This week’s holiday treat is “The Gospel According To Joan” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Mary was born in Massachusetts and studied at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, now known as Mount Holyoke College. Immediately after marrying, Mary Wilkins firmly established her name as “Mary E. Wilkins Freeman”, which she asked Harper’s to use on all of her work.
Through her different genres of work including children’s stories, poems, and short stories, Mary Wilkins Freeman sought to demonstrate her values as a feminist. She diverged from making her female characters weak and in need of help which was common in literature at that time. Through her characters, Freeman challenged contemporary ideas concerning female roles, values, and relationships in society. I hope you enjoy “The Gospel According to Joan” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.