Please Continue: Literary Correspondence as Conversation

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In Summary

The letters in this exhibit span a century of English literature, from the 1880s to the 1980s, and each one was sent with the hope that it would bring a response in return, continuing the conversation. Because the fiction writers and poets who wrote this correspondence were all devoted to the craft of writing, their missives are works of art in themselves, albeit more personal and playful than their published volumes had the freedom to be. Each author’s epistles express personality not only through the chosen text, but also through paper color, handwriting, choice of writing utensil, and the many other physical details required to complete and mail a letter. The messages also hint at the lives on the receiving end of the correspondence, prompting us to imagine responses to the questions asked, praises doled out, and affections expressed.

[Letter from William Carlos Williams to David McDowell]

In this letter, William Carlos Williams asks David McDowell if he would be willing to publish an essay on rhyme by Sidney Lanier, “one of the early poets of America.” Williams notes that Marianne Moore had never heard of the important essay and that publishing it would benefit both poets and scholars “for a long time.”

Title	[Letter from William Carlos Williams to David McDowell]
Creator	William Carlos Williams
Date	July 10, 1957
Source	David McDowell Papers