William Blackburn papers, 1859-1985
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Summary
- Creator:
- Blackburn, William, 1899-1972
- Abstract:
- William Blackburn was a professor of English and creative writing at Duke University. The collection includes correspondence, writings, teaching materials and notes, biographical and family papers, printed materials, scrapbooks, audiovisual material, and photographs from William Blackburn and his family.
- Extent:
- 20 Linear Feet
15,000 Items - Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.00115
Background
- Scope and content:
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The William Blackburn papers are arranged in the following series: Correspondence; Writings; Teaching Material; Duke University Literary and Artistic Projects; Biographical Data and Family Papers; Printed Material; Scrapbooks; Audiovisual Material; and Photographs. Correspondence includes Blackburn family letters, letters relating to Blackburn's teaching and career at Duke University, and typescripts of letters by and about Joseph Conrad. Writings include Blackburn's own writings and speeches as well as those of students and his son Alexander Lambert Blackburn. Clippings mostly concern Blackburn's academic work, literary events at Duke in which Blackburn was pivotal, and reviews of the work of his students (including Anne Tyler, William Styron, and Reynolds Price). The collection also includes numerous photographs of family members and some of literary figures.
Addition (2007-0129) (200 items; 0.6 lin. ft.; dated 1937-1972) contains correspondence between Blackburn and his daughter, Mary April Blackburn Hill.
Addition (2008-0071) (30 items; 0.1 lin. ft.; 1925-1973) includes correspondence between William Blackburn and his brother, Clark, as well as additional papers from Elizabeth Blackburn. Elizabeth's papers include correspondence and two literary compositions.
Addition (2010-0013) (200 items; 0.6 lin. ft.; dated 1928-1985) includes correspondence between Blackburn and his wife, Elizabeth, especially during the breakup of their marriage; notes about William Blackburn from his son, Alexander Blackburn; articles, speeches, and clippings; and materials from his students and colleagues.
- Biographical / historical:
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William Blackburn was an author, editor, and professor of English and literary composition at Duke University from 1926 until 1969. Born in 1899 to missionaries in Persia, Blackburn spent his childhood in Seneca, South Carolina, and completed his undergraduate studies at Furman University. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1943. His academic scholarship was on Elizabethan poetry; later in his career, he also edited the letters of Joseph Conrad.
Blackburn's influence at Duke, however, stems from his creative writing classes, where he taught and inspired many students who went on to become prominent contemporary writers. His former students include Fred Chappell, William Styron, Reynolds Price, James Applewhite, and Anne Tyler.
- Acquisition information:
- The William Blackburn Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Melissa Delbridge, Tania Roy, Dan Breem, December 2003
Encoded by Melissa J. Delbridge, December 2003
Updated by Meghan Lyon, May 2010
Accessions 2007-0129, 2008-0071, 2010-0013 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
Contents
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- Restrictions:
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RESTRICTED: Selected correspondence is restricted; see container list for details.
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All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.
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- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], William Blackburn Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m10309