Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene Stratton-Porter: A Life of Nature, Writing, and Activism
Full Name and Common Aliases
Gene Stratton-Porter was born Phoebe Jane Conger on May 17, 1865, in Wabash County, Indiana. She is commonly known as Gene Stratton-Porter or simply Gene.
Birth and Death Dates
May 17, 1865 – December 6, 1924
Nationality and Profession(s)
Gene Stratton-Porter was an American author, naturalist, wildlife photographer, and film producer. Her works spanned multiple genres, including romance novels, children's literature, and non-fiction.
Early Life and Background
Growing up in rural Indiana, Gene developed a deep appreciation for nature from a young age. She spent much of her childhood exploring the woods, learning about plants, animals, and the environment. After completing her education, she moved to California where she began writing short stories and selling them to magazines.
Major Accomplishments
Gene Stratton-Porter's accomplishments are numerous:
Best-selling author: She wrote 44 novels, selling over 15 million copies worldwide.
Wildlife conservationist: Gene was a vocal advocate for wildlife preservation and conservation. Her work helped raise awareness about the importance of protecting endangered species.
Pioneering filmmaker: In 1915, Gene produced her first film, "The Girl of Wildfire Peak," which became a moderate success.Notable Works or Actions
Some of Gene Stratton-Porter's most notable works include:
1. "A Girl of the Limberlost" (1909) - a romance novel that explores themes of love, loss, and personal growth.
2. "The Harvester" (1911) - a novel about a young man who becomes embroiled in a land dispute with a wealthy businessman.
3. "Moths of the Limberlost" (1907) - a non-fiction work that showcases Gene's expertise as a naturalist and wildlife photographer.
Impact and Legacy
Gene Stratton-Porter's impact on literature, conservation, and filmmaking is still felt today:
Her writing continues to be widely read and studied, inspiring new generations of authors.
Her advocacy for wildlife preservation helped raise awareness about the importance of protecting endangered species.
As a pioneering filmmaker, Gene paved the way for future generations of women in the industry.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Gene Stratton-Porter's quotes and writings are widely quoted because they offer insights into her unique perspective on life, nature, and humanity. Her words continue to inspire and educate readers today:
> "Nature is not a place to visit. It is home."
> "The world needs more wild creatures than ever before, but it also needs more people who love them."
These quotes capture the essence of Gene Stratton-Porter's life work: a deep appreciation for nature, a commitment to conservation, and a passion for sharing her knowledge with others.
Quotes by Gene Stratton-Porter
With some people it makes a regular battlefield of the human heart – this struggle for self-expression,” said Philip. “You are going to do beautiful work in the world, and do it well.
When she returned she handed her mother an oblong frame, hand carved, enclosing Elnora’s picture, taken by a schoolmate’s camera. She wore her storm-coat and carried a dripping umbrella. From under it looked her bright face; her books and lunchbox were on her arm, and across the bottom of the frame was carved, “Your Country Classmate.
She stood looking down a long time; finally she picked up a fine specimen of each of the roses and slowly dropped them on her father’s grave. “There! You may have that many,” she said. “You look a little too lonely, lying here beside the others with not a single one, but if you could speak, I wonder whether you would say, ‘Thank you!’ or ‘Take the damn weeds off me!‘” CHAPTER.
If the homemakers of this country don’t get the idea into their heads pretty soon that they are not going to be able to hold their own with the rest of the world, with no children, or one child in the family, there’s a sad day of reckoning coming.
What you have to give is taught in no college, and I am not sure but you would spoil yourself if you tried to run your mind through a set groove with hundreds of others.
The Angel’s eyes widened curiously and her lips parted. a deep colour swept into her cheeks. She had intended to arouse him. She had more than succeeded. She was too young to know that in the effort to rouse a man, women frequently kindle fires that they neither can quench or control.
They all reproduce themselves, they all make something intended for music, they all express a feeling in their hearts by the exercise we call dance, they all believe in the after life of the soul. This belief is as much a PART of any man, ever born in any location, as his hands and his feet.
Freckles never tired of studying the devotion of a fox mother to her babies. To him, whose early life had been so embittered by continual proof of neglect and cruelty in human parents toward their children, the love of these furred and feathered folk of the Limberlost was even more of a miracle than to the Bird Woman and the Angel.
There is one great beauty in idealized romance: reading it can make no one worse than he is, while it may help thousands to a cleaner life and higher inspiration than they ever before have known.
I am so unfortunate in my temper. I could manage slaves better than women. This time I’ll be calm, and reason things out with her, or I’ll blow out my brains.