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Alice Sawtelle

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Alice Elizabeth Sawtelle Randall at Colby College, 1885

Alice Elizabeth Sawtelle Randall (1863–1909[1]) was an American classicist and poet. Her two most notable works include her dissertation, "The Sources of Spenser's Classical Mythology",[2] and her poem, "The Vision of St. Elizabeth".[3] She graduated from Colby College in 1888 as a member of its Sigma Kappa chapter,[4] and earned her doctorate in philosophy from Yale University in 1896.[1]

Scholarship and poetry

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Sawtelle's most famous writing is "The Sources of Spenser's Classical Mythology", a dissertation on Edmund Spenser. In it, she praises Spenser's mastery of classical mythology and his ability to create 'new' myths that blend seamlessly with the actual tales of antiquity. She continues on to alphabetically lists out and explains how Spenser uses different classical myths in his work. This dictionary approach earned her some contemporary reproach; fellow scholars complained that her lack of conclusion relegated her work to mere data collection and not true scholarship. Others defended her work, claiming that both her rigor and the work's utility to other scholars was merit-worthy.[5]

Her dissertation continued to be used by a number of papers on Spenser after Sawtelle's death in 1909.[6][7][8][9][10] Leter scholars praise "The Sources of Spenser's Classical Mythology" as a "pioneer work" and being highly readable despite its dictionary format.[11][12] In 1932, Henry Gibbons Lotspeich attempted to expand upon Sawtelle's work with his own catalogue, "Classical Mythology in the Poetry of Edmund Spenser".[11]

Her poem, "The Visions of St. Elizabeth", received much less scholarly attention. The poem is religious, celebrating St. Elizabeth's charity towards the poor and sick. It was published in The Biblical World in 1897.[3]

Education and feminism

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Sawtelle was one of only 48 American women to receive a doctorate in English in the 19th Century.[13] She graduated from Colby College in 1888, just 17 years after the university began accepting women.[14] While there, she and eighteen other women penned and signed a letter protesting attempts by Colby's administration to separate the female student body from the male.[14] Additionally, she joined Colby's Sigma Kappa chapter.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Alice Elizabeth Sawtelle Randall". New York Tribune. 11 December 1909. p. 7. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  2. ^ Sawtelle Randall, Alice (1869). The Sources of Spenser's Classical Mythology. Silver, Burdett, and Company.
  3. ^ a b Randall, Alice Sawtelle (1897). "The Vision of St. Elizabeth". The Biblical World. 10 (6): 462–463. ISSN 0190-3578.
  4. ^ "Alpha Chapter of Sigma Kappa, Colby College, 1885". PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  5. ^ Hart, J. M. (1897). "Review of The Sources of Spenser's Classical Mythology". The Journal of Germanic Philology. 1 (3): 395–397. ISSN 0364-2968.
  6. ^ Draper, John W. (1932). "Classical Coinage in the Faerie Queene". PMLA. 47 (1): 97–108. doi:10.2307/458021. ISSN 0030-8129.
  7. ^ Macey, J. David (1999). ""Fowle Idolatree" and Fair: Apuleius and the Idol of Isis Church". Comparative Literature Studies. 36 (4): 279–293. ISSN 0010-4132.
  8. ^ Starnes, D. T. (1942). "E. K.'s Classical Allusions Reconsidered". Studies in Philology. 39 (2): 143–159. ISSN 0039-3738.
  9. ^ Hughes, Merritt Y. (1935). "Spenser's Palmer". ELH. 2 (2): 151–164. doi:10.2307/2871480. ISSN 0013-8304.
  10. ^ Tuve, Rosemond (1936). "Spenser's Reading: The "De Claris Mulieribus"". Studies in Philology. 33 (2): 147–165. ISSN 0039-3738.
  11. ^ a b Bush, Douglas (1933). "Review of Classical Mythology in the Poetry of Edmund Spenser; Spiritualismus und Sensualismus in der englischen Barocklyrik; The Oxford Book of Sixteenth Century Verse". Modern Language Notes. 48 (4): 263–265. doi:10.2307/2912242. ISSN 0149-6611.
  12. ^ Northup, Clark S. (1935). "Review of Classical Mythology in the Poetry of Edmund Spenser". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 34 (1): 116–117. ISSN 0363-6941.
  13. ^ Draper, John W. (1932). "Classical Coinage in the Faerie Queene". PMLA. 47 (1): 97–108. doi:10.2307/458021. ISSN 0030-8129.
  14. ^ a b Whittemore, Edwin Carey. Colby College 1820-1925: An Account of Its Beginnings, Progress and Service. Colby College Publications. Colby College. The Trustees of Colby College.
  15. ^ "Alpha Chapter of Sigma Kappa, Colby College, 1885". PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
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