Marion Manville Pope

Marion Manville Pope (, Manville; July 13, 1859 – December 22, 1930) was an American poet and author of juvenile literature. Pope was a woman of liberal education with varied talents and accomplishments. After marriage, she made Valparaíso, Chile, her permanent home. Her writings inspired the allegorical sculpture, The End of the Trail by James Earle Fraser. Her story of Up the matterhorn in a boat (1897) depicts the then-popular topic of flying machines. The two fictional aviators of the story use a flying boat to travel up the Matterhorn mountain in the Alps. But they meet dangers represented by avalanches and storms. One of the reviewers from 1898 commented that the story's seemingly futuristic topic of human flight may become an every-day affair by the end of the 1940s, predicting 50 years of further advancements in aviation.

Early life and education Marion (nickname, "Minnie") Augusta Manville was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, July 13, 1859. She was the daughter of Marvin Madison Monroe Manville and Helen A. Manville. Pope was an active, intelligent and precocious child. In her early childhood, she wrote verses in great numbers, and most of her work was surprisingly good for someone of her age.

She was a pupil of the Lyceum School in New York City.

Career

Some of her earlier productions were included with later ones in Pope's first published book, Over the Divide (Philadelphia, 1888). The volume passed through several editions, and the critics received it favorably. Many of the poems contained in the book were read by dramatic readers. Her poems found wide circulation, but she believed that her best work was her prose fiction. Her love for children led her to write for them, and in their behalf, she contributed both prose and verse to St. Nicholas Magazine, Wide Awake, Our Little Ones, The Nursery, Babyhood, and other children's magazines. "Her work shows, not only true poetic gifts, but also ... careful thinking and proper attention to form... Her poems are clear-cut and finely polished."

Pope's writings inspired the allegorical sculpture, The End of the Trail by James Earle Fraser (1915).

Of Up the matterhorn in a boat, the Harford Post review in Book News: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Books (1897), said of it:—

The Delineator (1898) provided a review as well, saying:—

Personal life On September 22, 1891, she married Charles Alvin Pope, FRGS, author, of Valparaíso, Chile, and she made that city her permanent home. Her travels thereafter included Cuba and Mexico.

Pope was a dramatic reader, and an artist of merit. Her work included crayon, oils, and pen and ink. She modeled well, and some of her heads were genuinely artistic. She was a social favorite in society.

Marion Manville Pope died in Neuilly, France, December 22, 1930.

Selected works By Marion Manville Over the divide and other verses, 1888

By Marion Manville Pope A judicial error, 1896 Up the matterhorn in a boat, 1897 Between two gods : [an allegory], 1917