Charlotte Perkins Gilman is best known as the author of the gothic short story "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Born in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, Gilman had a very lonely childhood and spent most of her time in the public library. She received a limited formal education in public schools and mostly educated herself with extensive reading in history, philosophy, and anthropology. After studying briefly at the Rhode Island School of Design, Gilman began publishing articles and poems in local magazines in 1883. In 1884, Gilman married Charles Walter Stetson, a handsome aspiring artist who had courted her intensely the previous year. Three months after their marriage, Gilman learned...