[On May
23rd, 1895, the project which would become the New York Public Library was launched. So for
the 125th anniversary, I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of libraries and
library contexts, leading up to a special post on the NYPL!]
On three moments
and ways that libraries have helped immeasurably with my research and writing.
1)
Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof: As a Harvard undergrad, I can’t say I took nearly enough
advantage of the university’s amazing library system and resources. But at
least one project stands out—for the final project for a class on 20th
century American theater, I visited Houghton Library’s acclaimed Harvard
Theatre Collection, and found a stunning resource: a manuscript copy of
Tennessee Williams’ Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) which featured handwritten comments from legendary
director Elia Kazan (who would be directing the play’s
first production) and responses from Williams himself. As this New
York Times review reflects,
Kazan made certain key changes in the play that fundamentally altered its
themes, and these handwritten comments revealed the evolution of this debate
between two artistic titans. I won’t pretend I remember what I ended up
writing/arguing about that debate, but I know it was one of the first moments
when I realized the tremendous research potential of our archives and
libraries.
2)
Gilded Age Literature: It was with my PhD dissertation/first
book that I truly took advantage of such spaces and resources. Although I
was a grad student at Temple
University, I wrote my diss long-distance from the Boston area, and so was
able to use my Special Borrower privileges (and I know full well how much of a
privilege it is) to get back into the Harvard libraries. Browsing the seemingly
endless stacks of Widener Library allowed me to find two largely unknown books
that became central to dissertation/book chapters: William Justin Harsha’s
Native American reform
novel Ploughed Under (1881); and Mary
Noailles Murfree’s Civil War/Reconstruction novel Where
the Battle was Fought (1884). And returning to the system’s special
collections yielded another stunning manuscript that became the sole focus of
my concluding chapter: a draft of George
Washington Cable’s multi-generational historical novel The Grandissimes (1881) on which the author engaged in extended,
impassioned discussion and debate with his editor and two readers about key
questions of voice, history, race, and literature.
3)
Writing in the Needham Public Library: Since
that first book, certain factors (particularly a couple very cute ones, but
also teaching and other professional responsibilities) have made it far more
difficult for me to get into archives as part of my research. But at the same
time, a particular library setting was absolutely crucial to my work on books
two through four (and remained a part of the equation for five): I wrote the
majority of those books (as well as many of this blog’s nearly 3000 posts to
date) at the same table toward the back of the Needham Public Library. Partly
that was a matter of convenience—it provided a space that was close to where
the boys were in day care and then school but distinct from home, thus offering
a perfect combination for my research day when I didn’t have to go into FSU. But
I think most writers would agree that routine is an important part of the writing
process, and this space became a familiar, comfortable, and eventually
important part of my process and productivity over nearly a decade of work. One
more reason to love public libraries!
NYPL post this
weekend,
Ben
PS. Thoughts on
this post, or other libraries you’d highlight/celebrate?
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