poetry |
Sophie Jewett (June 3, 1861 – October 11, 1909), also known under the pseudonymEllen Burroughs, was an American lyric poet, translator, and professor atWellesley College. Much of her poetry containslesbian themes.[1]
Jewett was born inMoravia, New York, one of four children of Charles Carroll Jewett, a doctor, and Ellen Ransom (Burroughs) Jewett.[2] Her mother died when she was 7 and her father when she was 9, after which she was raised by an uncle, Daniel Burroughs, and her grandmother inBuffalo.[3][4][2] Her sister Louise became a noted art historian.[5] In Buffalo, she developed a friendship withMary Whiton Calkins, the daughter of her minister, who also went on to teach at Wellesley College.[3]
When she was 20, Jewett traveled in Europe, and reflections of these experiences appear in her early poetry and in sketches that she published inThe Outlook andScribner's Magazine.[3][4]
Jewett initially published poetry under the pseudonym Ellen Burroughs (borrowed from her mother's name).[4] Her first book under her own name wasThe Pilgrim, and Other Poems (1896).[4] Jewett wrote in various poetic forms, including the rondeau, the sonnet, and the ballad.[2] Fellow poetRichard Watson Gilder called her a true poet with a golden gift.[2]
In addition to original poetry, Jewett undertook translations, including a version of the complex Middle English poemThe Pearl in the original meter and selected lyrics such as a "Nativity Song" adapted from the work ofJacopone da Todi.[2] A collection of southern European ballads translated by Jewett from several languages was edited by the author and literary scholarKatharine Lee Bates and published posthumously.[6]
In 1901, Jewett published an introduction to a critical edition ofTennyson'sThe Holy Grail.[4]
The English composerEdward Elgar wrote a song entitled "The Poet's Life" (1892) with lyrics by Jewett (credited to her pseudonym of Ellen Burroughs).
In 1889, Jewett began teaching English at Wellesley College, and in 1897 she became an associate professor.[4] Among her students there was the writerSarah Bixby Smith.[3][7]
Jewett died October 11, 1909. Wellesley College founded a scholarship in Jewett's name in 1911 and dedicated a window in her memory in the college chapel.[8]
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