Bernice: "Women are used to worrying over trifles"

By Susan Glaspell

Susan Keating Glaspell was born on July 1st, 1876 in Davenport.

Glaspell, a precocious child was an active student at Davenport High School where she took an advanced course of study. By age eighteen she was earning a regular salary at the local newspaper as a journalist, and by twenty she was the author of a weekly 'Society' column.

At twenty-one Glaspell enrolled at Drake University. A philosophy major, she also excelled in debate competitions, and represented Drake at the state tournament in her senior year.

The day after her graduation, Glaspell again worked as a reporter, still a rare position for a woman. She was assigned to cover the state legislature and murder cases.

At twenty-four, after covering the conviction of a woman accused of murdering her abusive husband, Glaspell abruptly resigned and moved back to Davenport, and with it, a hoped for career writing fiction. Her stories were published by many periodicals, including Harper's and Munsey's.

Moving to Chicago she wrote her first novel, The Glory of the Conquered, in 1909. It was a best-seller.As was Glaspell's second novel, The Visioning, published in 1911 and her third, Fidelity in 1915. Each novel also received glowing reviews.

With her husband Glaspell founded the Provincetown Playhouse devoted to plays that were more able to reflect contemporary American issues. Her first play, Trifles (1916), was based on the murder trial she covered as a young reporter in Des Moines. She wrote twelve groundbreaking plays over seven years for the company. By 1918 Glaspell was considered one of America's most significant new playwrights.

However, the impact and critical success of Glaspell's theatre work did not unfortunately make financial sense. Therefore she continued to submit short stories in order to support her and her husband during their years with the theater.

In 1931 she wrote the excellent play, Alison's House, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1936 Glaspell moved to Chicago as the Midwest Bureau Director of the Federal Theater Project. When that finished she returned to Cape Cod using the Mid-West experience in her last three novels which were increasingly focused on the region, on family life, and on theistic questions; The Morning is Near Us (1939), Norma Ashe (1942), and Judd Rankin's Daughter (1945).

Susan Keating Glaspell died of viral pneumonia in Provincetown on July 28, 1948.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stage Door
• Release date: Feb 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839673122

Book preview

Bernice by Susan Glaspell

Susan Keating Glaspell was born on July 1st, 1876 in Davenport.

Glaspell, a precocious child was an active student at Davenport High School where she took an advanced course of study. By age eighteen she was earning a regular salary at the local newspaper as a journalist, and by twenty she was the author of a weekly 'Society' column.

At twenty-one Glaspell enrolled at Drake University. A philosophy major, she also excelled in debate competitions, and represented Drake at the state tournament in her senior year.

The day after her graduation, Glaspell again worked as a reporter, still a rare position for a woman. She was assigned to cover the state legislature and murder cases.

At twenty-four, after covering the conviction of a woman accused of murdering her abusive husband, Glaspell abruptly resigned and moved back to Davenport, and with it, a hoped for career writing fiction.

Her stories were published by many periodicals, including Harper's and Munsey's.

Moving to Chicago she wrote her first novel, The Glory of the Conquered, in 1909. It was a best-seller.

As was Glaspell's second novel, The Visioning, published in 1911 and her third, Fidelity in 1915. Each novel also received glowing reviews.

With her husband Glaspell founded the Provincetown Playhouse devoted to plays that were more able to reflect contemporary American issues. Her first play, Trifles (1916), was based on the murder trial she covered as a young reporter in Des Moines.  She wrote twelve groundbreaking plays over seven years for the company. By 1918 Glaspell was considered one of America's most significant new playwrights.

However, the impact and critical success of Glaspell's theatre work did not unfortunately make financial sense.  Therefore she continued to submit short stories in order to support her and her husband during their years with the theater.

In 1931 she wrote the excellent play, Alison's House, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1936 Glaspell moved to Chicago as the Midwest Bureau Director of the Federal Theater Project.  When that finished she returned to Cape Cod using the Mid-West experience in her last three novels which were increasingly focused on the region, on family life, and on theistic questions; The Morning is Near Us (1939), Norma Ashe (1942), and Judd Rankin's Daughter (1945).

Susan Keating Glaspell died of viral pneumonia in Provincetown on July 28, 1948.

Index of Contents

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

SUSAN GLASPELL — A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

SUSAN GLASPELL — A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

A PLAY IN THREE ACTS

First Performed by the Provincetown Players, New York, March 21, 1919.

ORIGINAL CAST

Mr. Allen, Bernice’s FATHER  O. K. Liveright

ABBIE     Susan Glaspell

CRAIG Norris, Bernice’s Husband James K. Light

LAURA (Mrs. Kirby), Craig’s Sister Blanche Hays

MARGARET Pierce, Bernice’s Friend Ida Rauh

BERNICE

ACT ONE

Scene: The living-room of Bernice’s house in the country. You feel yourself in the house of a woman you would like to know, a woman of sure and beautiful instincts, who lives simply. At the spectator’s right, stairs go up from the living room; back of this—right, rear, a door; to the front of the stairs is a narrowed passage as of a hall leading to the kitchen. On the other side of the room, is a tea-table before the fireplace, and before it is a low rounded chair, as if awaiting the one who will come to serve tea. Toward the rear of this left wall is a door. This door is closed. From the back of the room French windows lead directly out of doors. On each side of this door is a window thus opening almost the entire wall to the October woods. There are comfortable seats under the windows, books about. It is late afternoon and the sun glows through the flaming leaves. As the curtain is drawn the FATHER is seen sitting at a long table at the side of the stairway, playing solitaire. At the back of the cards, open books are propped against the wall, and papers on which he has been writing. ABBIE, a middle-aged servant, is attending to the open fire.

FATHER [Holding up a card he is about to place]

Ten minutes since the train whistled. They’ll be here in five minutes now.

ABBIE

Yes, sir.

FATHER

It will be hard for Craig to come in this house, Abbie.

ABBIE

Oh, yes.

FATHER

Bernice made this house.

[Looking around]

Everything is Bernice.

[A pause]

Change something, Abbie!

[With growing excitement]

Put something in a different place.

[He takes a