Fanny Fern
Fanny Fern, born Sara Willis (July 9, 1811 – October 10, 1872), was an American newspaper columnist, humorist, novelist, and author of children's stories in the 1850s-1870s. Fern's great popularity has been attributed to her conversational style and sense of what mattered to her mostly middle-class female readers. By 1855, Fern was the highest-paid columnist in the United States, commanding $100 per week for her New York Ledger column.
A collection of her columns published in 1853 sold 70,000 copies in its first year. Her best-known work, the fictional autobiography Ruth Hall (1854), has become a popular subject among feminist literary scholars.
“Marriage is the hardest way to get a living.”
Fanny Fern
“Love is a farce; matrimony is a humbug; husbands are domestic Napoleons, Neroes, Alexanders,--sighing for other hearts to conquer, after they are sure of yours.”
Fanny Fern
“She said it was beautiful to be loved, and that it made everything on earth look brighter.”
Fanny Fern
“There are no little things. Little things are the hinges of the universe.”
Fanny Fern