Guide to the Conference in the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature Records

Processed by Eddie Yeghiayan

Special Collections and Archives

The UCI Libraries

P.O. Box 19557

University of California

Irvine, California 92623-9557

Phone: (949) 824-3947

Fax: (949) 824-2472

Email: spcoll@uci.edu

URL: http://special.lib.uci.edu

Guide to the Conference in the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature Records

Collection number: MS-L11

Special Collections and Archives

The UCI Libraries

University of California

Irvine, California

Contact Information

Special Collections and Archives
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Phone: (949) 824-3947
Fax: (949) 824-2472
Email: spcoll@uci.edu
URL: http://special.lib.uci.edu

Processed by:: Eddie Yeghiayan
Date Completed:: 2001
Encoded by:: Andre Ambrus

Descriptive Summary

Title: Conference in the study of twentieth-century literature records,

Date (inclusive): 1961-1967

Collection number: MS-L011

Creator: Conference in the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature

Extent: 2.2 linear feet (4 boxes)

Repository: University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.

Irvine, California 92623-9557

Abstract: This collection documents in only a partial manner the activities of the Conference, which was held annually for 7 years in East Lansing, Michigan, to promote scholarship and teaching of contemporary literature and was attended by several prominent founding UCI faculty members. The collection consists primarily of manuscripts of papers presented, audio recordings of the discussion sessions, and transcriptions of those audio tapes. In addition, it includes published proceedings (1961-1963), programs, correspondence, and lists of participants.

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research. Access to original audio recordings is restricted; copies are made for researcher use.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and University Archives.

Preferred Citation

Conference in the study of twentieth-century literature records. MS-L11. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Carl Hartman, 1977

Processing Information

Processed by Eddie Yeghiayan in 2000-2001.

Organizational History

University during 1962-1969 before he moved to the University of California at Irvine and, at some point, the chairman of the committee on Arrangements for the Conference, and the principal editor. The mark of his editing is evident throughout the records. Several of the particpants, including Hazard Adams, Murray Krieger and Stephen Shapiro also came to Irvine in the 1960s.

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection documents in only a partial manner the activities of the Conference, which was held annually for 7 years in East Lansing, Michigan, to promote scholarship and teaching of contemporary literature and was attended by several prominent founding UCI faculty members. The collection consists primarily of manuscripts of papers presented, audio recordings of the discussion sessions, and transcriptions of those audio tapes. In addition, it includes published proceedings (1961-1963), programs, correspondence, and lists of participants.

Papers were at first presented to the Conference, though later in the history of the Conference they were distributed prior to the event and the sessions were devoted entirely to their discussion. Proceedings for only the 1961-1963 sessions were published and sent to all registrants. Sessions were tape recorded and a text -- heavily edited and condensed by Carl Hartman and the authors -- of the discussions were printed in the proceedings. There are relatively complete Conference files for the 1st (1961), and 4th (1964)-7th (1967) sessions. There are manuscripts and transcriptions for the 1st (1961) session and none for 2nd (1962) and 3rd (1963), and no audiotapes for these early sessions (1961-1963) or transcriptions for 1962-1963. For the years 1964-1967, when the proceedings were not published, there is full coverage of papers, correspondence, audiotapes, and transcriptions.

Arrangement

The Conference in the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature is arranged in two series.

Series 1. Conference session files, 1961-1967
Series 2. Audio recordings, 1964-1967

Collection Contents

Series 1. Conference session files, , 1961-1967

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of summaries of annual Conference sessions and discussions, manuscripts of papers presented or submitted for the Conference, transcriptions of audio recordings of presentations and the ensuing discussion, published proceedings, and correspondence, programs, and other material relating to each annual session of the Conference.

Arrangement

This series is organized chronologically by the date of each session and the order of the presentations and discussions for the 2-3 day duration of each conference session.

Box 1 : 1-12

First session (1961 May 4-6), "Conference in modern literature"

Box 1 : 1

Program and participants, 1961

Box 1 : 2-6

Day 1

Box 1 : 2-5

"Form and circumstance: a study of the study of modern literature," transcript of presentation by Frederick J. Hoffman and ensuing discussion, 1961.

Physical Description: 4 folders.

Scope and Content Note

Includes transcripts of comments by Hoffman, Roy Harvey Pearce, and Donald Hall.

Box 1 : 6

"Bibliographical and textual studies of twentieth-century writers, transcript of presentation by James B. Merriwether and ensuing discussion, 1961

Box 1 : 7-8

Day 2

Box 1 : 7

"Synchronic present: the academic future of modern literature in America," transcript of presentation by Walter J. Ong and ensuing discussion, 1961

Box 1 : 8

"Literary theory," transcript of presentation by Murray Krieger and ensuing discussion, 1961

Box 1 : 9-11

Day 3

Box 1 : 9

"Historical relations," transcipt of presentation by Herbert Weisinger and ensuing discussion, 1961

Box 1 : 10-11

"Some remarks on programs for graduate students in the field of recent literature," transcript of presentation by Clarence Gohdes, and ensuing discussion, 1961.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Scope and Content Note

Includes transcripts of comments by Philip Young and Maurice Young.

Box 1 : 12

Approaches to the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature: Proceedings of the Conference in the Study of Twentieth Century Literature, First Session (East Lansing: Michigan State University), 1961

Box 1 : 13-14

Second session (1962 May 3-5), "Study of the living writer"

Box 1 : 13

Program and participants, 1962

Box 1 : 14

Approaches to the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature: Proceedings of the Conference in the Study of Twentieth Century Literature, Second Session (East Lansing: Michigan State University), 1962

Box 1 : 15-17

Third session (1963 May 17-18), "Four questions of method"

Box 1 : 15

Program and participants, 1963

Box 1 : 16

Correspondence relating to Albert Cooks' paper, "Generality: an open book," 1962-1964.

Scope and Content Note

Includes a letter by John B. Vickery intended as an article, but never published in the Proceedings, commenting on Cook's paper.

Box 1 : 17

Approaches to the Study of Twentieth-Century Literature: Proceedings of the Conference in the Study of Twentieth Century Literature, Third Session (East Lansing: Michigan State University), 1963

Box 1 : 18 - 2 : 7

Fourth session (1964 May 1-2), "The study of twentieth-century literature"

Box 1 : 18

Program and participants, 1964

Box 1 : 19

Correspondence from Alan Swallow intended as an article but never published, 1964

Box 1 : 20 - 2 : 3

Day 1

Box 1 : 20

"The mysteries of identity: a theme in modern literature," annotated drafts and offprint of a presentation by Robert Langbaum, 1964-1965

Box 2 : 1

"Twentieth-century romanticism," transcript of and correspondence and notes relating to a presentation by Robert Langbaum, 1964

Box 2 : 2-3

"Literary criticism and aesthetics," transcript of a presentation by Eliseo Vivas and ensuing discussion, draft, and correspondence, 1964.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 2 : 4-7

Day 2

Box 2 : 4

"Death of a novel and/or the disappearing audience," draft of a paper by Jarvis Thurston, 1964

Box 2 : 5

"Fiction and the twentieth-century audience," transcript of a presentation by Jarvis Thurston and ensuing discussion, 1964

Box 2 : 6-7

"Return to Cambridge," transcript of presentation by Martin Green and ensuing discussion, draft, and correspondence, 1964

Box 2 : 8-17

Fifth session (1965 April 30-May 1), "W.B. Yeats"

Box 2 : 8

Program, 1965

Box 2 : 9

Correspondence with participants, 1965

Box 2 : 10-15

Day 1

Box 2 : 10-11

"Yeats and the beginnings of the Irish literary movement," transcript of a presentation by Thomas Flanagan and ensuring discussion, and draft, 1965.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 2 : 12

"Voices in a desolate place," draft of a paper by Thomas R. Whitaker and related correspondence, 1965

Box 2 : 13

"Thematic questions reflected in some of the later plays," transcript of a presentation by Thomas R. Whitaker and ensuing discussion, 1965

Box 2 : 14-15

"Editing the Yeats variorums," transcript of a presentation by Russell K. Alspach and ensuing discussion, and drafts, 1965.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 2 : 16-17

Day 2

Box 2 : 16

"Yeats and the love lyric," drafts of a paper by Thomas Parkinson, circa 1965

Box 2 : 17

"Yeats as a writer of love poetry," transcript of a presentation by Thomas Parkinson and ensuing discussion, 1965

Box 3 : 1-11

Sixth session (1966 April 29-30), "Problems of interpretation: psychology, aesthetics, meaning"

Box 3 : 1

Program, 1966

Box 3 : 2

Correspondence with participants, 1966-1967

Box 3 : 3-8

Day 1

Box 3 : 3-4

"Fiction as a source of biography," transcript of a presentation by Alan A. and Sue Smart Stone and ensuing discussion, and draft, 1966.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 5-6

"Psychoanalytic perspectives on the modern novel," transcript of a presentation by Stephen A. Shapiro and ensuring discussion, and draft, 1966.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 7-8

"Moving from aesthetic meaning to interpretive statement," transcript of a presentation by Carl R. Hausman and ensuing discussion, and draft, 1966.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 9-10

Day 2

Box 3 : 9

"What is an approach?", draft of a paper by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., circa 1966

Box 3 : 10

"Relationships in a general theory of interpretation," transcript of a presentation by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. and ensuing discussion, 1966

Box 3 : 11

Summaries of sessions and participants from 1961-1966 and correspondence relating to proceedings from earlier sessions, 1966

Box 3 : 12-20

Seventh session (1967 April 28-29), "Literature, criticism, and contemporary experience"

Box 3 : 12

Program and participants, 1967

Box 3 : 13-18

Day 1

Box 3 : 13-14

"Criticism and literature in the one-dimensional age," transcript of a presentation by Arthur Efron and ensuing discussion, and draft, 1967.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 15-16

"The reasonable man and his unreasonable caves," transcript of a presentation by Albert Lebowitz and ensuing discussion, and draft, 1967.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 17-18

"The cloud of certainties," transcript of a presentation by R.V. Cassill and ensuing discussion, and draft, 1967.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 19-20

Day 2

Box 3 : 19-20

"Althea: the tenth muse in the twentieth century," transcript of a presentation by Irvin Ehrenpreis and ensuing discussion, and draft, 1967.

Physical Description: 2 folders.

Box 3 : 21

"Literature and anti-politics," draft of a paper by George P. Elliott unassociated with any Conference session, circa 1961-circa 1967

Series 2. Audio recordings, , 1964-1967

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of 31 7.5 inch reel-to-reel, mono, full track, audio tapes of the conference sessions for 1964-1967.

Arrangement

This series is organized chronologically.

Access Note

Access to original audio recordings is restricted. Use copies of each audio recording must be made prior to researcher use of the recordings. 48 hours advance notice is required in order to create use copies, which will then become a permanent part of the collection. Contact Special Collections and Archives for further information.

Box 4

First session, "Conference in modern literature, " 1961 May 4-6.

Physical Description: 10 reels.

Box 4

Second session, "Study of the living writer, " 1962 May 3-5

Box 4

Third session, "Four questions of method, " 1963 May 17-18

Box 4

Fourth session, "The study of twentieth-century literature," 1964 May 1-2

Box 4

Fifth session, "W.B. Yeats," 1965 April 30-May 1

Box 4

Sixth session, "Problems of interpretation: psychology, aesthetics, meaning," 1966 April 29-30

Box 4

Seventh session, "Literature, criticism, and contemporary experience," 1967 April 28-29

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