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My blue and gold Wyoming: The life and letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Abstract
This thesis presents the definitive biography of Elinore Pruitt Stewart, author of Letters of a Woman Homesteader, 1914, and Letters on an Elk Hunt, 1915, and includes many of her unpublished letters and stories in addition to her little known works published in the early 1900s. As the biography unfolds, Stewart's letters and stories relevant to each particular period enable the Wyoming homesteader to help tell the story of her life in her own words. Stewart's interpretation of her life, what she chooses to tell, and the truth of her life reveal an interesting contrast, for her unfaltering optimism conceals a life of poverty, illness and hard work. Yet, her spirit would not be conquered, and her persona became her own reality. Interspersed within the body of the biography and letters is historical data and background to help the reader understand the time and place in which she lived. An Afterword analyzes Stewart's contributions to American belles lettres, for her heritage was firmly and self-consciously rooted in literary tradition. The most important literary heritage to affect her writing comes from the epistolary tradition, for it furnished her with a stock situation in the letter of travel, a familiar style and a natural structure as well as providing her with ready-made themes and conventions to supply additional dimensions to her narratives. Although Stewart's works do provide a new and much needed feminine viewpoint to the settling of the West, scholars must begin to consider the value of her works, not only as historical documents increasing the knowledge of the American pioneer but also as important literary works adding to the scholar's understanding of the shapers of the myths and symbols that dominate western tradition while providing a woman's point of view in a traditionally masculine experience. The thesis additionally includes a family chronology, a Stewart bibliography of known published and unpublished works, and appendixes of Stewart's literary references and books in her personal collection.
Subject Area
American literature|Womens studies|American studies|Biographies
Recommended Citation
Lindau, Susanne Kathryn, "My blue and gold Wyoming: The life and letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart" (1988). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8818637.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8818637