Collection Summary
Elizabeth Madox Roberts
Papers
1921-1941
1921-1941
MSS37978
Roberts, Elizabeth Madox,
1881-1941
500 items
10 containers
4 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Author, poet, and
novelist. Drafts, notes, outlines, page proofs, and miscellaneous material
relating to Roberts’s novels, poetry, short stories, and miscellaneous
writings.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Roberts, Elizabeth Madox, 1881-1941.
Subjects
Agrarians (Group of writers)
American fiction--20th century.
American literature--Southern States.
American poetry.
Floods--Kentucky--Louisville.
Literature.
Short stories, American.
Places
Kentucky--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Kentucky--History.
Louisville (Ky.)--History.
Southern States--Intellectual life--1865-
Occupations
Authors.
Novelists.
Poets.
Provenance
The papers of Elizabeth Madox Roberts, author, poet, and novelist,
were given to the Library of Congress, 1943-1944, by her brother Ivor S.
Roberts acting on behalf of her estate. Supplements were given by Ivor S.
Roberts and others, 1943-1972.
Processing History
The papers of Elizabeth Madox Roberts were arranged and described in
1944. Correspondence included in initial accessions was returned to the donor
in 1960.
Additional Guides
The Roberts Papers are described in
Library of Congress Quarterly Journal of Current
Acquisitions
1, no. 2 (Oct.-Dec. 1943).
Transfers
An autographed printed copy of
In the Great Steep’s Garden: Poems by Elizabeth Madox
Roberts
has been transferred to the Rare Book and Special Collections
Division.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Elizabeth Madox
Roberts is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Elizabeth Madox Roberts are open to research.
Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to
visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to
retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Elizabeth Madox Roberts Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1881, Oct. 30
Born, Perryville, Ky.
1900
Attended the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., but was
forced to drop out after one semester due to poor health
1900
1910
Taught school in rural towns in Kentucky
1915
Published
In the Great Steep’s Garden.
Colorado Springs,
Colo.: Gowdy-Simmons Publishing Co.
1917
Enrolled at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill., at the
age of thirty six; developed friendships with and received assistance from a
group of writers and artists, including Janet Lewis, Harriet Monroe, Glenway
Wescott, Monroe Wheeler, and Yvor Winters
1921
Ph.B., University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
1922
Published
Under the Tree.
New York: B. W. Huebsch Awarded
Fiske Prize
Awarded Fiske Prize
1926
Published
Time of Man.
New York: Viking Press
1927
Published
My Heart and My Flesh.
New York: Viking Press
1928
Published
Jingling in the Wind.
New York: Viking
Press
Awarded John Reed Memorial Prize
1930
Published
Great Meadow.
New York: Viking Press
Awarded O. Henry Award
1931
Published
Buried Treasure.
New York: Viking Press
1932
Published
Haunted Mirror.
New York: Viking Press
1935
Published
He Sent Forth a Raven.
New York: Viking
Press
1938
Published
Black Is My Truelove’s Hair.
New York: Viking
Press
1940
Published
Song in the Meadow.
New York: Viking Press
1941
Published
Not by Strange Gods.
New York: Viking Press
1941, Mar. 13
Died, Orlando, Fla.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Elizabeth Madox Roberts (1881-1941) span the years 1921-1941, the period during
which the Kentucky-born poet and author penned the bulk of her work. Roberts
importance to modern American literature lay in her introspective and poetic style
and her influence as a regional writer in southern renaissance literature. The
collection contains drafts, notes, outlines, page proofs, and miscellaneous items
that shed light on her contribution to the agrarian literary revival of the 1920s
and 1930s. The papers are organized into six series: [
Novels
](Nov),[
Collections of Short Stories
](Coll), [
Short Stories
](Stories), [
Poetry
](Poet), [
Miscellaneous Writings
](Write),
and [
Miscellany.
](Misc)
The [
Novels
](Nov) series contains multiple
drafts of Roberts’s 1926 book
Time of Man,
including the printer’s
copy, that includes the author’s analysis of its structure and plot and her
statement of the circumstances under which it was written. Documentation for
Roberts’s other books is similar in nature. The series also includes hand-drawn
illustrations and research notes on early Kentucky history as well as drafts, notes,
and outlines for an unpublished book on the Louisville flood of 1937.
Except for
In the Great Steep’s Garden
(1915), all of Roberts’s published works
are represented in the collection, and because it includes early notes and drafts,
variant readings, research material, and statements of the author’s purpose, the
collection testifies to the conception and development of her entire body of work.
The papers further allow for examination into Roberts’s literary form and style
through the structural analysis and critical study of her published texts. Other
items of particular interest include the reminiscences of Roberts’s mother
describing life in Kentucky before and during the Civil War as recounted in “Life in
the Country: Reminiscences,” in the [
Short Stories
](Stories) series.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in six series:
-
[
Novels, 1926-1938
](Nov)
-
[
Collections of Short Stories, 1932-1941
](Coll)
-
[
Short Stories
](Stories)
-
[
Poetry, 1922-1940
](Poet)
-
[
Miscellaneous Writings
](Write)
-
[
Miscellany, 1921-1932
](Misc)
Container List
Container
Contents
1-5
Novels, 1926-1938
1926-1938
Drafts, notes, outlines, proofs, and miscellaneous material
relating to Roberts’s published and unpublished novels.
Arranged chronologically by date of creation or publication.
1
1926,
Time of Man
1
Handwritten drafts and
notes
1
Printer’s copy
1
Typescripts
2
1927,
My Heart and My Flesh
2
Miscellaneous drafts and
notes
2
Typescript
2
1928,
Jingling in the Wind,
draft
3
1930,
Great Meadow
3
Draft
3
Notes
3
1931,
Buried Treasure
3
Printer’s copy
3
Typescript
4
1925,
He Sent Forth a Raven
4
Miscellaneous
drafts
4
Printer’s copy
4
1937, “Louisville Flood,” unpublished, drafts, notes, and
outlines
(2 folders)
5
1938,
Black Is My Truelove’s Hair
5
Drafts
5
Printer’s copy
5
Typescript
5
Galley proof
6
Collections of Short Stories,
1932-1941
1932-1941
Drafts of short stories collated as published collections.
Arranged chronologically by date of publication.
6
1932,
Haunted Mirror,
printer’s draft copy
6
1941,
Not by Strange Gods
6
Short story drafts
6
Typescript
6
Short Stories
Drafts, notes, outlines, and miscellaneous material relating to
individual short story titles.
Arrnaged alphabetically by title.
6
“Battle of the Giants” and “The
Poet,” drafts
6
“Children of the Earth,”
draft
6
“From Morning until Evening,”
drafts and notes
6
“The House Torn Down,” drafts,
notes, and outlines
6
“Life in the Country:
Reminiscences,” draft
(2
folders)
7-8
Poetry,
1922-1940
1922-1940
Drafts, notebooks, notes, and miscellaneous material relating to
published collections of poems and individually titled poems.
Collections of poems are arranged chronologically by date of
publication; titled poems are arranged alphabetically by title.
7
Collections
7
1922,
Under the Tree,
drafts and notebooks
7
1940,
Song in the Meadow
7
Miscellaneous drafts and
notes
(3
folders)
7
Printer’s copy
7
Typescript
7
Poems
7
“Jack the Giant Killer,” draft
8
Miscellaneous
8
Drafts and notes
(7
folders)
8
Notebook
9
Miscellaneous Writings
Drafts, notes, and miscellaneous material of unidentified
writings.
Arranged by type of material.
9
Drafts and notes
(6
folders)
10
Miscellany,
1921-1932
1921-1932
Correspondence, drawings and sketches, published music score,
press clippings, poetry by others, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
10
Correspondence,
1921-1932
1921-1932
10
Drawings and sketches
10
Music, “Mr. Wells,” published
score,
1924
1924
10
Newspaper clippings
10
Poetry by others
10
Printed matter
10
University of Kentucky,
Lexington, Ky., yearbook
1925