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Scope and Contents |
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Twelve boxes of correspondence, printed material, creative works, and scrapbook
material, 1798-1978 (bulk 1931-39), document the literary research and life of John
Grier Varner (1905-1978). The material is arranged in two series -- the first,
entitled General (five folders, 1936-78) includes materials relating to Varner's
activities and interests, and the second, entitled Research and Works (eleven boxes
and eleven folders, 1798-1972, bulk 1931-39) represents Varner's research of Sarah
Helen Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and other nineteenth-century literary figures.
Varner's original arrangement has been maintained where possible, especially in the
second series. |
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The vast majority of the materials in the Varner Papers are transcriptions and
photostats of manuscript material created by nineteenth-century literary figures,
and used by Varner in his research. These copies include the works and
correspondence of Sarah Helen Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, George Washington Eveleth,
and John H. Ingram, among others. Especially well documented is Varner's research
of
Sarah Helen Whitman (1803-78), the Providence poet and spiritualist who was briefly
engaged to Edgar Allan Poe. Also found in the collection are Varner's research
notes, as well as correspondence, published and unpublished creative works, and
printed materials he accumulated about the subjects he studied. |
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Varner's life and activities are less well documented. There are only five folders
of
records, and they consist mainly of printed materials accumulated by Varner.
Significantly absent from the collection is Varner's later research on Latin
American topics, as well as any personal papers. |
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A strength of the Varner Papers derives from the opportunity it offers users to learn
about the research process, especially in the early twentieth-century. For example,
Varner's correspondence about Sarah Helen Whitman illustrates how a researcher
tracks down information and follows up on sources. Another potential area of
research is that of nineteenth-century literary figures, and especially Sarah Helen
Whitman, since Varner gathered his transcriptions and photostats from many different
repositories and private collections. |
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Series Descriptions |
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Series I. General, 1936-1978 (1 box) |
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The materials in this series reflect Varner's life and teaching career, and
it is divided into two subseries. The first of these, entitled Varner
Personal, includes a small amount of printed material, correspondence, and
other documentary evidence that relates to Varner's interests and
activities. It appears that Varner gathered these materials out of personal
interest only. They offer little insight into his personal life and include
play programs, Christmas cards, exhibition catalogs, and newspaper
clippings. By far the most significant document found in this subseries is a
biographical piece written after Varner's death. Also found in this series,
under the subseries Teaching, are a few student papers that Varner kept for
their content. |
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Series II. Works and Research, 1798-1972, bulk 1932-1939 (11
boxes) |
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Series II makes up of the bulk of the collection. This series has been
further divided into five subseries, each of which reflects an area of
Varner's research in American literature. |
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- A. General
- B. Whitman, Sarah Helen
- Correspondence of J. G. Varner
- Research
- Individuals/Persons
- Places
- Spiritualism
- Works
- C. Poe, Edgar Allan
- D. Notable American Women, 1607-1950
- E. Other works and research
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Subseries A. General, 1931-1970, bulk 1931-1939 |
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The first of the subseries contains correspondence and research notes
that relate to Varner’s areas of study as a whole. |
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Subseries B. Whitman, Sarah Helen, 1798-1958 |
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This subseries is the largest in the series, and fills over eight of the
twelve boxes in the collection. The papers in this subseries have been
further arranged into three groups to impose further order. The first
group is titled Correspondence, 1932-58, and these records document the
many sources and leads that Varner followed while working on his
dissertation. While much of the correspondence originated in research
libraries, some of it derived from his attempts to obtain copies of
letters and works held in private collections. Important correspondents
in this subseries are Josiah K. Lilly, Dorothy Spofford, and John Cook
Wyllie. The correspondence follows Varner’s original alphabetical
arrangement. |
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The second group, titled Research, makes up the bulk of the series. In
this group are the transcriptions and photostats, research notes, and
gathered material that Varner used in his study of Sarah Helen Whitman.
These records have been further grouped by topic, since Varner’s study
generated research notes that only indirectly related to Whitman’s life.
The first of these topics has been titled Research on
Individuals/Persons. Most of the records relate to Sarah Helen Whitman’s
life and work. Four boxes of papers, arranged by Varner both
chronologically and by subject, bring together Whitman's correspondence
and creative works from 1816 until her death. However, Varner generated
correspondence, notes and other research materials while studying
associates of Whitman, like George Washington Eveleth, John H. Ingram,
John Winslow Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Whitman’s ancestry, all of
which are included in this subseries. |
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Another area of interest to Varner was the places in which Whitman lived
and travelled. Accordingly, a second topic has been titled Research by
Place. Varner used the records grouped in this heading to document
Whitman’s life in Providence, Rhode Island, as well as how and where she
would have travelled in the nineteenth-century. Of particular interest
in this group are the printed materials that document the history of
Providence. |
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The final area of research is that of Spiritualism, which Whitman
practiced throughout her life. These records include Varner’s research
into the important figures and beliefs of Whitman’s day, as well as
correspondence and research notes about the state of spiritualism in the
1930s. |
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The third and final group in this subseries is titled Works. Found here
are Varner’s bound dissertation Sarah Helen
Whitman: Seeress of Providence (1940), the draft of the
above, and his thesis, Poe and Mrs. Whitman: A
Study of the Documents of Sarah Helen Whitman (1938?). |
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Subseries C. Edgar Allan Poe, 1933-1943 |
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Two boxes make up this subseries, which represents Varner’s study of Poe.
These records have been divided into two groups as well, and their
arrangement differs from the above subseries. The first grouping in this
subseries is titled Works, and Varner’s published writings are found
here. Of particular interest is the material relating to the first book
Varner published, Edgar Allan Poe and the
Saturday Evening Courier (1933). The records here document
the publication process from Varner's earliest research notes and copies
of the articles he would edit to the book reviews and publicity the
published work generated. Also found in this grouping are smaller
amounts of correspondence and research material gathered by Varner while
writing articles about Poe. The second grouping has been labelled
General Research about Poe, and includes correspondence, research notes,
printed documents, portraits, and other gathered records that Varner
used to document Poe’s life and his relationships. |
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Subseries D. Notable American Women,
1607-1950, 1961-1972 |
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Found in this subseries is the correspondence, research material, and
drafts that Varner generated when he was asked to write short
biographies of important nineteenth-century women for this reference
source, which was published in 1971. Varner contributed three
biographies to this book, and his research of Maria Gowan Brooks,
Frances Sargent Osgood, and Sarah Helen Whitman is documented here. |
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Subseries E. Other works and research, undated |
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This final subseries includes areas of research that briefly interested
Varner, but were never developed further. Subjects of study in this
subseries are Delia Salter Bacon, Jane McCrea, and Irving Russell. Bacon
and McCrea are related indirectly to Varner’s study of Poe and his book
Edgar Allan Poe and the Saturday Evening
Courier. |