Elinor Wylie (1885-1928) was born into a prominent family of money and power. Her father, Henry Hoyt, was a successful attorney who later served as the Attorney General under President McKinley. While he was busy with legal and government business, Wylie’s mother Anne feigned illness as a way of getting the attention she thought her husband denied her, and she often retreated with her children to her own parents’ home as a source of refuge. At the same time, Wylie’s mother was well aware of her social duties as the wife of a high-ranking government official, and she instilled in her daughter the importance of fulfilling these roles. These conflicting attitudes in her mother, the desire for refuge and the need to present a carefully drawn and socially acceptable face to the public,…
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Citation: Keel, Amelia. "Elinor Wylie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4819, accessed 21 November 2024.]
