1860 Paternal grandfather, Theodore F. Jewett, dies.
1865 Graduated from Berwick Academy, completing formal education.
1868 First story published: "Jenny Garrow's Lovers."
1869 First publication in Atlantic Monthly: "Mr. Bruce."
1877 First book, Deephaven, a collection of related sketches.
1878 September 20. Dr. Jewett, father, dies.
1880 Begins important lifelong friendship with Boston literary figure, Annie Fields (1834-1915). After her husband, James T. Fields, dies in 1881, Fields and Jewett live together during parts of each year and travel widely in Europe and America. Together they meet and visit with a number of prominent contemporary writers including: Alfred Tennyson, Christina Rossetti, Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Henry James, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, John Greenleaf Whittier, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Marie Thérèse Blanc.
1882 First trip to Europe.
1884 A Country Doctor, first novel published. Dr. Leslie, the title character, is based on her father.
1891 October 21. Caroline Perry Jewett, mother, dies after a long illness.
1892 Second trip to Europe.
1896 Cruises among Caribbean islands; publishes The Country of the Pointed Firs, generally considered her best single work.
1897 Younger sister, Caroline Jewett Eastman dies.
1898 Third trip to Europe.
1900 Fourth trip to Europe.
1901 The first woman to receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Bowdoin College.
1902 Injured in a carriage accident on her birthday, she is incapacitated for the rest of her life. Though she continues writing letters and visiting, she cannot sustain the necessary attention for writing fiction.
1904 "A Spring Sunday," last story published in her lifetime.
1908 Meets and corresponds with Willa Cather.
1909 June 24. Dies at her home in South Berwick.
Scholars, students, and other interested people are invited to
participate in adding to and improving this web site. Below
are listed some tasks that would help the site. Perhaps you
may think of others. Feel free to make suggestions or to
take on one of these tasks. Before doing a lot of work,
contact the site manager to learn whether anyone else is working
on the task you propose.
Contact: theller at coe period edu.
- Most of Jewett's stories appeared in magazines before they were collected. Only a few of the original magazine texts are here. More are welcome.
- Most of Jewett's unpublished materials are not yet here. Adding more would be good.
- Several texts are not yet annotated. If you would like to annotate a text or part of a text, check with the site manager to see what is available to be done.
- Literary Scholarship, Annotated Bibliography of Secondary Writing. While there are regular updates, there are likely always to be relevant materials not yet included. Please notify the site manager of missing items.- Biography. Essays and articles on Jewett and her family may be added to the site.
- Annie Fields. Attached to this site is a site for Annie
Fields. Additions to this site are welcome.
Copyright © 1997-2016 by Terry Heller.
Updated: January 2016
Page Design 2002 by Gabe Heller