1. LITERATURE REVIEW Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930), one of the greatest American woman writers, made tremendous achievements in short stories among the literary forms she touched upon. She elaborately depicted the tranquility of New England villages, and her works were consequently a faithful account of New England area, for which she was attached the label of "regional writer." "Freeman drew widespread praise for her intimate portraits of women and her realistic depictions of rural New England life. [...] Her stories, [...] are remarkable for their unpretentious, sympathetic portrayals of their lives of ordinary New Englanders of Freeman's era. Many of the stories depict rebellion against oppressive social and private conditions" (Reichardt 430). "Freeman drew accolades for her portraits of the'pathos and beauty of simple lives'; [...] and for her accurate depiction of rural and impoverished New England life" (Reichard ?).
