Kansas Women in Literature — Reading Notes

Diction of Praise and Proof

Barker’s language is consistently laudatory but specific. She calls Effie Graham “one of the most talented women of the state” and quotes Ex-Gov. Hoch calling her “one of the most gifted women in the state noted for its brilliant women.” The repetition of “state” ties each writer to Kansas geography. For Sallie F. Toler, Barker writes she “has written on every subject from pigs and pole cats to patriotism,” a folksy catalog that signals versatility without analysis. The praise is often external: critics, governors, or magazine staff lists supply authority. Barker herself rarely offers aesthetic judgment, instead letting quoted fragments—like the comparison of Graham’s book to “Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch” and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”—stand in for evaluation.

Voice in the Excerpts: Lyric and Declarative

The quoted verse reveals a range of voices. Margaret Perkins’s lines use formal, romantic diction: “With silken flutter of empurpled wings” and “abloom where age and season never sear.” The tone is elevated, with regular meter and rhyme. In contrast, the opening poem by Ellen P. Allerton is more direct and patriotic: “We are proud of Kansas, the beautiful queen.” Barker’s own prose is factual and brisk, rarely pausing for reflection. When she does characterize a writer’s style, it is in brief phrases: for one poet, “the rhyme easy flowing and strong.” The excerpts thus show a tension between the ornate, sometimes archaic verse of the poets and Barker’s plain, reportorial framing.

Structure as a Catalog of Achievement

Each profile follows a predictable pattern: birthplace or adoption, education, professional roles, list of publications, and a closing quotation or commendation. For instance, Effie Graham’s entry lists her academic posts, lecture titles, and magazine contributions before mentioning her book. The effect is cumulative: the reader sees a series of résumés rather than literary analysis. Barker emphasizes productivity—how many books, how many magazine pieces, how many plays. She notes that Graham’s name is “the only woman’s name on its staff of fifty editors” for School Science & Mathematics, a detail that highlights gender in a male-dominated field. The structure itself argues that these women deserve recognition by sheer volume and variety of output.

Recurring Details: Geography, Lineage, and Labor

Barker repeatedly ties writers to Kansas geography and pioneer ancestry. Anna E. Arnold is “a thorough Kansan, and a farm product”; Eva Morley Murphy is “a descendant of Nathaniel Perry … and of Rodger Williams.” These details root literary achievement in regional and familial soil. Another recurring element is the mention of teaching: many subjects are educators—Graham heads a math department, Perkins is a high school teacher, Arnold is a county superintendent. Barker also notes political engagement: Murphy was “a recent candidate for Congress” and “one of the women who made equal suffrage possible in Kansas.” The profiles thus present writing as one facet of a life of public service, teaching, and civic activism.

Readers approaching Kansas Women in Literature should treat it as a period document rather than a critical study. Barker’s method—collecting names, titles, and testimonials—preserves a snapshot of how literary reputation was constructed in early twentieth-century Kansas. The book rewards those interested in the intersection of gender, regional identity, and the mechanics of canon formation. Pay attention to what Barker chooses to quote and what she omits; the gaps are as telling as the praise.