Mary Roberts Rinehart - (1876-1958)
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I. Biography Mary Roberts Rinehart was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh) on August 12, 1876, and she died September 22, 1958. She was born
left-handed, in the days when this was looked upon as irrational and unladylike. To make her use her right hand, she had her left hand tied behind her back.
During her lifetime, she was a very successful mystery writer and playwright. Rinehart lived in Allegheny for most of her life, and wrote most of her mystery stories in Allegheny.
Rinehart got her first start in writing when she was in high school. She sold a couple of stories to a local newspaper for a dollar a piece, and had them published in the newspaper.
Although this was not a very extravagant start, it was still a start. She stopped writing for a while after this, according to Rinehart in her own words, "I did no further so-called
literary work until 12 years later when I was 27." After receiving inspiration from a town doctor who happened to be a woman, Rinehart developed a curiosity for medicine. Rinehart
then went on to study nursing at a medical school in Pittsburgh. Upon completing her schooling, her writing career commenced.Right from the beginning, her stories were
phenomenal. They were considered to be some of the best mystery stories of that time. All of her stories take place in the Pittsburgh area and have a common theme about them, a
female as the main character. This heroine goes through the story and solves the mystery, only to have to be rescued from the villain by a male detective some sort. Most of her
stories also seem to include events that happened to Rinehart, or were events that she witnessed. Her most popular mystery, The Circular Staircase, took place in Pittsburgh
and for the first time showed how mystery and comedy could flow together. Her mystery stories were so good and well liked that she was compared to one of the most
recognized mystery writers ever, Agatha Christie. Her mystery stories were not only compared to those of Agatha Christie, in her prime her writings were rated over Christie. Rinehart's stories had a
tendency to be very well-liked. It was because of this reason that Rinehart had one of her stories turned into a play. The story was originally called The Circular Staircase, but was renamed The Bat
when it was made into a play. The most notable part of this story was the phrase "the butler did it", which was originated and used for the first time in this story.
Many people do not know where this phrase came from, but then again many people have not heard of the creator of this phrase Mary Roberts Rinehart. That is why Mary Roberts
Rinehart is a mystery in herself. Rinehart stayed in Pittsburgh for most of her life, but she moved to New York where she passed away. Before she died, she was writing about 4000
words a day with a special pen that she had custom made. II. Literary Works My Life- This was an autobiography written by Rinehart about her life and her experiences in writing.
The Circular Staircase- This was Rinehart's first book. It was also one of her most popular. The story takes place in a Pittsburgh mansion. It involves a female main character
that goes through the story and solves the mystery. The Man in Lower Ten- This is another mystery again taking place in Pittsburgh that
involves a female main character. After solving the mystery this female character falls into trouble with the villain and needs to be rescued by a detective. The Case of Jennie Brice-
This story takes place in the flood district located next to the Johnstown River, in Pittsburgh, were Rinehart grew up. This story clearly shows how
Rinehart relates her life to her writing. In the story, there is an old lady who runs a boardinghouse. A mysterious couple that is staying in the boardinghouse causes the old
woman some problems. The wife Jennie Brice disappears one night and the husband seems to be the reason for this disappearance. The problem is that he fleas and leaves
behind a whole bunch of questions to be answered, which posts the whole mystery. In the end, it is once again the female main character that solves the mystery. III. Web Links
http://www.worldbook.com
IV. Works Cited MacLeod, Charlotte. Had She But Known. New York: Warner Books, 1994.
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. Mary Roberts Rinehart's Mystery Book. New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1908, 1909, 1913. "North Side: Mary Roberts Rinehart." (5 May 2000) This essay was submitted by a student of Cheryl Petersohn, a teacher at Harriton High School in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.