CYNTHIA GRIFFIN WOLFF

WOLFF, Cynthia Griffin Of Canton, MA, passed away peacefully on July 25, 2024 at 87 years of age. Daughter of James and Eunice (Heyn) Griffin. Sister of James Jr. Mother of Patrick and Tobias. Grandmother of Sam and Athena. Cynthia was born in Saint Louis, Missouri on August 20, 1934. She was a graduate of Radcliffe (Harvard) college, attended Harvard Medical School, and in 1965 received her Ph.D. in English at Harvard University. She was a tenured professor of English and American literature at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and then at MIT, where she became the Class of 1922 Professor of Humanities in 1985. She retired from MIT in 2003. Cynthia's career was devoted to the study of 19th and 20th century female American writers. She wrote two major literary biographies. A Feast of Words: The Triumph of Edith Wharton was published in 1977, where she analyzed the life and literary work of Edith Wharton. Emily Dickinson was published in 1986, where she analyzed the life and literary work of Emily Dickinson. With each biography, Cynthia spent years doing detailed biographical research, in the process unearthing new and original primary sources, before even starting the process of writing a first draft. Cynthia's goal was to analyze her subject's literary oeuvre with a complete understanding of both the historical and personal context of the author. The result in each case was a uniquely deep and nuanced analysis backed by meticulous attention to detail. Several years before her retirement, Cynthia began working on a third literary biography, in this case on Willa Cather. She continued work after her retirement but found herself unable to bring it to fruition and eventually put it aside. Cynthia was married to Robert Paul Wolff from 1962 until their divorce in 1986 and was married to Nicholas J. White from 1988 until their divorce in 2019. With Robert Paul Wolff she had her sons Patrick and Tobias. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Service on Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 9:30am at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 475 Washington Street, CANTON, MA. Interment will take place at Wildwood Cemetery, 70 Strong Street, Amherst, MA at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Willa Cather Center at https://www.willacather.org/donate www.StanetskyCanton.com