“With Sara Orne Jewett, Miss Chase was the chronicler of New England small town life, of the rugged virtues inherited from sailing-ship days. She described the glorious coastline, the birds and flowers and woods of her native Maine. Her prose had the trademarks of her Puritan ancestors. It was direct, uncluttered, stubbornly divided, spiced with dry humor. Meticulously schooled in her craft, she could bring the wonders of nature to life, evoke the past, and rise to biblical eloquence." (Chase, 1988, p. 7)
Like her contemporary, Margaret Chase Smith (no relation), Mary Ellen Chase was a strong and staunchly independent Mainer, who, over the course of her writing career was best-selling author of eleven novels, five books on the Bible, thirteen short stories, several biographies, dozens of essays, ad countless magazine articles.
Chase was born into a large family in the coastal village of Blue Hill, Maine in 1887. Her upbringing was typical of the era in which she lived, with a father who set high standards and tolerated no disobedience. Squire (1995) wrote, “They were strictly controlled and reprimanded for disobedience, for not performing their duties, and for lying, at which Chase was particularly adept.”(p. 32)
In 1904 Chase went off to the University of Maine, and, at her father’s insistence, in 1906 became a teacher in Buck’s Harbor, a rural coastal community. When Chase’s contract was up in Buck’s Harbor, she decided to get away and explore life elsewhere. She first went to Chicago, then in 1913 went to Berlin to study German.
While Chase was in Germany, she suffered two losses her father and her grandmother. It was a very difficult time for Chase because she was close to her grandmother, had learned of her family’s sea-going ancestry from her as a child.
Also, while in Germany, Chase contracted TB, which affected her for the rest of her life. As a result of her illness and her recent losses, Chase returned to Chicago in deep despair.
In 1917 Chase began her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota. She received her Master’s degree in 1918 and her PhD in 1922. Chase then became the Assistant Professor of English, where she stayed until 1926. While at the University of Minnesota, Chase also worked as a lecturer, traveling cross-country. During that time, she also wrote “Thomas Hardy: From Serial to Novel”, which she paid the University of Minnesota $1500 to publish.
Chase left the University of Minnesota for Smith’s College, where she became Assistant Professor of English and Literature and eventually Department Chairperson.
