A Singular Life

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844-1911) was an American early feminist author and intellectual. Phelps advocated for women's rights, clothing reform, and animal rights, often finding herself surrounded in controversy because of it. Having published multiple best-sellers, Phelps was a well-known author and was the first woman to present a lecture series at Boston University. She wrote in several genres, including children's and spiritualist literature. Phelps often challenged traditional Christian beliefs and the expected domestic role of women in her writing. By the end of her career, Phelps published fifty-seven volumes of fiction, poetry, and essays, as well multiple novels.