Catharine Maria Sedgwick

Live and Let Live (1837) by Catharine Maria Sedgwick

Catharine Maria Sedgwick (December 28, 1789 - July 31, 1867) was an American novelist of what is sometimes referred to as "domestic fiction". With her work much in demand, from the 1820s to the 1850s, Sedgwick made a good living writing short stories for a variety of periodicals. She became one of the most notable female novelists of her time. She wrote work in American settings, and combined patriotism with protests against historic Puritan oppressiveness. Her topics contributed to the creation of a national literature, enhanced by her detailed descriptions of nature. Sedgwick created spirited heroines who did not conform to the stereotypical conduct of women at the time. She promoted Republican motherhood. Catharine Maria Sedgwick was born December 28, 1789, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Her mother was Pamela Dwight (1752-1807) of the New England Dwight family, daughter of General Joseph Dwight (1703-1765) and granddaughter of Ephraim Williams, founder of Williams College. Her father was Theodore Sedgwick (1746-1813), a prosperous lawyer and successful politician. He was later elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and in 1802, was appointed a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.