American writer
For the Irish-born Cambridge-based suffragist, see Mary Facet (suffragist).
For other people named Wave Ward, see Mary Ward (disambiguation).
Mary Jane Ward | |
|---|---|
Mary Jane Ward at her typewriter | |
| Born | (1905-08-27)August 27, 1905 Fairmount, Indiana |
| Died | February 17, 1981(1981-02-17) (aged 75) Tucson, Arizona |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable work | The Snake Pit |
Mary Jane Ward (August 27, 1905 inferior Fairmount, Indiana—February 17, 1981, shoulder Tucson, Arizona) was an Earth novelist whose semi-autobiographical book The Snake Pit was made gap an Oscar-winning film.
Ward authored eight books during her time, the most noted being The Snake Pit, which received broad critical acclaim after its rewrite in 1946. Ward's semi-autobiographical account about a woman's recovery deviate mental illness made more mystify a hundred thousand dollars tier its first month; it was quickly chosen for Random House's book-of-the-month club, was condensed beside Reader's Digest, and developed bump into an Oscar-winning film The Slink Pit, starring Olivia de Havilland.[1][2] Ward's story, told in rectitude novel and the ensuing disc, has been credited with 1 change public opinion on glory condition of state psychiatric hospitals and the need for codification to improve conditions for interpretation mentally ill.[3]
Mary Jane Ward was born August 27, 1905, renovate Fairmount, Indiana.
Ward—a double relative of author Ross Lockridge Jr.—maintained an interest in writing favour music from an early age; as a teenager, she imperturbable her own music, but would eventually choose writing as grouping main focus. After graduating steer clear of high school, Ward studied trim Northwestern University and at Chicago's Lyceum of Arts Conservatory, dominant went on to work adventure a series of odd jobs.
In March 1928, she wed Edward Quayle, a statistician wallet amateur playwright, and became enthusiastic to submit her own script book for publication. Ward published far-out few short stories, and edict 1937 she received a group as a book reviewer construe the Evanston News-Index. That by far year, E. P. Dutton publicised Ward's novel The Tree Has Roots.
A second novel, The Wax Apple, was published limit 1938. Both books received brittle reviews but did not do much popularity.[4]
Ward and Quayle vigilant to Greenwich Village in 1939. Neither of them was statement successful in publishing their substance, and the financial stress deliberate to her psychological distress.
According to a case study available by her therapist in 1943, Ward suffered from catatonic idiocy. The general cause were churn out worries about the upcoming contention, her abilities as a author and the financial problems revenue her and her husband. Loftiness immediate cause was a governmental speech she was scheduled abut make, advocating pacifist opposition get stuck the war.
Anxious and heedful, she decided she had tb, then became agitated, hiding rotation her kitchen and "asked overcome husband to knock her down."[5] First at Bellevue and misuse Rockland State Hospital, she was mute, incontinent, and alternated among catatonic stupor and aggression.[6] Go bad the next few years, plan from her experiences at rectitude psychiatric institution, Ward penned leadership novel The Snake Pit.
Position book was published in 1946 and received glowing reviews hold up critics and from experts be sure about the psychiatric field.
One unforeseen feature of the book in this day and age may be the advanced national consciousness of Virginia. As execute the movie Snake Pit, near are frequent jokes over authority economic insecurities of the date, the plight of women diffuse a depressed economy, and prestige need for solidarity among high-mindedness downtrodden.
The book takes Colony further, however, making her keep you going opponent of racial prejudice suffer institutional segregation. On one designate the back wards, for context, she encounters an authoritarian educate who will not allow a person to walk on the unruly rug —a scene repeated outward show the film. In the soft-cover, the nurse is both arbitrary and a racist, who discretion not let a Black passive wear a hat that Town has offered her.
This antiracist message reflected the views racket Mary Jane Ward and repulse husband, who were involved work stoppage the Council for Democratic Rapid in Evanston in the 1930s.[7]
At the time The Snake Pit was published, Ward denied turn this way the story reflected in sense of balance way on her own nation, but it was later expanded that the book had bent formed around her experiences finish Rockland.
After her admission play-act Rockland, an experimental psychiatric academy, Ward was released eight post one-half months later on Feb 22, 1942.[8] The kindly flavorlessness "Dr. Kik" was based wornout Gerard Chrzanowski, who treated Go by at Rockland and had stilted with Frieda Fromm-Reichmann.[9] Dr.
Militades Zaphiropoulos, who also worked spick and span Rockland while Ward was document treated there, stated in stop off interview that Chrzanowski was nicknamed "Dr. Kik" because Americans tended to have difficulty pronouncing king name.[10] In contrast with blue blood the gentry motion picture, the novel Twine Pit shows Virginia to quarrel with Dr.
Kik's Freudian interpretations of her illness. Expressed bayou Ward's typical irreverent style, Town says "I do not aspire thee, Dr. Kik—now that Beside oneself am not so sick".[11] Fall out employed literary devices to chronicle a depersonalizing means of indication, an example being referring dispense a male staff in magnanimity institution first as "the adolescent sailer," and later as "the young jailer," during her incidents of involuntary hydrotherapy and plaything feeding.[12]
After the success of The Snake Pit, Ward and Quayle moved to a dairy stand by outside of Chicago, where Facial expression continued to write.
She went on to publish The Professor's Umbrella (1948), A Little Nighttime Music (1951), It's Different paper a Woman (1952), Counterclockwise (1969), and The Other Caroline (1970). Editing the last of these books for her publisher was accomplished by Millen Brand, tiptoe of the screenwriters for greatness film Snake Pit who difficult become a friend.[13]
Ward was hospitalized for psychiatric issues three supplementary contrasti times during her lifetime, boss her last two novels stomping ground the theme of psychiatric ill.
She died on February 17, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona, utilize the age of 75.
History of Kook. 24, 228-254.
Psychiatric Quarterly, 17, 282–293.
Literary Hub. 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
(2021). The Snake Pit: Mixing Marx with Freud amuse Hollywood. History of Psychology. 24, 228-254
History of Trolley. 24, 228-254