Gertrude Stein: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Gertrude Stein wrote sentences the way her friends painted canvases — repeating, flattening, refusing narrative perspective — and her prose became raw material for composers, poets and playwrights long after her death. This mix traces the Paris salon at 27 rue de Fleurus outward: the painters and psychologists who shaped her method, the expatriate scene she presided over, and the experimental music and Language poetry she licensed.

The Kynda mix for Gertrude Stein

• Key Influence · Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso (1907). Picasso painted Stein's portrait in 1906 over roughly ninety sittings, and the two developed their breakthroughs in parallel: as he dismantled the single viewpoint, she dismantled narrative sequence in The Making of Americans and Tender Buttons. She bought his work early, hung it at 27 rue de Fleurus, and later wrote a book-length study, Picasso (1938). Cubism's simultaneity is the structural model behind her verbal portraits.
• Influencia Obscura · Sex and Character by Otto Weininger (1903). Stein read Weininger's notorious treatise soon after its translation and recommended it to friends; its schematic typology of human character fed directly into the vast taxonomy of "kinds" of people that structures The Making of Americans. Her attempt to sort every person into bottom-nature types echoes Weininger's system, uncomfortable ideology included — a genuinely buried source behind her most monumental book.
• Local Roots · A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (1964). Hemingway climbed the stairs at 27 rue de Fleurus as a young reporter; Stein edited his sentences, told him to cut the inessential, and became godmother to his son before the friendship curdled. His posthumous Paris memoir devotes some of its sharpest and least generous pages to her salon, and remains the most widely read first-person account of the room where Stein's influence on American prose was transmitted.
• Beyond the Medium · The Principles of Psychology by William James (1890). Stein studied under James at Radcliffe and called him her great teacher; she ran automatic-writing experiments in his laboratory and published on motor automatism before going to Johns Hopkins medical school. His account of the stream of consciousness and of the "specious present" underwrites her insistence on a continuous present tense and on repetition as the real texture of thought rather than a stylistic tic.
• Peer · Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (1919). Anderson was Stein's most loyal American champion: he wrote the admiring introduction to Geography and Plays (1922), publicly credited her with teaching him what words could do, and sent Hemingway to her door with a letter of introduction. Winesburg's plain, repeating cadences and small-town inner lives show what a working American novelist took from Three Lives before the experiment reached the avant-garde.
• From the Canon · Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein (1914). Her cubist still life in words: three sequences of Objects, Food and Rooms in which ordinary nouns are severed from description and rebuilt as sound and arrangement. "A rose is a rose" is the slogan, but this is the laboratory. Written after a decade of looking at Picasso and Gris, it is the single book that most clearly converts painting's method into prose and became the source text for later experimental poetry.
• Key Collaborator · Four Saints in Three Acts by Virgil Thomson (1934). Thomson set Stein's libretto about Spanish saints to music and staged it on Broadway with an all-Black cast, cellophane sets and choreography by Frederick Ashton — a sensation that put her words in front of thousands who would never read Tender Buttons. Their partnership continued with The Mother of Us All, the Susan B. Anthony opera completed after her death. Stein's language proved perfect for singing precisely because it resisted plot.
• Legacy · Living Room Music by John Cage (1940). Cage set Stein's texts in his earliest vocal pieces and repeatedly named her, alongside Joyce and Satie, as a liberating precedent: language treated as sound and structure rather than meaning. Living Room Music's speech-quartet movement turns a fragment of prose into rhythmic material in exactly her spirit. Her continuous present and tolerance for repetition underwrite a whole lineage of American experimental composition.

What influenced Gertrude Stein

• Ernest Hemingway. Critic Harris compares literary lineage of Stein-Hemingway to Bruce's influence on comics. (also via Tender Buttons, A Moveable Feast) “just as Stein influenced Hemingway and that generation of writers” (Wikipedia)
• Sex and Character by Otto Weininger (1903). Sex and Character (Otto Weininger) — ghost for Gertrude Stein “Stein began to accept and define her pseudo-masculinity through the ideas of Otto Weininger 's Sex and Character (1906).” (Wikipedia)
• William James. Stein studied under William James at Radcliffe. (also via The Principles of Psychology) “Stein attended Radcliffe College , [ 15 ] then an annex of Harvard University , from 1893 to 1897 and was a student of psychologist William James .” (Wikipedia)
• Gustave Flaubert. Stein placed Tender Buttons in Flaubert's tradition. (also via Three Tales) “In an interview with Robert Bartlett Haas in "A Transatlantic Interview – 1946", Stein insisted that this work was completely "realistic" in the tradition of Gustave Flaubert” (Wikipedia)
• Paul Cézanne. The article identifies Cézanne as Stein's largest visual-art influence. (also via Portrait of Madame Cézanne with a Fan) “Though Stein collected cubist paintings, especially those of Picasso, the largest visual arts influence on her literary work is that of Cézanne .” (Wikipedia)
• The Principles of Psychology by William James (1890). The Principles of Psychology (William James) — culture for Gertrude Stein “== Education == === Radcliffe === Stein attended Radcliffe College, then an annex of Harvard University, from 1893 to 1897 and was a student of psychologist William James.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Robert Burns. Stein immersed herself in Burns's writing. “Though Stein found formal schooling in Oakland unstimulating, [ 1 ] she often immersed herself in the writings of Shakespeare , Wordsworth , Scott , Burns , Smollett , Fielding , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• Etta Cone. Stein emulated the Cone sisters' salons and domestic arrangements. “The Cones shared an appreciation for art and conversation about it and modeled a domestic division of labor that Stein would replicate in her relationship with Alice B. Toklas .” (Wikipedia)
• William Shakespeare (1564). Stein read Shakespeare extensively while growing up. “Though Stein found formal schooling in Oakland unstimulating, [ 1 ] she often immersed herself in the writings of Shakespeare , Wordsworth , Scott , Burns , Smollett , Fielding , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• William Wordsworth. Stein immersed herself in Wordsworth's writing. “Though Stein found formal schooling in Oakland unstimulating, [ 1 ] she often immersed herself in the writings of Shakespeare , Wordsworth , Scott , Burns , Smollett , Fielding , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• Walter Scott. Stein immersed herself in Scott's writing. “Though Stein found formal schooling in Oakland unstimulating, [ 1 ] she often immersed herself in the writings of Shakespeare , Wordsworth , Scott , Burns , Smollett , Fielding , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso (1907). Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (Pablo Picasso) — titan for Gertrude Stein “She hosted a Paris salon, where the leading figures of modernism in literature and art, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Book by Juan Gris (1913). The Book (Juan Gris) — ghost for Gertrude Stein “At her death, Gertrude's remaining collection emphasized the artwork of Picasso and Juan Gris, most of her other pictures having been sold.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Le Bonheur de vivre by Henri Matisse (1905). Le bonheur de vivre (Henri Matisse) — culture for Gertrude Stein “Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson and Henri Matisse, would meet.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Claribel Cone. Stein emulated the Cone sisters' salons and domestic arrangements. “The Cones shared an appreciation for art and conversation about it and modeled a domestic division of labor that Stein would replicate in her relationship with Alice B. Toklas .” (Wikipedia)
• Henry Fielding. Stein immersed herself in Fielding's writing. “Though Stein found formal schooling in Oakland unstimulating, [ 1 ] she often immersed herself in the writings of Shakespeare , Wordsworth , Scott , Burns , Smollett , Fielding , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• Tobias Smollett. Stein immersed herself in Smollett's writing. “Though Stein found formal schooling in Oakland unstimulating, [ 1 ] she often immersed herself in the writings of Shakespeare , Wordsworth , Scott , Burns , Smollett , Fielding , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert (1877). Three Tales (Gustave Flaubert) — titan for Gertrude Stein “In an interview with Robert Bartlett Haas in "A Transatlantic Interview – 1946", Stein insisted that this work was completely "realistic" in the tradition of Gustave Flaubert, stating the following: "I used to take objects on a table, li…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Portrait of Madame Cézanne with a Fan by Paul Cézanne. Portrait of Madame Cézanne with a Fan (Paul Cézanne) — titan for Gertrude Stein “The art historian and collector Bernard Berenson hosted Gertrude and Leo in his English country house in 1902, facilitating their introduction to Paul Cézanne and the dealer Ambroise Vollard.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Animal Locomotion by Eadweard Muybridge (1887). Animal Locomotion (Eadweard Muybridge) — culture for Gertrude Stein (wikidata.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Pablo Picasso by Pablo Picasso. Burger describes Picasso as close to Stein and as a mutual friend of Stein and Gris. “She was especially close to Picasso, and it is likely that she met Gris sometime in 1910 through their mutual friend” (Dallas Museum of Art Uncrated)
• F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald and Stein are described as friends in the Paris expatriate community. “It was in this thriving scene that the Fitzgeralds joined “The Lost Generation,” a title bestowed on a group of expatriate writers by Gertrude Stein” (The Estate of F. Scott Fitzgerald)
• Juan Gris by Juan Gris. Stein sought to support Gris financially in exchange for paintings. (also via The Book) “Stein attempted to enter an ancillary arrangement in which she would forward Gris living expenses in exchange for future pictures.” (Wikipedia)
• Henri Matisse by Henri Matisse. Stamper describes Matisse as a close friend of Stein. “This article describes the characteristics of Stein’s writing and its connection to the cubism movement led by Stein’s close friends Picasso and Matisse.” (Curating Gertrude Stein)
• Mabel Dodge Luhan by Mabel Dodge Luhan. Dodge promoted Stein in the United States. (also via Portrait of Mabel Dodge at Villa Curonia) “the wealthy Mabel Dodge promoted Gertrude's legend in the United States. Mabel was enthusiastic about Stein's sprawling publication The Makings of Americans” (Wikipedia)
• Ezra Pound (1885). Pound attended Stein's gatherings. (also via Hugh Selwyn Mauberley) “Dedicated attendees included Pablo Picasso , Ernest Hemingway , F. Scott Fitzgerald , Sinclair Lewis , Ezra Pound” (Wikipedia)
• Four Saints in Three Acts by Virgil Thomson (1934). Four Saints in Three Acts (Virgil Thomson) — collaborator for Gertrude Stein “Several of Stein's writings have been set to music by composers, including Virgil Thomson 's operas Four Saints in Three Acts and The Mother of Us All” (Wikipedia)
• Carl Van Vechten. Van Vechten promoted Stein's writing in the United States. (also via Parties) “Van Vechten served as an enthusiastic champion of Stein's literary work in the United States, in effect becoming her US agent.” (Wikipedia)
• The Mother of Us All. Virgil Thomson set Stein's writing in this opera. “The late Andrew Porter, for many years the classical-music critic of The New Yorker, once wrote that he was tempted to consider “The Mother of Us All,” the composer Virgil Thomson’s second stage collaboration with the writer Gertrude Ste…” (The New Yorker)
• Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (1936). Nightwood (Djuna Barnes) — geography for Gertrude Stein “Author Djuna Barnes provided a caustic assessment of Stein's book, Wars I Have Seen: "You do not feel that she [Stein] is ever really worried about the sorrows of the people.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Shakespeare and Company by Sylvia Beach (1959). Shakespeare and Company (Sylvia Beach) — geography for Gertrude Stein “Eliot, Valery Larbaud, Thornton Wilder, André Gide, Leon-Paul Fargue, George Antheil, Robert McAlmon, Gertrude Stein, Stephen Vincent Benét, Aleister Crowley, Harry Crosby, Caresse Crosby, John Quinn, Berenice Abbott, Man Ray, and others.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ulysses by James Joyce (1922). Ulysses (James Joyce) — peer for Gertrude Stein “These experiments yielded examples of writing that appeared to represent "stream of consciousness", a psychological theory often attributed to James and the style of modernist authors Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Hugh Selwyn Mauberley by Ezra Pound (1920). Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (Ezra Pound) — peer for Gertrude Stein “Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson and Henri Matisse, would meet.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Parties by Carl Van Vechten (1930). Parties (Carl Van Vechten) — collaborator for Gertrude Stein “Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Gavin Williamson, Thornton Wilder, Sherwood Anderson, Francis Cyril Rose, Bob Brown, René Crevel, Élisabeth de Gramont, Francis Picabia, Claribel Cone, Mildred Aldrich, Jane Peterson, Carl Va…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Transatlantic Review. The review published Stein’s work. “Hemingway helped Ford Madox Ford edit The Transatlantic Review , which published works by Pound, John Dos Passos , Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven , and Stein” (Wikipedia)
• Bernard Faÿ. Faÿ translated Stein's work and organized her US book tour. “Faÿ had been the primary translator of Stein's work into French and subsequently masterminded her 1933–34 US book tour” (Wikipedia)
• Sinclair Lewis. Lewis attended Stein's gatherings. “Dedicated attendees included Pablo Picasso , Ernest Hemingway , F. Scott Fitzgerald , Sinclair Lewis , Ezra Pound” (Wikipedia)
• The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book by Alice B. Toklas (1954). The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book (Alice B. Toklas) — collaborator for Gertrude Stein “Alice Babette Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, and the life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Georges Braque (1882). Braque is listed among the attendees at Stein's salon. “Jane Peterson , Carl Van Vechten , Henri Matisse and Georges Braque . [ 4 ] Saturday evenings had been set as the fixed day and time for formal congregation” (Wikipedia)
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (1964). A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway) — geography for Gertrude Stein “She hosted a Paris salon, where the leading figures of modernism in literature and art, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (1919). Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson) — peer for Gertrude Stein “Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson and Henri Matisse, would meet.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Who Gertrude Stein influenced

• Corita Kent. Kent used Stein’s writing as text in her visual art. “Corita went on to incorporate actual text from the Bible into several of her works from the 1960s, pairing Biblical passages alongside advertising slogans and the work of modern writers including Gertrude Stein and E.E. Cummings.” (Hammer Museum)
• Paul Bowles. Stein gave the young Bowles advice about going to Tangier. “During the summer of 1931, Stein advised the young composer and writer Paul Bowles to go to Tangier , where she and Alice had vacationed.” (Wikipedia)
• Lenny Bruce (1925). Columnist compares Bruce's cultural role to that of Gertrude Stein in literature. “Bruce was the Gertrude Stein of comedians.” (Wikipedia)
• James Tenney. Tenney made a musical setting of Stein's words. (via Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose) “James Tenney 's setting of Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose as a canon dedicated to Philip Corner” (Wikipedia)
• Here There. The article says Stein's phrase inspired Gillman's metal sculpture. (via Everybody's Autobiography) “The phrase inspired a metal sculpture by artist Steve Gillman erected in 2005, with words "here" and "there" in all-capitals” (Wikipedia)
• Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass (1976). Einstein on the Beach (Philip Glass) — legacy for Gertrude Stein (musicbrainz.org)
• My Life by Lyn Hejinian (1980). My Life (Lyn Hejinian) — legacy for Gertrude Stein
• Living Room Music by John Cage (1940). Living Room Music (John Cage) — legacy for Gertrude Stein