Guide to the Fanny Howe Papers, 1924-1993

Processed by Special Collections staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Steven Mandeville-Gamble

Department of Special Collections

Green Library

Stanford University Libraries

Stanford, CA 94305-6004

Phone: (650) 725-1022

Email: speccollref@stanford.edu

URL: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/

Guide to the Fanny Howe Papers, 1924-1993

Collection number: M0648

Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Stanford University Libraries

Stanford, California

Contact Information

Department of Special Collections
Green Library
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, CA 94305-6004
Phone: (650) 725-1022
Email: speccoll@sulmail.stanford.edu
URL: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/

Processed by:: Special Collections staff
Date Completed:: 1993
Encoded by:: Steven Mandeville-Gamble

Descriptive Summary

Title: Fanny Howe Papers,

Date (inclusive): 1924-1993

Collection number: Special Collections M0648

Creator: Howe, Fanny.

Extent: 8.5 linear ft.

Repository: Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.

Provenance

Purchased, 1993.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of item] Fanny Howe Papers, M0648, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Biography

Fanny Howe was born into a distinguished Boston family in 1940. Her father, Mark De Wolf Howe, taught Law at Harvard University and was the first Charles Warren Professor in the History of American Law. He also was in the process of writing a multi-volume biography of Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes. At the time of his death in 1967 he had completed two volumes. Fanny Howe's mother, Mary Manning Howe, was born in Dublin, Ireland and had, during the time before she came to the United States, written and acted for the famous Abbey and Gate Theaters in Dublin. Fanny Howe has two sisters, Susan and Helen.

Scope and Content

The Fanny Howe papers contain correspondence, publications, notebooks and journals, family history, and material relating to Fanny Howe's career as a writer. The collection is divided into seven series, with series III - V representing all her written work, namely her poetry, short stories, and major literary publications. This collection was rearranged from the order it was received from Arundel Press.

Access Terms

Aldrich, Nelson W.

Armah, Ayi Kwei, 1939-

Armantrout, Rae, 1947-

Asner, Edward.

Auster, Paul, 1947-

Banks, Russell, 1940-

Beckett, Samuel, 1906-

Bellamy, Dodie.

Boone, Bruce.

Braverman, Melanie.

Childress, Alice.

Coolidge, Clark, 1939-

Corbett, William, 1942-

Creeley, Robert, 1926-

Dahlberg, Edward, 1900-1977.

Davis, Lydia.

Delafield, Fritz.

DeLillo, Don.

Equi, Elaine.

Fraser, Kathleen, 1937-

Gizzi, Peter.

Grenier, Robert.

Guest, Barbara.

Heaney, Seamus.

Hejinian, Lyn.

Howe, Fanny Quincy.

Howe, Helen.

Howe, Mark DeWolfe, 1906-1967.

Howe, Mary Manning.

Howe, Susan.

Levine, Philip, 1928-

Lowell, Robert, 1917-1977.

Mayer, Bernadette.

McCaffery, Steve.

McCall, Dan.

McCutcheon, Charles.

McCutcheon, Peter, d.1907.

McPherson, James.

Mailer, Norman.

Major, Clarence.

Marquand, John.

Mirskii, M. (Mark)

Moran, Bob, 1931-

Morrow, Bradford, 1951-

Mus, David, 1936-

Owen, Maureen, 1943-

Palmer, Michael, 1942-

Payne, Johnny, 1958-

Ponsart, Emmanuel.

Read, Jay.

Rodefer, Stephen.

Rotenberg, Bettina.

Scalapino, Leslie.

Scott, Peter, 1962-

Senna, Carl, 1944-

Silliman, Ronald, 1946-

Simic, Charles, 1938-

Stein, Jean.

Stewart, Agnes.

Tate, James, 1943-

Valentine, Jean.

Walker, Alice, 1944-

Warsh, Lewis.

Watten, Barrett.

Wieners, John, 1934-

Young, Ferry Marquand.

American literature--20th century.

American poetry.

Poets, American.

Series Description

Series I: Correspondence, 1935-1992

Scope and Content Note

Series I consists of correspondence both of a personal nature and of a business nature. The extent of the family correspondence is fairly significant. Fanny Howe kept much of the correspondence sent among family members, in particular between her father, Mark DeWolf Howe, and mother, Mary Manning, during the years 1935 to 1945. Also of note is the set of correspondence between Helen Howe (Mark DeWolf Howe's sister) and Fanny Quincy Howe (Mark DeWolf Howe's mother). This is important primarily because Fanny Howe, as a student in the writing program at MIT, submitted a proposal to write a biography of Mark DeWolf Howe and Helen Howe entitled Predictable Destitinies. Also of interest is Mark DeWolf's correspondence to Fanny Howe, 1957 - 1959, because much of the material contained in these letters would be used in one of Fanny Howe's writings entitled Ofay. Included in the general correspondence are Nelson Aldrich, Ed Asner, Russell Banks, Samuel Beckett, Robert Creeley, Robert Lowell, Norman Mailer, Bernadette Mayer, and May Sarton.

Series II: Family/personal history

Scope and Content Note

Series II is a collection of material that relates to Fanny Howe's family and personal history. Included in this series are such items as Fanny's primary school results, her "autobiography" relating all the influences that affected her growth as a writer, an autobiography by Helen Huntington Howe entitled A Poor Innocent Young, and some photographs of Fanny. [Of note is material in Series I, box 3, folders 6 - 8 which corresponds to family history but, because of the order of material, could not be placed in Series II]

Series III: Writings: poetry

Scope and Content Note

Series III, contains Fanny Howe's poetry, most of which has no collective title but is used for publications such as "Alsace-Lorraine," "Written in Eire," and "Eggs."

Series IV: Literary manuscripts

Scope and Content Note

Series IV consists of Fanny Howe's literary manuscripts. These include Body and Soul, Bronte Wilde, Famous Questions, Reconstruction, Saving History, Un-American Activities, and material relating to The White Slave. [A text copy of Ofay is placed in Series VI because of the large size of the text]

Series V: Writings: short stories, articles, reviews

Scope and Content Note

Series V contains school term papers, short stories, articles, and book reviews.

Series VI. Miscellaneous

Scope and Content Note

Series VI contains miscellaneous material such as book reviews, plot summaries, and artwork for Howe's publications, along with publications by colleagues of Fanny Howe. Of mention in this series is "A Bernadette Mayer Reader" which contains the poetry of Bernadette Mayer. Also included is a copy of the text Ofay and the layout design for Robeson Street.

Series VII: Personal notebooks/journals (ca. 1959 - 1992)

Scope and Content Note

Series VII consists of the notebooks and journals kept by Fanny Howe. The majority of these notebooks contain personal entries, poetry, short stories, and outlines, including original manuscripts for the publications Bronte Wilde and Saving History. One notebook contains the original format to the work Reconstruction.

Container List

Series I: Correspondence, 1935-1992

Box 1, Folder 1

Aldrich, Jr., Nelson

Box 1, Folder 2

Alexander, Charles

Box 1, Folder 3

Armah, Ayi Kwei

Box 1, Folder 4

Armantrout, Rae

Box 1, Folder 5

Asner, Ed

Box 1, Folder 6

Auster, Paul

Box 1, Folder 7

Banks, Russell

Box 1, Folder 8

Beckett, Samuel

Box 1, Folder 9

Bellamy, Dodie

Box 1, Folder 10

Boone, Bruce

Box 1, Folder 11

Braverman, Melanie

Box 1, Folder 12

Bretton, Coburn

Box 1, Folder 13

Castro, Jan Garden

Box 1, Folder 14

Childress, Alice

Box 1, Folder 15

Coolidge, Clark

Box 1, Folder 16

Corbett, William

Box 1, Folder 17

Creeley, Robert

Box 1, Folder 18

Dahlberg, Edward

Box 1, Folder 19

Davis, Lydia

Box 1, Folder 20

Delafield, Fritz

Box 1, Folder 21

DeLillo, Don

Box 1, Folder 22

Equi, Elaine (El)

Box 1, Folder 23

Forrest ?

Box 1, Folder 24

Fraser, Kathleen

Box 1, Folder 25

Gizzi, Peter

Box 1, Folder 26

Gleichman, Gabi & Lee

Box 1, Folder 27

Grenier, Bob

Box 1, Folder 28

Guest, Barbara

Box 1, Folder 29

Heaney, Seamus

Box 1, Folder 30

Hejinian, Lyn

Box 1, Folder 31

High, John

Box 1, Folder 32

Howe, Fanny

Box 1, Folder 33

Howe, Helen

Box 1, Folder 34

Howe, Mark DeWolf (to Fanny Howe): originals

Box 1, Folder 35

-------: xeroxed copies

Box 2, Folder 1

Howe, Mark DeWolf (to Mary Manning Howe, 1935)

Box 2, Folder 2

-------, (1936-37)

Box 2, Folder 3

-------, (1943)

Box 2, Folder 4

-------, (1944)

Box 2, Folder 5

-------, (1945)

Box 2, Folder 6

Howe, Mary Manning (1957 - 1967)

Box 2, Folder 7

-------, (1968 - 1976)

Box 2, Folder 8

-------, (1977 - 1979)

Box 2, Folder 9

-------, (ND)

Box 2, Folder 10

-------, (Incoming only - Most re. husband's death)

Box 2, Folder 11

Howe, Quincy

Box 2, Folder 12

Howe, Quincy Sr.

Box 2, Folder 13

Howe, Susan (Sukey): 1957 - 1966

Box 2, Folder 14

-------, 1968 - 1991

Box 2, Folder 15

-------, ND

Box 2, Folder 16

Howe, Tina

Box 2, Folder 17

Marquand Young, Ferry

Box 3, Folder 1

Howe, Fanny Quincy (to Helen Howe) - photocopies

Box 3, Folder 2

-------

Box 3, Folder 3

-------

Box 3, Folder 4

-------

Box 3, Folder 5

-------

Box 3, Folder 6

Proposal: "Predictable Destinies: a biography of Mark Howe and Helen Howe"

Box 3, Folder 7

Helen Howe's Diary, 5/23/28 - 11/18/29

Box 3, Folder 8

Inventory of Howe Collection & miscellaneous excerpts

Box 3, Folder 9

Howe, Helen (to Fanny Quincy Howe) - photocopies

Box 3, Folder 10

-------

Box 3, Folder 11

-------

Box 3, Folder 12

-------

Box 3, Folder 13

-------

Box 3, Folder 14

-------

Box 3, Folder 15

Howe, Helen (Mrs. Reginald Allen)

Box 4, Folder 1

International Poetry Society

Box 4, Folder 2

Janeway, Mike

Box 4, Folder 3

Levine, Philip

Box 4, Folder 4

Lovell, Thoreau

Box 4, Folder 5

Lowell, Robert

Box 4, Folder 6

Luckes, Flo

Box 4, Folder 7

McCaffery, Steve

Box 4, Folder 8

McCall, Dan

Box 4, Folder 9

McCutcheon, Charles

Box 4, Folder 10

McMillan, George

Box 4, Folder 11

McPherson, James

Box 4, Folder 12

Mailer, Norman

Box 4, Folder 13

Major, Clarence

Box 4, Folder 14

Marquand, John

Box , Folder

Marquand Young, Ferry (See Box 2, Folder 17)

Box 4, Folder 15

Mayer, Bernadette

Box 4, Folder 16

Melnyczuk, Askold

Box 4, Folder 17

Mirsky, Mark

Box 4, Folder 18

Miscellaneous correspondence

Box 4, Folder 19

Moran, Bob

Box 4, Folder 20

Morrow, Brad

Box 4, Folder 21

Mus, David

Box 4, Folder 22

Myrow, F.

Box 4, Folder 23

Owen, Maureen

Box 4, Folder 24

Palmer, Michael

Box 4, Folder 25

Payne, Johnny

Box 4, Folder 26

Ponsart, Emmanuel

Box 4, Folder 27

Read, Jay

Box 4, Folder 28

Rodefer, Stephen

Box 4, Folder 29

Ronk, Martha

Box 4, Folder 30

Rotenberg, Bettina (Tina)

Box 4, Folder 31

Sarton, May

Box 4, Folder 32

Scalapino, Leslie

Box 4, Folder 33

Scott, Peter

Box 4, Folder 34

Sherman, Ken

Box 4, Folder 35

Silliman, Ron

Box 4, Folder 36

Simic, Charles

Box 4, Folder 37

Sisler, William P.

Box 4, Folder 38

Stein, Jean

Box 4, Folder 39

Stewart, Agnes

Box 4, Folder 40

Tate, James (includes poetry and photographs)

Box 4, Folder 41

Valentine, Jean

Box 4, Folder 42

Walker, Alice

Box 4, Folder 43

Warsh, Lewis

Box 4, Folder 44

Watten, Barrett

Box 4, Folder 45

Wieners, John

Box 4, Folder 46

Wienreb, Lloyd L.

Box 4, Folder 47

Unknown

Series II: Family/personal history

Box 5, Folder 1

Autobiography: family and literary influences

Box 5, Folder 2

A Poor Innocent Young, xeroxed typed MS (pp. 1 - 73) by Helen Huntington Howe

Box 5, Folder 3

-------, (pp. 74 - 146a)

Box 5, Folder 4

Helen Howe biography

Box 5, Folder 5

"The Reminiscences of Quincy Howe," interview, 1962 (title page - p. 65)

Box 5, Folder 6

-------, (pp. 66 - 129)

Box 5, Folder 7

Buckingham School & Beaver County Day School Report Cards, 1945 - 1957 (Fanny Howe)

Box 5, Folder 8

Memorial material regarding Mark DeWolf Howe

Box 5, Folder 9

Photographs: Fanny Howe

Box 5, Folder 10

Miscellaneous papers: Howe's curriculum vitae; personal notes; magazine articles

Series III: Writings: poetry

Box 5, Folder 11

Miscellaneous poems (a) - No collective title (prose poems incl.)

Box 5, Folder 12

-------

Box 5, Folder 13

-------

Box 5, Folder 14

-------

Box 5, Folder 15

-------, incl. "Alsace-Lorraine," "Measure of Pleasure," and "Torn Parts: A Novel"

Box 5, Folder 16

-------

Box 6, Folder 1

Miscellaneous poems

Box 6, Folder 2

-------

Box 6, Folder 3

-------

Box 6, Folder 4

-------

Box 6, Folder 5

-------

Box 6, Folder 6

-------

Box 6, Folder 7

-------

Box 6, Folder 8

-------

Box 6, Folder 9

"Eggs," - Poetry, 2/27/70

Box 6, Folder 10

"The Vineyard"

Box 6, Folder 11

"De Ultima Die"

Box 6, Folder 12

"Alsace-Lorraine,"

Physical Description: xeroxed MS

Box 6, Folder 13

"When She Was Dying"

Box 6, Folder 14

"Written in Eire"

Box 6, Folder 15

"The Water Gardens at Glan" and "Written in Eire"

Box 6, Folder 16

"Written in Eire"

Box 6, Folder 17

"Perfume Burned on a Stick"

Box 6, Folder 18

"Democracy"

Box 6, Folder 19

"Metaxu"

Box 6, Folder 20

Prose poetry

Series IV: Literary manuscripts

Box 7, Folder 1

Body and Soul - original draft, 11/89 (title page - p. 70)

Box 7, Folder 2

-------, (pp. 71 - 140)

Box 7, Folder 3

-------, (pp. 141 - 212)

Box 7, Folder 4

-------, (title page - p. 70)

Box 7, Folder 5

-------, (pp. 71 - 140)

Box 7, Folder 6

-------, (pp. 141 - 214)

Box 7, Folder 7

Bronte Wilde, xerox copy (title page - p. 75)

Box 7, Folder 8

-------, (pp. 76 - 153)

Box 7, Folder 9

-------, incomplete (pp. 10 - 75)

Box 7, Folder 10

-------, (pp. 76 - 153)

Box 7, Folder 11

-------, entire piece with corrections

Box 8, Folder 1

Famous Questions, xeroxed original, 12/86 (a)

Box 8, Folder 2

-------, (b)

Box 8, Folder 3

-------, (c)

Box 8, Folder 4

-------, typed MS (title page - p.68)

Box 8, Folder 5

-------, (pp. 69 - 140)

Box 8, Folder 6

-------, (pp. 141 - 192)

Box 8, Folder 7

-------, xeroxed typed MS (title page - p. 70)

Box 8, Folder 8

-------, (pp. 71 - 137)

Box 8, Folder 9

Plot summary: Famous Questions

Box 8, Folder 10

Reconstruction: entire MS, with corrections

Box 8, Folder 11

-------, (title page - p. 100)

Box 8, Folder 12

-------, (pp. 101 - end) no order to pages

Box 8, Folder 13

Plot summary: Saving History

Box 9, Folder 1

Saving History, xeroxed typed MS (title page - p.75)

Box 9, Folder 2

-------, (pp. 76 - 157)

Box 9, Folder 3

-------, (title page - p. 115)

Box 9, Folder 4

-------, (pp. 116 - 228)

Box 9, Folder 5

-------, (pp. 6 - 115)

Box 9, Folder 6

-------, (pp. 116 - 220), incomplete

Box 9, Folder 7

-------, Xerox proof copy

Box 9, Folder 8

-------, premise

Box 9, Folder 9

Miscellaneous excerpts from Saving History & Bronte Wilde

Box 9, Folder 10

Un-American Activities, (title page - p. 79)

Box 9, Folder 11

-------, (pp. 80 - 160)

Box 9, Folder 12

-------, (pp. 161 - 243)

Box 9, Folder 14

The White Slave: Correspondence, news clippings, and "The White Slave: The Story of Peter McCutcheon" by Charles McCutcheon

Box 9, Folder 15

The White Slave: Publishing Rights with Avon Books

Series V: Writings: short stories, articles, reviews

Box 10, Folder 1

Early Writings for Children

Box 10, Folder 2

"More Sinned Against Than Sinning"

Box 10, Folder 3

"He Whom We Must Love Is Absent"

Box 10, Folder 4

"The End"

Box 10, Folder 5

"Why I Protest"

Box 10, Folder 6

"A Way Through the Fields"

Box 10, Folder 7

"The Contemporary Logos"

Box 10, Folder 8

Article: "Media Mamas: The Single Ones"

Box 10, Folder 9

"Eathwork or Earthworks"

Box 10, Folder 10

"Wheels and Wings"

Box 10, Folder 11

"Notes on the Nouveau Pauvre"

Box 10, Folder 12

"Lost AND" dialogue

Box 10, Folder 13

"Blind Tiger: A Meditation"

Box 10, Folder 14

"Mr. Hood"

Box 10, Folder 15

"The Latecomer," "Crazy Words and a Swift Illusion," "All Black"

Box 10, Folder 16

"A Distortion of Rain," "Your Loving Daughter" (2 copies)

Box 10, Folder 17

"The Reverend's Daughter," "The Congenital Trap," "Shrill Confessions" (2 copies)

Box 10, Folder 18

"Tremendum," "The Forerunner," "With Respect to a Sister's Dream"

Box 10, Folder 19

"Antagony of Hell"

Box 10, Folder 20

"The Golden Touch of Nathaniel Hawthorne"

Box 10, Folder 21

"An Interview with Alexander Theroux"

Box 10, Folder 22

No title: practice of letter writing

Box 10, Folder 23

"Ecstatic Aesthetics"

Box 10, Folder 24

"What Nobody Saw"

Box 10, Folder 25

"Progressive Cutting," "Work with Leacock"

Box 10, Folder 26

"The Am Track," "Shot in a Little Town"

Box 10, Folder 27

"The Snow Association"

Box 10, Folder 28

"Onset"

Box 10, Folder 29

"Radio Play"

Box 10, Folder 30

"Bees of the Invisible"

Box 10, Folder 31

"Apollo in the Ring," "Two Particles from the Land of Plenty"

Box 10, Folder 32

"D'Ye Ken John Peel?" "Role of Innocence in Wuthering Heights"

Box 10, Folder 33

"Under the Weather," "The Ring of Birches"

Box 10, Folder 34

"Pluto in Lethe," "One New Years Day," "The Ice Palace"

Box 10, Folder 35

"The Edge of Darkness," "Taking the Train," "Thief"

Box 10, Folder 36

"The Last Virgin," "Celia's Metamorphoses" (2 copies)

Box 11, Folder 1

Untitles Stories; Incomplete Stories

Box 11, Folder 2

Various Stories: Untitled

Box 11, Folder 3

Miscellaneous Writings: "The Cruelties," "The Broken Word," "The Shades of Hell," "Abstract Hells," (partial texts)

Box 11, Folder 4

Anais Nin Article

Box 11, Folder 5

Book Reviews by Fanny Howe

Box 11, Folder 6

-------

Box 11, Folder 7

-------

Box 11, Folder 8

-------

Series VI. Miscellaneous

Box 11, Folder 9

Book reviews re. Howe's publications

Box 11, Folder 10

The Fiction Collective

Box 11, Folder 11

The Atlantic Monthly

Box 11, Folder 12

Original watercolor/pen/ink illustrations for In the Middle of Nowhere

Box 11, Folder 13

Original artwork

Box 11, Folder 14

"First Marriage," artwork

Box 11, Folder 15

Plot summary: Jamaica Plain

Box 11, Folder 16

Plot summary: One Crossed Out

Box 11, Folder 17

Howe's publications: synopsis of each

Box 11, Folder 18

"A Bernadette Mayer Reader"

Box 11, Folder 19

-------

Box 11, Folder 20

"The Highlands": memorandum and plot summary (corrections by Fanny Howe)

Box 11, Folder 21

"Five Poems," by Elaine Equi (signed)

Box 11, Folder 22

"Passion Come Running," poems by Philip Good

Box 11, Folder 23

"Everything I Always Wanted For You," Screenplay: based on story "Dump Gull"

Box 11, Folder 24

"The lives of thomas: episodes & prayers," by john high

Box 12, Folder 1

Avon Books copyright agreement; Copyright registration

Box 12, Folder 2

Miscellaneous flyers and reviews

Box 12, Folder 3

Ofay

Oversize Box 13, Folder

Layout design for Robeson Street

Series VII: Personal notebooks/journals (ca. 1959 - 1992)

Box 14, Folder 1

Notebook: "The Introduction to the Future," dated June-October, 1959

Box 14, Folder 2

Notebook: "Erebus and Terror," original MS of Bronte Wilde with miscellaneous poetry

Box 14, Folder 3

Light green notebook: poetry, "Descriptions without Implications" (incl. 1 loose page entitled "It's Always Like This")

Box 14, Folder 4

UCSD notebook: Original MS of Saving History (partial?)

Box 14, Folder 5

Notebook: "Sabbatical, 1990"

Box 14, Folder 6

Notebook: diary, ca. 1991

Scope and Content Note

("Aug. 5: Drove to NYC, after. . .)

Box 14, Folder 7

Notebook: "The Rock Island Scrolls" or "First Marriage," (original MS)

Box 14, Folder 8

Notebook: original MS, unknown (incl. 8 loose pages)

Box 15, Folder 1

Green notebook (civic duplicate book): Diary (June 19, We moved out to Sandycove today. . .)

Box 15, Folder 2

Blue notebook: "The Father and the Ghost: a Heresy"; miscellaneous notes

Box 15, Folder 3

Loose pages removed from above Blue notebook (Box 15, folder 2)

Box 15, Folder 4

Notebook: (All in the past, I tramped. . . .)

Box 15, Folder 5

Notebook: short stories and poems, incl. "Persophone and Pluto" and Hydraulics and Horse" (incl. 2 loose pages)

Box 15, Folder 6

Red notebook: "I'd been almost a Communist when. . .)

Box 15, Folder 7

Light blue notebook: "About the Children," May 11, 1976 and an untitled script

Box 15, Folder 8

Black marbled notebook: (7/23) Miscellaneous personal entries, poems (incl. 1 loose page)

Box 15, Folder 9

Notebook: personal entries (incl. 8 loose pages)

Box 15, Folder 10

Reconstruction: original layout

Box 15, Folder 11

Notebook: poetry, quotations, notes

Box 15, Folder 12

Gray notebook (Fanny Howe signature top right): personal entries, (incl. 7 loose pages)

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