Pamela Wynne
Encyclopedia
Pamela Wynne the author
was a romantic novelist during the 1920s and 30's with a career lasting until her death in 1959.
1879. Her father Samuel was a solicitor
in the City of London
and Winifred was the fourth child born to Samuel and his wife Lily, two more children were to follow. The family were affluent enough to have Winifred educated privately in Lausanne
, Switzerland
and it was during her education
that she found her love of writing. She married William Herbert Schroder Scott in Bombay, India, 14 November 1905. She bore three children, William Patrick Temple Scott born 1908, Herbert Wyndham Fitzgerald Scott born 1910, Sholto Haig Scott-Watson born 1917. She divorce
d in 1932. She died 29 January 1959, Sissinghurst
, Kent
.
(1925) with Laura La Plante
and Eugene O'Brien and Devotion (1931) with Ann Harding
and Leslie Howard
.
Review from May 1923: Mordaunt Hall
, New York Times
This is a variant of the plot about the big strong silent man and the little innocent girl whom he could (and did at times) lift like thistledown and carry away. It is an ingenious variant, because the big man, does not in this case really feel much interest in the little girl at first, and she, not he, falls in love at first sight. This happens on board the Carpathia, bound for India where Ann's parents are awaiting her arrival fresh from a convent school. Tony Seymour, the strong hero, has had an earlier, and very innocent, affair of the heart with little Ann's mother, and is naturally averse from expending his emotion
s again on one of the same family. He is affected, however, by Ann's dog-like devotion, and each one of the appalling dangers and scrapes she falls into—and the rest of the book is chiefly made up of these—seems to bind him to her more closely. He proposes to her because she has been seen by someone sitting by his side at night on deck while he slept, and after that his time is largely occupied in rescuing her with admirable courage and resource from the various people who kidnap
her for one purpose or another. When all seems at last to be going smoothly the villain drops words of venom about Tony's old love affair
. Ann is too innocent not to believe the worst, and estrangement follows—not for long, however, and the villain soon, sitting at Guggerpore in a temperature of 110deg, swore horribly as he read his English papers. They contained an announcement of the marriage
.
Pamela Wynne is now on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Pamela-Wynne/260220530663909?sk=info
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
was a romantic novelist during the 1920s and 30's with a career lasting until her death in 1959.
Life
She was born with the name Winifred Mary Watson, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1879. Her father Samuel was a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and Winifred was the fourth child born to Samuel and his wife Lily, two more children were to follow. The family were affluent enough to have Winifred educated privately in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and it was during her education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
that she found her love of writing. She married William Herbert Schroder Scott in Bombay, India, 14 November 1905. She bore three children, William Patrick Temple Scott born 1908, Herbert Wyndham Fitzgerald Scott born 1910, Sholto Haig Scott-Watson born 1917. She divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in 1932. She died 29 January 1959, Sissinghurst
Sissinghurst
Sissinghurst is a small village in the county of Kent in England. Originally called Milkhouse Street , Sissinghurst changed its name in the 1850s, possibly to avoid association with the smuggling and cockfighting activities of the Hawkhurst Gang.The nearest railway station is at...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Career
Pamela Wynne wrote more than 60 romantic novels during her lifetime, many of which were probably based on her own experiences of living in India. Two of her books were turned into major motion pictures, Dangerous InnocenceDangerous Innocence (film)
Dangerous Innocence is a 1925 black-and-white silent film comedy/romance/drama film written by Lewis Milestone and James O. Spearing based upon the novel Ann's an Idiot by Pamela Wynne. Directed by William A. Seiter for Universal Pictures, the film stars Laura La Plante and Eugene O'Brien...
(1925) with Laura La Plante
Laura La Plante
Laura La Plante was an American actress, best-known for her roles in silent films.-Early acting career:...
and Eugene O'Brien and Devotion (1931) with Ann Harding
Ann Harding
Ann Harding was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress.-Early years:Born Dorothy Walton Gatley at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to George G. Gatley and Elizabeth "Bessie" Crabb. The daughter of a career army officer, she traveled often during her early life...
and Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard (actor)
Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
.
Book Review
Ann's An Idiot by Pamela WynneReview from May 1923: Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for The New York Times, from October 1924 to September 1934....
, New York Times
This is a variant of the plot about the big strong silent man and the little innocent girl whom he could (and did at times) lift like thistledown and carry away. It is an ingenious variant, because the big man, does not in this case really feel much interest in the little girl at first, and she, not he, falls in love at first sight. This happens on board the Carpathia, bound for India where Ann's parents are awaiting her arrival fresh from a convent school. Tony Seymour, the strong hero, has had an earlier, and very innocent, affair of the heart with little Ann's mother, and is naturally averse from expending his emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
s again on one of the same family. He is affected, however, by Ann's dog-like devotion, and each one of the appalling dangers and scrapes she falls into—and the rest of the book is chiefly made up of these—seems to bind him to her more closely. He proposes to her because she has been seen by someone sitting by his side at night on deck while he slept, and after that his time is largely occupied in rescuing her with admirable courage and resource from the various people who kidnap
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
her for one purpose or another. When all seems at last to be going smoothly the villain drops words of venom about Tony's old love affair
Love Affair
Love Affair is a 1939 American romantic film starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer and featuring Maria Ouspenskaya. It was directed by Leo McCarey and written by Delmer Daves and Donald Ogden Stewart, based on a story by McCarey and Mildred Cram....
. Ann is too innocent not to believe the worst, and estrangement follows—not for long, however, and the villain soon, sitting at Guggerpore in a temperature of 110deg, swore horribly as he read his English papers. They contained an announcement of the marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
.
Sources
- The Times On Line, G.R.O Births Index, G.R.O Deaths Index
- National Archive: Divorce papers, listing dates and births of children
- National Archive: Passenger Lists India to Great Britain
External links
Pamela Wynne is now on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Pamela-Wynne/260220530663909?sk=info