Claudia (American literary character)

Claudia is an American literary character created by author Rose Franken.[1] An article in Life magazine's March 31, 1941, issue said, "One of the oddest phenomena in the entertainment world is how a little idea like Claudia can grow into big business."[2]

The Claudia stories originated as serialized narratives in Redbook and Good Housekeeping magazines. The stories focused on the Naughton family: Claudia, David (her husband), Bobby and Matthew (their sons) and relatives of the family.[3] A 1949 article in Radio Album magazine pointed out the similarity between author and character: "Knowing Rose Franken is having special insight into how Claudia got the way she is. ... People who should know claim that Miss Franken is Claudia."[4]

Franken's obituary in The New York Times described the Claudia works as follows:

Miss Franken's works displayed a steadfast conviction that marriage was a compound of gaiety and disaster, in which the partners matured as the result of shared experience. A woman, moreover, through fortitude understanding and perspective, could make marriage a happy estate.[3]

That initial series of stories eventually grew into eight novels, two films, a play, a radio series, and a television series.[3]

  1. ^ "Kate Smith Presents 'Claudia' as Regular Radio Feature". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. May 31, 1941. p. 21. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ "The 'Claudia' Boom Hits Broadway". Life. March 31, 1941. pp. 120–123. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Rose Franken, 92, Author of the 'Claudia' Stories". The New York Times. New York, New York City. June 24, 1988. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  4. ^ "The Constant Bride" (PDF). Radio Album. Winter 1949. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 25 February 2017.