Biography
She was born in Philadelphia, of French and German extraction, and was educated at the Sacred Heart Convent at Torresdale, near Philadelphia. She was one of America's chief representatives of the discursive essay, displaying wide reading and apt quotation. Her writings contain literary criticism as well as comments on contemporary life. These characteristics were already apparent in the first essay which she contributed to the Atlantic Monthly (April 1886), entitled “Children, Past and Present.”
Her earliest national publications appeared in 1881 in Catholic World. Although she did write several biographies and some fiction, early in her career she decided to concentrate her attention on writing essays, and for 50 years she enjoyed a national reputation. She was a heavy smoker, and had a conservative's outlook on the issues of the day.
Read more about this topic: Agnes Repplier
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