91精选

罢谤颈苍颈迟测鈥檚 Dr. John J. Fry, professor of history, department chair, academic dean, and director of foundations program, has been awarded a Hoover Presidential Foundation Travel Grant. With this grant, he plans to spend several days in June at the Hoover Presidential Library-Museum and Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa, to research 鈥淭he Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder.鈥�

Fry has been studying the life of the author of the Little House books for 20 years, beginning in graduate school. He intends to focus his research on Wilder鈥檚 faith, which he described as an unexplored area. According to Fry, while most biographies of Wilder portray her as a devout Christian, some of the representations of church and other Christians in her books are less than positive. 鈥淭here is an edge in some of her books,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or example, she writes about one pastor she doesn鈥檛 like at all.鈥�

As part of his research, Fry intends to explore whether some of those views in the published books may be at least partly influenced by Wilder鈥檚 daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, who served as editor and advisor on the books. 鈥淗er daughter was a libertarian and an atheist at the time the Little House books were written. So it could be that edge comes from Rose Wilder Lane,鈥� he said.

Lane was a friend of Hoover鈥檚, and the presidential library houses the 鈥淩ose Wilder Lane Collection鈥� of papers. While in Iowa, Fry can view the original manuscripts of the Little House books. He will also have the opportunity to examine Wilder鈥檚 correspondences with Lane and others.

Fry is maintaining about his research, with regular updates and insights into his findings.