Helen Reimensnyder Martin (October 18, 1868 – June 29, 1939) was an American author.

Early life and education

Martin was born on October 18, 1868, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She was the fifth child born to Reverend Cornelius and Henrietta Thurman Reimensnyder. Her father was a German immigrant and a Lutheran pastor who worked in Ohio before settling in Lancaster. Martin was called “Bill” by those who knew her because her parents expected a boy and wanted to name her William Allen after her mother’s uncle, a governor of Ohio. Martin was a student at Swarthmore and

Radcliffe Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to: Places * Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan United Kingdom * Radcliffe, Greater Manchester ** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town ** Radcliffe tram stop * ...

Colleges.

Career

Martin published 35 novels and numerous short stories between 1896 and 1939. Her work focused on the oppression of women and can be split into two topics: sophisticated white high society and rural Pennsylvania Dutch society. Her high society novels were not successful until after she achieved success with her more ethnic local color novels. According to Beverly Seaton, Martin used the Pennsylvania Dutch to critique society and advance her feminist viewpoint because their culture was unfamiliar to most Americans, making it safer for Martin to express controversial opinions about the rights of women and children in her stories. However, Martin's work also created negative stereotypes of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Martin's most well-known novel is one of her earliest books, ''Tillie: A Mennonite Maid''. As is typical of Martin's work'','' Pennsylvania Dutch women are oppressed by brutish, stingy men and a patriarchal society in ''Tillie''. Like all of Martin's heroines, Tillie escapes her repressive society through education and independent employment. ''Sabina, A Story of the

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

'' (1905) may be the first Amish romance novel ever published. It tells the story of a young Amish woman with clairvoyant powers. ''Tillie: A Mennonite Maid'' and ''Barnabetta'' (''Erstwhile Susan)'' were turned into Broadway plays. Four of Martin's literary works were turned into the films ''

Erstwhile Susan ''Erstwhile Susan'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John S. Robertson, produced and distributed by Realart Pictures. It is based on a 1914 novel ''Barnabetta'' by Helen Reimensnyder Martin and later Broadway play ''Erstwhile Susa ...

'' (1919), '' Tillie'' (1922), '' The Snob'' (1924), and '' The Parasite'' (1925). Numerous Pennsylvania Germans objected to her stereotypical depictions of their culture.

Bibliography

* ''Unchaperoned'' (1896) * ''Warren Hyde'' (1897) * ''The Elusive Hildegarde'' (1900) * ''Tillie, a

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

Maid'' (1904) * ''Sabina, A Story of the

'' (1905) * ''His Courtship'' (1907) * ''The Betrothal of Elypholate'' (1907) * ''The Revolt of Ann Royle'' (1908) * ''The Crossways'' (1910; new edition, 1914) * ''When Half-Gods Go'' (1911) * ''The Fighting Doctor'' (1912) * ''The Parasite'' (1913) * ''Barnabetta'' (''Erstwhile Susan'') (1914) * ''Martha of the Mennonite Country'' (1915) * ''Her Husband's Purse'' (1916) * ''Those Fitzenbergers'' (1917) * ''Gertie Swartz:

Fanatic FANatic is an American TV show created by Ed Connolly and produced by Executive Producers Deborah Norton and Ed Connolly of Norton Connolly Productions, that was shown on the MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an Am ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

'' (1918) * ''Maggie of Virginsburg'' (1918) * ''The Schoolmaster of Hessville'' (1920) * ''The Marriage of Susan'' (1921) * ''The Snob (''1924) * ''Sylvia of the Minute (''1927) * ''Wings of Healing'' (1929) * ''Tender Talons'' (1930) * ''Emmy Untamed'' (1937) * ''The Ordeal of Minnie Schultz'' (1937)

Personal life

In 1899, Helen Reimensnyder married a music teacher named Frederic C. Martin. The couple settled in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Around 1904, Martin gave birth to her first child, who died in infancy. The couple had two more children, a boy and a girl. Frederic C. Martin died in 1936.

References

External links