Caroline Atwater Mason (July 10, 1853May 2, 1939) was an American novelist and travel writer.

Life

Caroline Atwater was born on July 10, 1853, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, to Mary Weaver and Stephen Atwater. She was educated at the Friends Boarding School in Providence and studied in Germany for one year. On May 29, 1877, she married John H. Mason, a clergyman who taught at

Rochester Theological Seminary Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School is a Baptist seminary in Rochester, New York It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History 1820s-1960: Early history Four Baptist institutions merged over the course of the 19th and 20t ...

. She conducted research at the

British Museum Reading Room The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main Reference library, reading room of the British Library. In 1997, this function moved to the ne ...

and the Royal Library of the Netherlands. Mason opposed suffrage for women and was a member of the

National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage (NAOWS) was founded in the United States by women opposed to the suffrage movement in 1911. It was the most popular anti-suffrage organization in northeastern cities. NAOWS had influential local ...

. She died on May 2, 1939, in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

Work

''A Lily of France'' (1901), described as Mason's "best known story", is a historical novel about

Charlotte of Bourbon Charlotte of Bourbon (1546/1547 – 5 May 1582) was a Princess consort of Orange as the third spouse of William the Silent, Prince of Orange, the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish. She was the fourth daughter of Louis III de Bou ...

and

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

set largely in a 16th-century convent. A review in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' described it as a "sweet love story" with themes of religious liberty. ''Holt of Heathfield'' (1904) is "a quiet recital of a young minister's life in a factory town". ''The Binding of the Strong'' (1909) is a love story based the romance of a woman of the last name Davis (whose first name is apparently lost to history) and

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

. ''The Spell of Italy'' (1910) is a lightly fictionalized account of travels throughout Italy. ''The Spell of France'' (1912) is a similar travel narrative about France.

Publications

* ''A Wind Flower'' * ''The Quiet King'' *''A Minister of the World'' (1895) *''A Minister of Carthage'' (1899) * ''A Lily of France'' (1901) * ''Holt of Heathfield'' (1904) * ''The Binding of the Strong'' (1909) * ''The Spell of Italy'' (1910) * ''The Spell of France'' (1912) * ''Royton Manor'' (1928) * ''Challenged'' (1931)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Caroline Atwater 1853 births 1939 deaths 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers American travel writers Writers from Providence, Rhode Island