Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#4294
WALKER PERCY PAPERS
Inventory
Table of Contents:
Abstracts
General Abstract
Supplementary Correspondent Abstracts
Introduction
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Series Descriptions
Series I. Novels
A. The Moviegoer
B. The Last Gentleman
C. Love in the Ruins
D. Lancelot
E. The Second Coming
F. The Thanatos Syndrome
G. The Gramercy Winner
H. The Charterhouse
Series II. Other Works
A. The Message in the Bottle
B. Lost in the Cosmos
C. Symbol and Existence
D. Other Writings
Series III. Correspondence
Series IV. Subject Files
Series V. Other Papers
Series VI. Restricted Material
Series VII. Pictures
Addition of December 1996 (Acc. 96185
Size: About 1565 items (21.5 linear feet).
Date Span: 1943- .
Access: RESTRICTION: Series VI contains materials closed to
research at the request of Mary Bernice Townsend Percy.
RESTRICTION: Photocopying is prohibited.
Provenance:
Received from Walker Percy of Covington, La., in December
1981 (Acc. 81142), April 1983 (Acc. 83013), and May 1989
(Acc. 89040). E. T. P. Boone letters transferred from the
Rare Book Collection, UNC-CH, in September 1989 (Acc.
89108). Materials were received from Malcomb Bell, Jr., in
July 1990 (Acc. 90070) and December 1991 (Acc. 91177); from
Elizabeth Spencer in September 1990 (Acc. 90122); from Doris
Betts in September 1990 (Acc. 90123); Louis D. Rubin, Jr.,
in September 1990 (Acc. 92124); Helen M. Barthelme in April
1991 (Acc. 91051); Charles Barrett in February 1992 (Acc.
92025); Weldon Thornton in March 1993 (Acc. 93044); and
Ansley Cope in June 1993 (Acc. 93071) and March 1994 (Acc.
94045). Received from Mary Townsend Percy and Mary Pratt
Percy Lobdell of Covington, La., in May 1992 (Acc. 92062 and
92063), September 1993 (Acc. 93123), May (Acc. 94065), June
(Acc. 94083), and October (Acc. 94139) 1994, and January
1995 (Acc. 95107). Received from Gene Usdin of New Orleans,
La., in December 1996 (Acc. 96185).
Related Collections: SHELBY FOOTE PAPERS (#4038). Foote is a
long-time close friend of Percy. His papers
include over 200 letters from Foote to Percy.
ROBERT COLES PAPERS (#4333). Coles, a
friend of Percy, is the author of Walker
Percy: An American Search (1978). Percy
dedicated The Thanatos Syndrome to Coles.
Copyright: Retained by Mary Bernice Townsend Percy.
General abstract:
Walker Percy (1916-1990) was raised in Georgia,
Alabama, and Greenville, Miss., and lived most of his adult
life in Covington, La. He was the author of six published
novels: The Moviegoer (1961), The Last Gentleman (1966),
Love in the Ruins (1971), Lancelot (1977), The Second Coming
(1980), and The Thanatos Syndrome (1987). He also wrote The
Gramercy Winner and The Charterhouse, neither of which was
published during his lifetime. Works of non-fiction include
The Message in the Bottle (1975), Lost in the Cosmos (1983),
and Symbol and Existence: A Study in Meaning (collected
essays, unpublished as a collection). He also wrote
numerous short stories, book reviews, philosophical pieces
relating to language and to religion, especially
Catholicism.
Drafts, notes, and other materials relating to all of
Percy's major works and to many of his shorter efforts.
Also included are subject files containing source materials
and other items relating to authors and topics in which he
was particularly interested, including religious themes in
literature and the intellectual life of the American South.
There are also materials relating to John Kennedy Toole's A
Confederacy of Dunces (1980), which Percy helped to publish.
Also included are many letters and a few formal and informal
photographs of Percy. Most significant among Percy's
correspondents were Shelby Foote, a life-long friend;
Caroline Gordon, who, in the early 1950s, offered Percy in-
depth critiques of his work and pointers on writing in
general; and Donald Barthelme, who wrote about Percy's
submissions to the journal Forum. Other correspondents of
special importance were Cleanth Brooks, Jacques Maritain,
Thomas Merton, Flannery O'Connor, Lewis P. Simpson, and
Allen Tate. (Other correspondents are cataloged
separately.)
Online Catalog Terms:
American fiction--20th century.
American literature--20th century.
Authors, American--20th century.
Barthelme, Donald.
Brooks, Cleanth, 1906- .
Foote, Shelby.
Gordon, Caroline, 1895- .
Maritain, Jacques, 1882-1973.
Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.
Novelists, American--20th century.
O'Connor, Flannery.
Percy, Walker, 1916- .
Percy, Walker, 1916- . The gramercy winner.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . Lancelot.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . The last gentleman.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . Lost in the cosmos.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . Love in the ruins.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . The message in the bottle.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . The moviegoer.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . The second coming.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . Symbol and existence.
Percy, Walker, 1916- . The thanatos syndrome.
Simpson, Lewis P.
Southern States--Intellectual life--20th century.
Tate, Allen, 1909- .
Suplementary correspondent abstract:
Percy's correspondents of major import. Note that
correspondents of special importance in Percy's papers are listed
in the general abstract for this collection.
Online Catalog Terms:
Abadi Nagy, Zoltan.
Bell, Malcolm.
Ciuba, Gary M.
Coles, Robert.
Collins, James.
Cope, Ansley.
Corrington, John William.
Daniel, Robert Woodham.
Deely, John N.
Fadiman, Clifton, 1904- .
Giroux, Robert.
Handke, Peter.
Horgan, Paul, 1903- .
Ketner, Kenneth Laine.
Kramer, Victor A.
Malamud, Bernard.
Marlette, Doug, 1949- .
Ong, Walter J.
Percy, Walker, 1916- .
Powers, J. F. (James Farl), 1917- .
Sebeok, Thomas Albert.
Spencer, Elizabeth.
Taylor, Mark.
Veatch, Henry Babcock.
Welty, Eudora, 1909- .
Woodward, C. Vann (Comer Vann), 1908- .
INTRODUCTION
Biographical Note
Novelist and essayist Walker Percy was born 28 May 1916 in
Birmingham, Ala., the oldest son of Leroy Pratt and Martha
Phinizy Percy. After his father's death, when Percy was eleven,
the family lived in Athens, Ga., until 1929 when his mother died
in an automobile accident. Thereafter, Percy and his two
brothers lived with their father's cousin, William Alexander
Percy, lawyer, landowner, and poet of Greenville, Miss. From
Greenville, Percy went to the University of North Carolina (B.A.,
chemistry, 1937) and then to the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, Columbia University, from which he was graduated in
1941. The next year, while working as an intern, he contracted
tuberculosis, and spent the following two years in a sanitorium
in the Adirondacks. An attempt to return to Columbia to teach in
1944 failed when he suffered a relapse. Upon his recovery, Percy
decided to abandon medicine in favor of a career in writing.
In 1946, Percy married Mary Townsend, a native of
Mississippi, and settled shortly afterwards in Covington, La. He
and his wife became Roman Catholics at about the time of their
marriage. Percy published a number of essays in the 1950s and
his first published novel, The Moviegoer, won the 1962 National
Book Award for fiction. Other published novels are The Last
Gentleman (1966), Love in the Ruins (1971), Lancelot (1977), The
Second Coming (1980), and The Thanatos Syndrome (1987). He has
published two works of non-fiction, The Message in the Bottle
(1975), and Lost in the Cosmos (1983).
Walker Percy died of cancer on 10 May 1990. He is survived
by his wife and their two daughters, Mary Pratt Percy Lobdell and
Ann Boyd Percy Moores.
(This note draws from material in Southern Writers: A
Biographical Dictionary; Robert Coles, Walker Percy: An American
Search; and the Encyclopedia of Southern History.)
Collection Overview
These papers consist chiefly of material produced by Walker
Percy while working on his six published novels, two published
book-length works of non-fiction, various essays and reviews, and
three unpublished long works--two fiction (one of which is not
extant) and one non-fiction.
The collection is arranged in seven series: Novels (Series
I), Other Works (Series II), Correspondence (Series III), Subject
Files (Series IV), Other Papers (Series V), Restricted Material
(Series VI), and Pictures (Series VII). Materials are marked as
to date of receipt.
For most of the published book-length works in Series I and
II, there are notes, partial and/or preliminary drafts, complete
or nearly complete drafts, and sets of galley and/or page proofs.
For the unpublished works, there are one or two complete drafts
(with the exception of The Charterhouse, for which there is only
a page of notes). In Series II, there are also numerous essays,
interviews, book reviews, speeches, and short stories by Percy.
Correspondence in Series III contains a large amount of
correspondence with authors, critics, and others, including
Shelby Foote, Caroline Gordon, Flannery O'Connor, and Thomas
Merton. Subject files in Series IV are resource materials
compiled by Percy on various subjects. In Series V, there is a
draft of John Kennedy Toole's "Ignatius Reilly" and photocopies
of correspondence, 1964-1966, relating to the book. Percy was
instrumental in the posthumous publication of this work A
Confederacy of Dunces (1980).
Materials in Series VI are restricted at the request of Mary
Bernice Townsend Percy as of the date of this inventory. Series
VII contains a few photographs of Percy.
The material received in 1981 (all filed in Series I and II)
was accompanied by an inventory, prepared by Percy, briefly
listing the items transferred. The present arrangement of those
items generally follows the order established by Percy in that
inventory. Percy listed items in the general order of their
production; the present arrangement differs from Percy's order
only when a different order of production is apparent or in cases
of obvious filing errors.
Percy briefly identified some of the items received in the
1983 and 1989 additions; those identifications were used in
preparing the descriptions of those items. With a few
exceptions, the 1983 and 1989 items in Series I and II follow the
1981 items for each work. For The Gramercy Winner, all items
were part of the 1983 addition. Lost in the Cosmos items were
received in 1983, 1989, and 1994. The Thanatos Syndrome items
were part of the 1989 and 1994 additions.
In the descriptions of items in Series I and II, "leaf"
refers to a sheet of paper and "page" to a side of a sheet
bearing typescript or handwriting (autograph manuscript). A leaf
with writing on both recto and verso thus consists of two pages.
Leaves not assigned numbers by Percy were numbered during
processing. Some leaves to which Percy assigned numbers were
given additional numbers during processing in order to provide
consecutive numbering schemes and to assure preservation of the
original order of leaves. For galley and page proofs, only the
number of leaves is indicated in order to avoid confusion due to
multiple pages printed on each leaf.
The additions of 1994 contain drafts and proofs of Lost in
the Cosmos and The Thanatos Syndrome, many essays (and some
apparently unfinished longer works), as well as notes and much
significant correspondence. Items from Accession 94065 were
accompanied by an annotated item list prepared when the material
was acquired. Items from this have been integrated into the
collection, but retain the numbers from the item list in
parenthesis after the description (e.g., Received May 1994,
#423). In Series I and II, these items have been placed after
earlier accessions, despite the possibility of earlier
production. Two items, B:16 and B;17, were part of the May 1994
accession, but do not appear on the item list.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Novels
118 items. Ca. early 1950s-1987.
A. The Moviegoer (published 1961)
Notes, outlines, draft material, the setting copy, and
proofs. Included are a short story with a similar title (Item
2), an early draft (Item 3), which is relatively complete, and
the bulk of a later draft (Item 4). See Series III, folder 7A,
for a draft of Chapter 1 that was enclosed in correspondence with
Donald Barthelme.
Item A:1. Outlines, draft material, and notes
(ribbon typescript with autograph changes, and
autograph manuscript, 37 leaves [about 57 pages].
(Received 1981)
A:2. Draft of a short story titled
"Confessions of a Moviegoer (from the Diary of the
Last Romantic)" (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 19 leaves [about
34 pages]). Percy identified this as "a short
early version." Item A:8 is closely related.
(Received 1981)
A:3. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 442 leaves
[about 858 pages]). Titled "The Confessions of a
Moviegoer," and identified by Percy as "original
manuscript." Leaf 1 is missing. Notes are
included on some pages. (2 folders) (Received
1981)
A:4. Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes, 268 leaves [about 269 pages]). Leaves
are numbered 12-258, with leaves 13, 225, 235, and
240 missing, and with 25 additional leaves.
Material seems to be missing at the end of this
draft. Note that page 152A does not appear to
relate to adjacent text; it may belong to a draft
no longer extant. (Received 1981)
A:5. Draft (carbon typescript, 62 leaves
[about 62 pages]). Percy identified this as
"assorted carbons." Included are scattered runs of
from two to five pages and isolated individual
pages. For the most part, these pages are not
copies of pages in previous items. (Received
1981)
A:6. Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 48 leaves [about
73 pages]). Titled "Carnival in Gentilly." A
story by this name appeared in Forum, Volume 3, #4
(Summer 1960), pages 4-18. This item is a version
of Chapter 2 of The Moviegoer. Note that the text
on the last page ends in mid-sentence--final pages
are missing. (Received 1981)
A:7. Setting copy (ribbon typescript with
autograph changes, 269 leaves [269 pages]).
Proofreader's queries appear on a few pages. For
front matter, see Item A-9. (2 folders)
(Received 1981)
A:8. Draft of short story titled "Confessions
of a Moviegoer (from the Diary of the Last
Romantic)" (carbon typescript, 21 leaves [21
pages]). Slightly different version of Item A-2.
(Received 1983)
A:9. Front matter from setting copy (Item
A-7) (ribbon and carbon typescript with editor's
notations, 9 leaves [9 pages]). Included are
three drafts of title page, copyright notice,
dedication, quotation, biographical note, and
other material. (Received 1983)
A:10. Galley proofs (with editor's notations
and corrections, 84 leaves). Labeled "Author's
proof," dated 16 December 1960, except for title
page, which is dated 22 December 1960. (Received
1983)
A:11. Page proofs (with a few editor's
notations, 83 leaves), dated 20 January 1961.
(Received 1983)
A:12. Two transcript pages of page 254 of
The Moviegoer. (Received May 1994, #60)
A:13 Material concerning a Norton Critical
Edition of The Moviegoer. (Received May 1994,
#252)
B. The Last Gentleman (published 1966)
Character sketches, notes, outlines, draft material,
editor's comments and some source material, the setting copy, and
galley proofs. Item 1 includes notes about characters and ideas
for the novel, as does the early portion of the item Percy called
"first draft" (Item 2). In addition to the setting copy, four
other relatively complete drafts are included (Items 3, 4, 5, and
6A/C/D). Editor's comments are included in Item 6B.
Item B:1. Character sketches, other notes, and outlines
(autograph manuscript, 154 leaves [about 233
pages]). Percy identified this as "Notebook
sketches and notes about characters." Included
are notes about characters not appearing in the
published version. (Received 1981)
B:2. Draft (autograph manuscript and ribbon
typescript with autograph changes, 261 leaves
[about 457 pages]). Identified as "First Draft
(pencil)" by Percy. The first 28 leaves (not
numbered by Percy) include notes about characters,
plot, etc., as well as draft material. Leaves
numbered by Percy run through leaf 259 with 42
numbered leaves missing and 17 additional leaves.
Leaves 44 and 45 include marginal notes in a
different hand. (Received 1981)
B:3. Draft (autograph manuscript and ribbon
and carbon typescript with autograph changes, 785
leaves [about 1260 pages]). Percy identified this
item as "Second draft (type plus script)."
Occasional notes are included. Leaf 782 is dated
7 September 1963, and leaf 783 20 March 1964. (3
folders) (Received 1981)
B:4. Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes, 476 leaves [about 477 pages]). Described
by Percy as "Carbon of early version of TLG," this
may be the third draft. Leaves were numbered by
Percy. Leaves 1 and 308 are lacking, although no
text seems missing between leaves 307 and 309. In
some cases, two versions of a passage follow one
another on consecutive pages. (Received 1981)
(Two Folders)
B:5. Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 634 leaves
[about 1114 pages]). Identified by Percy as
"Final Typescript, with corrections," this does
not appear to be a final version, but rather the
draft prepared by Percy after receiving comments
from Patricia Schartle, an editor with Percy's
literary agent (see Item 6b). Notes, probably in
Schartle's hand, appear on many pages. There are
also occasional notes in Percy's hand. Note that
page 559 is a letter from "Perrine," Tesuque, New
Mexico, to Percy, dated 27 January [no year]. (3
folders) (Received 1981)
B:6A. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, 514 leaves [about 721 pages]). Percy
identified Items 6A and 6B as "Typescript (...with
letters and source material...), corrected in
pencil, with additions." Item 6A is apparently a
complete draft. Leaves were numbered by Percy.
Leaves 102-108 are missing, although no text seems
missing. There are content notes on page 1, notes
to "Berry" on pages 1 and 433A, and occasional
queries and marginal notes in what appears to be a
hand other than Percy's. (3 folders) (Received
1981)
B:6B. Outline, letter, and source material,
filed by Percy with Item 6A (8-page outline,
4-page letter from editor, three items source
material). Letter is from Elizabeth R. Otis of
McIntosh and Otis, Inc., literary agents, to
Percy, 7 August 1964, with a 3-page attachment
consisting of comments by Patricia Schartle on
Centennial (apparently an early title for TLG).
Printed items, which apparently served as source
material, consist of The Councilor, Volume 3, #1
(16 January 1965); an undated and untitled
clipping from The Councilor; and "Everybody Knows
My Name" by Robert Brustein, a review of Nothing
Personal by Richard Avedon and James Baldwin,
clipped from the New York Review of Books, 16
December 1964), and annotated by Percy. (Received
1981)
B:6C. Draft (carbon typescript, 470 leaves
[470 pages]).
Copy of Item B-6A with autograph
corrections and insertions. (2 folders)
(Received 1983)
B:6D. Partial draft (mostly ribbon typescript,
152 leaves [158 pages]). Copy of latter part of
Item B-6A, with extensive revision by Percy in
early pages. Pages numbered 254-436. (Received
1983)
B:7. Setting copy (ribbon typescript, 470
leaves [470 pages]). Identified by Percy as
"corrected typescript of third(?) draft."
Proofreader's queries appear on a few pages. (3
folders) (Received 1981)
B:8A. Draft (ribbon and carbon typescript, 91
leaves [93 pages]). Early draft with autograph
corrections and insertions by Percy. Leaf 1 is
missing. Leaves 2-40 are ribbon and leaves 41-92
are carbon copies. (Received 1983)
B:8B. Draft (carbon typescript, 92 leaves [92
pages]). Copy of Item B-8A (including leaf 1)
with a few autograph corrections and marginal
comments not in Percy's hand. (Received 1983)
B:9A. Draft (ribbon typescript, 148 leaves
[148 pages]).
Later draft with minor autograph
additions and changes. (Received 1983)
B:9B. Draft (carbon typescript, 98 leaves [98
pages]). Copy of latter part of Item B-9A.
Leaves numbered 50-148. (Received 1983)
B:10. Galley proofs (bound, 271 leaves).
Labeled "uncorrected proof," although there are
occasional typographical corrections. (Received
1983)
B:11. Front matter for the setting copy of TLG.
(Received May 1994, #102)
C. Love in the Ruins (published 1971)
Notes, source material, outlines, draft material, the
setting copy, and proofs. Item 1B consists of source material.
Notes are included in many items, but appear most extensively in
Items 1A and 7. Other items are chiefly either drafts of parts
of the work or relatively complete drafts. The fullest drafts,
in addition to the setting copy, are Item 5A, the bulk of Item 7,
and Item 8.
Item C:1A. Draft material and notes (autograph
manuscript, 41 leaves [66 pages]). Leaf 33 is
dated 3 February 1966. (Received 1981)
C:1B. Source material (12 printed items, some
annotated). Newspaper and magazine clippings,
some with autograph annotations, identified by
Percy as "source clippings." (Received 1981)
C:2A. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, 71 leaves [71 pages]). "Journal of a Bad
Catholic near the End of the World" and (beginning
with leaf 34) "The Smith Qualitative-Quantitative
Lapsometer." Leaf 1 is missing. (Received 1981)
C:2B. Draft (carbon typescript, 82 leaves [82
pages]). Copy of Item 2A, with leaf 1 including,
dated 27 April 1967, included. (Received 1981)
C:3. Draft (carbon typescript, 173 leaves
[173 pages]). First leaf begins "Noon, July 4, In
the Subdivision." Leaves were numbered by Percy.
Leaves 8-10 and 86 are missing. (Received 1981)
C:4. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, 19 leaves [19 pages]). First leaf is
dated 5 March 1968 and begins "Waiting on the
Interstate, thirty minutes to go." (Received
1981)
C:5A. Draft with notes (autograph manuscript
and typescript [almost all ribbon] with autograph
changes, 396 leaves [715 pages]). Leaf 1 is dated
5 June 1968; leaf 2, 25 June 1968; and leaf 31, 6
May 1968. Included are frequent notes about the
work and occasional references to other authors
and other works. (2 folders) (Received 1981)
C:5B. Draft (autograph manuscript, 60 leaves
[104 pages]). As received in the Manuscripts
Department, the pages now constituting this item
were folded together and positioned among pages of
Item 5A; they bear no apparent particular relation
to 5A. (Received 1981)
C:6. Draft (carbon typescript, 33 leaves [33
pages]). Leaves 1-10 are copies of leaves 31-40
in Item 5B, and all but one of the remaining
leaves are copies of leaves in Item 7. There
appears to be no other copy of leaf 25. (Received
1981)
C:7. Notes, outline, draft (ribbon and carbon
typescript with autograph changes and autograph
manuscript, 341 leaves [488 pages]). Leaves 1-23
consist entirely of notes and outlines; the
remaining pages are chiefly draft material. (2
folders) (Received 1981)
C:8A. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, and autograph manuscript, 650 leaves
[about 1256 pages]). Percy identified this item
as "Early (earliest) version: 'How to Make Love
in the Ruins.'" Although there are gaps in
Percy's original numbering scheme, this item
appears to be a relatively complete composite
draft. Occasional notes are included throughout.
The final leaf is dated 19 January 1970. (2
folders) (Received 1981)
C:8B. Draft (carbon typescript, 657 leaves
[657 pages]). Carbon of Item 8A, with identical
gaps in page- numbering scheme. Autograph changes
are not included, but there are autograph comments
on page 132. (3 folders) (Received 1983)
C:9. Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscripts, 517 leaves [531
pages]). Described by Percy as "carbon (in
binder), with corrections in pencil." This item
is almost altogether a copy of Item 10. Notable
differences from Item 10 are autograph manuscript
on the verso of about fifteen leaves and an
additional leaf, numbered 232b. Autograph changes
on recto pages seem identical to those in Item 10.
(2 folders) (Received 1981)
C:10. Setting copy (ribbon typescript with
autograph changes, 521 leaves [522 pages]).
Proofreader's or editor's queries and replies by
Percy appear occasionally. Autograph manuscript
appears on the verso of leaf 42. (3 folders)
(Received 1981)
C:11A. Galley proofs (138 leaves). Labeled
"Reader's copy" with autograph corrections and
page division markings. Title page and first page
of text are missing. Dated 27 January 1971.
(Received 1983)
C:11B. Galley proofs (136 leaves). Labeled
"Author's Copy" with corrections by Percy. Dated
27 January 1971. (Received 1983)
C:12. Page proofs (103 leaves). Labeled
"Marked set" with autograph corrections.
(Received 1983)
C:13. Page proofs (102 leaves). Editor's
spacing notes are included on first pages; there
are no other markings. (Received 1983)
C:14. Draft sections. (Received May 1994, #30)
C:15. Holograph notes, draft sections, and queries.
(Received May 1994, #105)
D. Lancelot (published 1977)
Notes, outlines, partial and relatively complete drafts, the
setting copy, and proofs. Notes are included in many items, but
are most extensive in Items 1, 3D, and 7D. Many items are
partial or preliminary drafts; among these is Item 2, a short
early version titled "The Prisoner." In addition to the setting
copy, there are four relatively complete drafts (Items 6, 7A, 8,
and 9). See Series II: A:3 for notes and draft material
apparently relating to Lancelot that is mixed with The Message in
the Bottle material.
As received in the Manuscripts Department, the material now
constituting Items 3, 4, 5, and 8 was filed together in a
package, identified by Percy as "First draft, pencil manuscript."
The order of this material has been maintained; divisions are
based on groupings of leaves as received and on differences among
types of material.
Items D:1A-G. Notes and draft (autograph manuscript, 153 leaves
[221 pages]). Identified by Percy as "Preliminary
notes." Each of the eight sections consists of
pages that were either stapled together as a unit
or were positioned between stapled units. Item 1A
contains some material not clearly related to
Lancelot with leaf 12, for example, headed "The
Scientist and the Musical Termites." Leaf 1 of
Item 1B is headed "Notes for Lancelot"; leaf 10,
"Death, Famine, and the Knight"; leaf 11, "Dec.
31, 1973"; leaf 9, Item 1C, is headed "3/24/73";
leaf 10, Item 1F, is headed "Sept. 8, 1973" and
"The Assistant Chaplain." (Received 1981)
D:2. Notes and draft (autograph manuscript,
33 leaves [56 pages]). Percy identified this as
"`The Prisoner', an early version (short story)."
(Received 1981)
D:3A. Draft (autograph manuscript, 12 leaves
[20 pages]). Leaf 1 is headed "L in Cell."
(Received 1981)
D:3B. Draft (autograph manuscript, 15 leaves
[26 pages]). Leaf 1 is headed "L & Dr. Weiss."
(Received 1981)
D:3C. Draft (autograph manuscript, 8 leaves
[16 pages]). Leaf 1 is headed "Belle Isle Rowan."
(Received 1981)
D:3D. Outlines and notes (autograph
manuscript, 3 leaves [3 pages]). (Received 1981)
D:4A. Notes, outlines, and draft (autograph
manuscript, 146 leaves [249 pages]). Leaf 53 is
dated 15 January 1973 and leaf 99 is dated 13
November 1972. (Received 1981)
D:4B. Notes and draft (autograph manuscript,
61 leaves [93 pages]). Leaf 13 is headed "Lines
of Life." (Received 1981)
D:5. Notes and draft (autograph manuscripts,
294 leaves [523 pages]). An apparently continuous
draft, perhaps the earliest relatively complete
one. Leaf 1 is headed "Lancelot: Death, Famine &
the Knight." (2 folders) (Received 1981)
D:6. Draft (autograph manuscript and ribbon
and carbon type script with autograph changes, 59
leaves [100 pages]). Identified by Percy as
"Misc. additions in pencil." Perhaps middle or
later stages of early sections of D-5. Leaf 1 is
headed "First Meeting Margot" and leaf 19, 1st
Supper Scene." (Received 1981)
D:7A. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes with some pages autograph manuscript, 260
leaves [355 pages]). Percy identified this as "My
final typescript, plus pencil corrections." This
item is perhaps the second relatively complete
draft. Editor's queries and replies by Percy
appear occasionally. (2 folders) (Received 1981)
D:7B. Notes (autograph manuscript, 5 leaves [6
pages]). Research notes chiefly relating to Soren
Kierkegaard. Following Items 7A as received.
(Received 1981)
D:8. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes with some pages autograph manuscript, 299
leaves [364 pages]). Since this draft is earlier
than Item 9 and probably later than Item 7A, it is
likely the third relatively complete draft.
Occasional notes in Percy's hand and in another
hand are included. (2 folders) (Received 1981)
D:9. Draft and notes (chiefly ribbon
typescript with autograph changes and seven pages
autograph manuscript, 334 leaves [339 pages]).
Described by Percy as "My typist's typescript,
plus corrections and publishers' marks." This
item is probably the fourth relatively complete
draft. Note that pages 125A and 131A consist
entirely of notes. (2 folders) (Received 1981)
D:10. Setting copy (ribbon typescript, 333
leaves [333 pages]). Printer's marks, queries to
author, and autograph changes, some by Percy, are
included. (2 folders) (Received 1981)
D:11. Front matter (ribbon typescript and
paste-up of title page, 5 leaves [5 pages]).
Autograph notes on spacing. (Received 1983)
D:12. Galley proofs (133 leaves). Autograph
corrections, notes, and page divisions. Dated 17
November 1976. (Received 1983)
D:13A. Page proofs (134 leaves). Autograph
corrections and notes with several typed
insertions attached. "Date sent," 4 November
1976. (Received 1983)
D:13B. Page proofs (130 leaves). "Author's
set" with corrections by Percy. (Received 1983)
D:14. Front matter proofs (photocopy, 6
leaves). Editor's spacing notes are included.
Dated 6 December 1976. (Received 1983)
E. The Second Coming (published 1980)
Notes, partial and complete drafts, the setting copy, and
proofs. Most items are drafts of parts of the work, the many
parts of Item 2 forming an extensive group of partial drafts.
Notes are concentrated particularly in parts of Item 1 and in
Item 2Aii. In addition to the setting copy, there are five
relatively complete drafts--Item 1B, 2F, 3, 4, and 5A.
Note: All parts of Item 1, described by Percy as "First draft,
pencil manuscript," were filed together as received in the
Manuscripts Department. Divisions in Item 1 are based on
groupings of leaves as received and on differences among types of
material. Material now constituting five of the six parts
(E2A-2E) of Item 2 was the bulk of material Percy identified as
"6 carbon copies of early versions." These five divisions and
the order of the material in this item are as they were when
received. Subdivisions, established during processing, are based
on differences among types of material. Because it was clearly
composed later, Percy's sixth "version" is filed separately as
Item 5. Included in Item 2 (E-2F) is a typescript received in
1989, identified by Percy as "Typescript Early Version."
Item E:1A(i). Notes and Draft (autograph manuscript,
39 leaves [55 pages]). Early material. (Received
1981)
E:1A(ii). Notes (autograph manuscript, 26 leaves
[34 pages]). Notes made later than those in Item
1A(i). (Received 1981)
E:1B. Draft and notes (autograph manuscript,
887 leaves [1524 pages]). Presumably the first
draft. Notes are interspersed throughout. There
are three versions of an opening, beginning with
leaves 1, 50, and 66. Leaf 887 is dated 30
September 1978. (4 folders) (Received 1981)
E:1C. Notes and draft (autograph manuscript,
22 leaves [36 pages]). This material pertains to
the first part of the work. (Received 1981)
E:1D. Notes (autograph manuscript, 2 leaves [2
pages]). References to details in a draft are to
page numbers presumably of a draft later than Item
1B (which, as received, had no page numbers).
(Received 1981)
E:2A(i). Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes with some pages autograph manuscript, 65
leaves [82 pages]). Described by Percy as "First
version of opening of Second Coming (with Allie)."
Leaf 1 begins "Here I am, a thirty-year old
woman...." (Received 1981)
E:2A(ii). Notes and draft (chiefly autograph
manuscript plus ribbon and carbon typescript with
autograph changes, 37 leaves [51 pages]). Copies
of pages i-iv of Item 2Ai are included and are
marked with extensive autograph changes.
(Received 1981)
E:2B. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 43 leaves [60
pages]). Described by Percy as "second version of
opening of Second Coming." Leaves 1-8 appear to
constitute this opening with leaf 2 beginning "The
first symptoms of his illness...." Other leaves
are scattered draft with some extensive autograph
changes. (Received 1981)
E:2C(i). Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes, 4 leaves [4 pages]). First part of item
identified by Percy as "Carbon of early version
(beginning with Allie)." These seem to be
versions of the first pages of the work. First
page begins "The October sun was warm on her
back." (Received 1981)
E:2C(ii). Draft (carbon typescript, 141 leaves
[141 pages]). Continuous version of Part Two of
the work distinct from other drafts of the novel.
(Received 1981)
E:2C(iii).Draft (carbon typescript, 48 leaves [48
pages]). Chiefly scattered pages, with some short
runs. Leaf 1A begins "The first symptoms of his
illness occurred...." (Received 1981)
E:2C(iv). Draft (carbon typescript, 43 leaves [43
pages]). Chiefly scattered pages with some short
runs. First page begins "The first sign that
something had gone wrong manifested itself...."
(Received 1981)
E:2C(v). Draft (carbon typescript, 18 leaves [18
pages]). Chiefly scattered pages. (Received
1981)
E:2D(i). Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes, 28 leaves [28 pages]). First part of
item Percy labelled "Carbon of early version
(beginning with Allie)." Page 1A begins "Her body
was sore." (Received 1981)
E:2D(ii). Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes and one page autograph manuscript, 170
leaves [171 pages]). Continuous draft of the
early part of the work, roughly corresponding to
part I of the final version. Page 1 begins "It
began when he sliced out of bounds...." (Received
1981)
E:2D(iii).Draft (carbon typescript, 3 leaves [3 pages]).
Scattered pages. (Received 1981)
E:2E(i). Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 71 leaves [75
pages]). Generally continuous, described as
"carbon of later version (beginning with Will)."
Most leaves are copies of ribbon typescript in
Item 2ai. Leaf 1 begins "The first symptoms of
his illness occurred...." (Received 1981)
E:2E(ii). Draft (carbon typescript, autograph
manuscript, and ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, 18 leaves [19 pages]). Scattered pages
with short runs. Three leaves numbered 1 and one
leaf numbered 1A are included. (Received 1981)
E:2E(iii).Draft (photocopy typescript with
photocopy autograph changes, 102
leaves [102 pages]). Scattered pages with runs of
consecutive pages, apparently a composite of at
least two separate versions. Leaf 102 is dated 13
October 1978. There are copies in other items of
some of the material in this item; some elements,
however, notably some photocopy autograph changes,
are not included elsewhere. (Received 1981)
E:2F. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes with some pages in autograph manuscript.
A few pages are photocopy typescript or carbon
typescript, 311 leaves [about 465 pages]).
Included is a three-ring binder labelled by Percy
"The Second Coming - Typescript Early Version" on
front and "Second Coming 1st Version typescript"
on spine. Percy's page numbering is not
consecutive. Pages 116-130 [leaves 127-142]
appear to be an earlier version of the pages
numbered 146-164 [leaves 204-232] that follow page
189. Typed and pencilled changes on pages 116-130
are incorporated into the typescript of pages
146-164. (Received 1989)
E:3. Draft (carbon and photocopy typescript
with autograph changes and carbon, photocopy, and
original autograph manuscript, 469 leaves [543
pages]). Largely a copy made from Item 4,
apparently used by Percy while Item 4 (the ribbon
copy) was with his agent. Percy seems to have
made autograph changes on this item, which he
later transferred, sometimes in a slightly
different form, to Item 4. Last leaf is dated
"July 17, 1979 5:00 pm." (Received 1981)
E:4. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 425 leaves [603
pages]). Labelled by Percy "a typescript, with
corrections." Item 3 is largely a copy made from
this item. Final leaf contains same date as in
Item 3. Note that Percy made some substantial
changes on this item (not included in Item 3)
after it was returned by his agent. (3 folders)
(Received 1981)
E:5A. Draft (carbon typescript with autograph
changes, 433 leaves [433 pages]). This item,
largely continuous, is apparently the draft that
incorporates changes made in Items 3 and 4. Leaf
1 begins "The first sign that something had gone
wrong manifested itself...." (Received 1981)
E:5B. Draft (carbon typescript, 11 leaves [11
pages]). Scattered pages. (Received 1981)
E:6A. Setting copy (ribbon typescript with
autograph changes by Percy and others, 475 leaves
[475 pages]). Leaf 162 has source material taped
on verso. Queries to author appear on a few
pages. (3 folders) (Received 1981)
E:6B. Setting copy (carbon and photocopy
typescript, 449 leaves [454 pages]). Carbon of
Item E-6A with the same and additional typed and
autograph revisions. (3 folders) (Received 1983)
E:7. Draft (photocopy typescript with
photocopy and autograph corrections, 189 leaves
[248 pages]). Identified by Percy as "an early
version." (Received 1983)
E:8A. Galley proofs (124 leaves). "Master
set" with editor's note and corrections.
(Received 1983)
E:8B. Galley proofs (124 leaves). Duplicate
of Item 8A "with Percy's corrections." (Received
1983)
E:9. Page proofs (147 leaves). "Master set"
with minor autograph revisions. Leaves numbered
1-121 are followed by duplicate copies of 26
various leaves with Percy's corrections.
(Received 1983)
E:10. Galley proofs (8 leaves). An excerpt
that appeared in Harper's in April 1980 titled
"Sunday Under Par." (Received 1983)
F. The Thanatos Syndrome (published 1987)
Outlines, notes, partial and complete drafts, and setting
copy. Except for G:9, most drafts are fairly complete.
Item F:1. Outline and notes (autograph manuscript,
29 leaves [47 pages]). Identified by Percy as
"Outline for The Thanatos Syndrome." (Received
1989)
F:2. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 152 leaves
[approximately 234 pages]). The first leaf is
dated 29 October 1983 and identified by Percy as
"(Early Version Thanatos Syndrome)." (Received
1989)
F:3. Draft (autograph manuscript with a few
pages of ribbon typescript, 944 leaves [about 1250
pages]). Identified by Percy as "First Draft The
Thanatos Syndrome (finished July 12, 1985)," this
item includes notes and outlines as well as text.
Pages were unnumbered when received at the
Manuscripts Department; they were kept in their
original order and numbered sequentially,
including pages of notes, and inserts as well as
blank pages. (4 folders) (Received 1989)
F:4A. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes and autograph manuscript, 422 leaves
[about 750 pages]). Identified by Percy as "First
Typed Version." An incomplete typescript draft,
this item appears to be continued by Item G-4B.
Numerous autograph manuscript pages have been
inserted among typescript pages. (2 folders)
(Received 1989)
F:4B. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, 137 leaves [about 191 pages]). Received
in a three-ring notebook labelled by Percy "Notes
for Thanatos Syndrome," this actually appears to
be a continuation of Item G-4A. The final leaf
was dated by Percy "July 26, 1985." (Received
1989)
F:5. Draft (photocopy typescript with
autograph changes, 520 leaves, approximately 570
pages]). Percy identified this item as "The
Thanatos Syndrome, corrected (carbon)." It
appears to be an almost complete draft with a few
pencilled changes by Percy. All pages are
photocopy typescript except the first two pages of
the preface, which are ribbon typescript and
appear to be an earlier version of the three pages
that follow. Pages 222, 225, 226, 311-315, 349,
365, 491, 502, and 509 are missing. Note that
ribbon typescript pages 316-318 are inserted
between pages 348 and 350, that pages numbered
331-332 are inserted between pages 364 and 366,
and that ribbon typescript page 458A is inserted
between pages 508 and 510. (3 folders) (Received
1989)
F:6. Folder: "Corrections Thanatos." (Received May
1994, #218)
F:7. Page proofs. (Received May 1994, #276)
F:8. "Draft 2" corrected ribbon typescript.
(7 folders) (Received 1994)
F:9. "Parts of TS," partial corrected ribbon
typescript, uncorrected photocopy typescripts, and
various holograph insertions. (Received 1994)
F:10. Photocopy typescript and a cover letter
from Helene Atwan of Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
detailing suggested corrections. (3 folders)
(Received 1994)
G. The Gramercy Winner (unpublished)
Bound draft of an unpublished novel, apparently written in
the early 1950s. In April 1983, in a conversation with Tim West
of the Manuscipts Department staff, Percy said that this is the
second or third of three novels (including The Charterhouse, see
H:1 in this series) written before The Moviegoer that were not
published.
Item G:1. Draft (bound ribbon typescript with
autograph changes by Percy, 341 leaves [346
pages]). Leaves were numbered by Percy with the
following irregularities: (1) there is no page
189; (2) each of the following page numbers
appears on two consecutive pages: 73, 194, 202,
and 254. (2 folders) (Received 1983)
H: The Charterhouse (unpublished)
H:1. Journal and notes concerning Percy's early
unpublished (and apparently nonextant) novel, The
Charterhouse. See Series III, for letters from
Caroline Gordon, Robert Daniel, Denver Lindley,
and Susan Jenkins (with Malcolm Cowley enclosure)
relating to this work. (Received May 1994, #31)
Series II. Other Works
167 items. Ca. 1950-1989.
A. The Message in the Bottle (published 1975)
Notes, draft material, offprints, part of the setting copy,
proofs, and paste-ups. Most draft material relates to essays
"The Delta Factor," "The Message in the Bottle," and "A Theory
of Language." Item 10 consists of unidentified material. Item 3
may include some material relating to Lancelot. See Series III,
folder 28, for an early draft, chiefly of "The Delta Factor" (15
leaves [18 pages]) enclosed in a November 1974 letter from Percy
to Shelby Foote.
Item A:1. Draft, "Author's Note" (autograph
manuscript, 1 leaf [1 page]). (Received 1981)
A:2. Draft, "Author's Note" (carbon
typescript, 1 leaf [1 page]). (Received 1981)
A:3. Draft and notes, chiefly for "The Delta
Factor" and "The Message in the Bottle" (autograph
manuscript, 197 leaves [about 335 pages]).
Included is a three-ring binder labelled by Percy
"1st draft of `The Delta Factor' (Message in
Bottle)." Leaves 1-4 may relate to the essay "The
Message in the Bottle." Leaves 185-197 are notes
and draft material apparently relating to
Lancelot. (Received 1981)
A:4. Draft, "The Delta Factor" (autograph
manuscript, photocopy typescript, and carbon
typescript, 67 leaves [about 70 pages]).
(Received 1981)
A:5. Draft, "The Delta Factor" (carbon
typescript, 4 leaves [4 pages]). Leaves are
numbered 2-5. (Received 1981)
A:6. Draft, "The Message in the Bottle"
(carbon typescript, 12 leaves [12 pages]). Leaves
are numbered 22-28. (Received 1981)
A:7. Draft, "The Message in the Bottle"
(carbon typescript, 12 leaves [12 pages]). Leaves
are numbered 27-39. Leaf 38 is missing.
(Received 1981)
A:8. Draft, "The Message in the Bottle"
(carbon typescript, 2 leaves [2 pages]). Leaves
are unnumbered. (Received in 1981)
A:9. Draft, "A Theory of Language" (autograph
manuscript, photocopy typescript, and carbon
typescript, 48 leaves [48 pages]). (Received
1981)
A:10. Draft (autograph manuscript, carbon
typescript, and ribbon typescript, 21 leaves
[about 36 pages]). Included are scattered pages
from one or more unidentified works of
non-fiction. Leaf 18 is headed "The Misbehavior
of Behavioral Scientists." (Received 1981)
A:11. Notes (autograph manuscript, 2 leaves [2
pages]). Apparently a list of items to be checked
in the text of the book. (Received 1981)
A:12. Offprints (6 pieces of printed material)
of previously published versions of four essays
that later appeared as chapters in The Message in
the Bottle. Also included is a copy of the fall
1970 issue of Katallagete in which "Notes for a
Novel about the End of the World" was first
published and an offprint of "Naming and Being,"
which did not appear in Message. (Received 1981)
A:13A. Partial setting copy (ribbon typescript,
carbon typescript, photocopy typescript, and
photocopy of printed material, 165 leaves [165
pages]). Included is a ribbon typescript version
of "Author's Note," and largely photocopy
typescript versions of "The Delta Factor" and "A
Theory of Language," all with autograph changes.
(Received 1981)
A:13B. Partial setting copy (photocopy of
previously published material, 157 leaves [157
pages]). Chapters 5-14 with editor's changes and
notations. Dated 21 February 1975. (Received
1983)
A:14. Galley proofs (182 leaves). Editor's
notations and corrections are included. Diagrams
are clipped to appropriate pages. (Received 1983)
A:15. Page proofs (photocopy, 174 leaves).
Includes autograph corrections and typed list of
corrections by Percy. Dated 13 March 1975.
(Received 1983)
A:16. Diagram paste-ups (cardboard, 6 leaves).
(Received 1983)
A:17. Carbon typescript of what would
evevtually be titled "The Message in the Bottle"
with holograph corrections. (Received May 1994,
#54)
B. Lost in the Cosmos (published 1983)
Notes, source material, diagrams, draft material, and
proofs. Items 1-4 are widely varying versions of the book.
Items 5-10 are drafts that resemble the published version in
format and organization.
Item B:1. Draft (autograph manuscript, 322 leaves [396
pages]). Identified by Percy as "part of first
draft." Includes notes, diagrams, and several
typed insertions. (2 folders) (Received in 1983)
B:2. Draft (autograph manuscript, 248 pages
[307 pages]). Identified by Percy as "first rough
draft, finished 24 June 1981." Includes several
typed insertions. (Received 1983)
B:3A. Draft (carbon and photocopy typescript,
134 leaves [134 pages]). Identified by Percy as
"carbon of 1st typescript." Dated 24 June 1981.
(Received 1983)
B:3B. Draft (photocopy typescript, 204 leaves
[204 pages]). Photocopy of Item B-3A with
additional pages and corrections and insertions by
Percy. (2 folders) (Received 1983)
B:4. Portions of various drafts (ribbon,
carbon, and photocopy typescripts, approximately
420 leaves [420 pages]). Miscellaneous group of
various segments, chapters, and additions. (2
folders) (Received 1983)
B:5A. Draft (carbon typescript, 251 leaves
[251 pages]). Apparently earliest complete draft.
(Received 1983)
B:5B. Draft (photocopy, 300 leaves [347
pages]). Photocopy of Item B-5A with editor's
notes and Percy's corrections and insertions. (2
folders) (Received 1983)
B:6. Draft (ribbon typescript, 308 leaves
[308 pages]). Includes 16 pages of autograph and
typed lists of corrections and cover letter from
Percy to Robert Giroux, 7 September 1982. (2
folders) (Received 1983)
B:7. Galley proof (133 leaves). Includes
some autograph corrections and insertions.
(Received 1983)
B:8. Draft (ribbon typescript with autograph
changes, 219 leaves [approximately 304 pages]). A
few pages are autograph manuscript. Identified by
Percy as "First Corrected Typescript." Also
retained are plastic tabs with Percy's labels
designating topics for various sections of the
typescript. (Received 1989)
B:9. Draft (photocopy typescript, 253 leaves
[253 pages]). Identified by Percy as "Lost in
Cosmos Typescript," this draft contains a few
underlinings, but no autograph changes. It
appears to be a revision of Item B-8,
incorporating the changes noted in the earlier
draft. Also retained is the folder from the
typescript, on which is written autograph note in
a hand other than Percy's. (2 folders) (Received
1989)
B:10. Draft (ribbon, carbon, and photocopy
typescript with autograph changes, 351 leaves [414
pages]). A few pages are autograph manuscript.
Identified by Percy as "corrected typescript,"
this appears to be a photocopy of B-9 with
autograph changes and insertions. This draft is
incomplete. Also included are the plastic tabs
with Percy's autograph labels designating various
sections. Note that Percy apparently rearranged
the sections after he numbered them with the
result that his page numbers are out of order.
Manuscripts Department staff numbered the leaves
consecutively in the order in which they were
received. (2 folders) (Received 1989)
B:11. Source material--drafts, clippings, articles, etc.
(2 folders) (Received May 1994, #317)
B:12. Holograph draft of the Taos corn dance passage.
(Received May 1994, #316)
B:13. Typescript (292 pages) heavily marked and
corrected. (2 folders) (Received May 1994, #11)
B:14. Incomplete galley proofs marked "Walker
Percy Author's Correx" in red pencil. (Received
June 1994)
B:15. Master galleys. (Received May 1994, #13)
B:16 Master pages. (Received May 1994)
B:17 Unmarked page proofs. (Received May 1994)
C. Symbol and Existence: A Study in Meaning (unpublished)
Three drafts of an unpublished work compiled in
1960-1961, consisting of ten chapters, a preface,
and a conclusion. Percy indicated that seven of
the chapters were published as articles in the
late 1950s. The journals in which those articles
appeared are listed on the second leaf of Item
C-2. Several of the previously published articles
later appeared in Message in the Bottle. There
are a very few autograph changes or insertions in
each draft.
Item C:1. Draft (carbon typescript, 318 leaves
[318 pages]). (2 folders) (Received 1983)
C:2. Draft (ribbon typescript, 316 leaves
[318 pages]). Later revised draft (not a copy) of
Item C-1. (3 folders) (Received 1983)
C:3. Carbon typescript, 315 pages. (Received May 1994,
#274)
D. Other Writings
Principally essays, interviews, book reviews, speeches, and
short stories produced by Percy from the early 1950s through the
late 1980s. Many of these works were published or recorded,
while others were not. Some of the titles were used by Percy to
identify particular drafts; some titles are of finished drafts;
and some titles were created during processing to aid in
description (in square brackets). Note that some short works are
included with as enclosures with correspondence in Series III.
Item D:1. "Aid and Comfort from the South." (Received
May 1994, #107)
D:2. "Aid and Comfort from the South."
(Received May 1994, #97)
D:3. "An Apologetic Work." (Received May
1994, #62)
D:4. "Autobiography, Biography,
Bibliography." (Received May 1994, #124)
D:5. "Backlash Semantics." (Received May
1994, #89)
D:6A. "Bandits by Elmore Leonard" [book
review]. (Received May 1994, #255)
D:6B. Bibliography. (Received May 1994, #126)
D:7. Biographical statement. (Received May
1994, #35)
D:7A. Book reviews: Lloyd, Montgomery,
Chastain. (Received May 1994, #59)
D:7B. Book reviews: Eliade, Friedrich.
(Received May 1994, #82)
D:7C. Book reviews: Eliade, Friedrich.
(Received May 1994, #34)
D:8. Bookseller remarks. (Received May 1994,
#56)
D:9. "Boston College." (Received May 1994,
#128)
D:10. "Bourbon." (Received May 1994, #75)
D:11. "The Bow in the Clouds by Daniel
Berrigan" [book review]. (Received May 1994, #72)
D:12. "Breakdown by Robert Dahl" [book
review]. (Received May 1994, #43)
D:13. "A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M.
Miller, Jr." [book review]. (Received May 1994,
#70)
D:14. "A Case History of Anxiety." (Received
May 1994, #18)
D:15. "The Centerfielder." (Received May 1994, #243)
D:16. "Chappie." (Received May 1994, #244)
D:17. "Children of Crisis by Robert Coles"
[book review]. (Received May 1994, #106)
D:18. "Comment on Article 7-8, Constitution on
the Church and the Modern World." (Received May
1994, #88)
D:19. "Contra Black Bibles." (Received May 1994, #110)
D:20. "Contra Black Bibles." (Received May 1994, #112)
D:21. "Contributions to symposium on Donald
McDonald's article by Walker Percy."
D:22. "The Crisis in Meaning." (Received May
1994, #111)
D:23. Crisis Layman Symposium. (Received May
1994, #3)
D:24. "Culture: the Antimony of the
Scientific Method." (Received May 1994, #47)
D:25. "The Divided Creature." (Received May 1994, #277)
D:26. "Einstein and the Devaluation."
(Received May 1994, #64)
D:27. "The Era of the Second-Rate." (Received
May 1994, #81)
D:28. "Eudora Welty in Jackson." (Received
May 1994, #71)
D:29. "The Failure and the Hope." (Received
May 1994, #93)
D:30. "The Fateful Rift: The San Andreas
Fault in the Modern Mind," draft (ribbon and
wordprocessed typescript with autograph changes,
31 leaves [40 pages]). This draft is of the
address that Percy delivered to a gathering
sponsored by the National Endowment for the
Humanities in 1989. (Received 1989)
D:31. "Going Back to Georgia." (Received May 1994, #69)
D:32-33. "Green Grow the Lilacs." (Received May
1994, #219)
D:34. "The Homecoming." (Received May 1994, #237)
D:35. Horgan, Paul. (Received May 1994, #140)
D:36 "Hughes' Solipsism Maigre Lui."
(Received May 1994, #73)
D:37. "The Idiot." (Received May 1994, #238)
D:38. "In the Heart of the Heart of the
Country by William Gass" [book review]. (Received
May 1994, #74)
D:39. "Intro. to Linda Hobson's Bibliography."
(Received May 1994, #1)
D:40. [Lanterns on the Levee--(Introduction)].
(Received May 1994, #282)
D:41. [Lanterns on the Levee--(Introduction)].
(Received March 1994)
D:42. [Lanterns on the Levee--(Introduction)].
(Received May 1994, #33)
D:43. Leary interview. (Received May 1994, #2)
D:44. Lewis interview. (Received May 1994, #279)
D:45. "The Man on the Beach." (Received May 1994, #40)
D:46. "The Man on the Island." (Received May 1994, #38)
D:47-48. "The Man on the Train." (Received May 1994, #103)
D:49. McCombs interview. (Received May 1994, #318)
D:50. McCombs interview. (Received May 1994, #152)
D:51. "Men and Words: A Primer of Symbolic
Behavior." (Received May 1994, #19)
D:52. "The Mercy Killing." (Received May 1994, #68)
D:53. ["M in B"]: one page of holograph
remarks apparently made to an audience about
Percy's occupation as a writer. In the left hand
corner is written "M in B --- GB+" [illegible].
The remarks begin: "Being a writer, which is
about by definition a somewhat smart-alec busybody
profession--." The rest of the remarks are quite
difficult to read. (Received June 1994)
D:54. "The Misbehavior of Behavioral
Sciences." (Received May 1994, #109)
D:55. "Miscellaneous--Save for Book."
(Received May 1994, #231-#235)
D:56. "Mississippi: The Last Sinful Place" (7
book reviews). (Received May 1994, #85)
D:57. ["My Dear Fellow Physician"]. (Received
May 1994, #306)
D:58. "The Mystery of Words." (Received May
1994, #91-#92)
D:59. ["Naming and Being(?)"]. (3 folders)
(Received May 1994, #25)
D:60. ["Natural science of symbolic
behavior"]: one page of typescript, apparently
page 19 from a larger work. The text is mostly a
quotation from C. S. Peirce. Percy's text runs:
"natural science os symbolic behavior. But the
best I can do now is suggest a paragraph of
Peirce, which should be framed above the desk of
every semioticist." (Received June 1994)
D:61. "The New Catholics" [Percy's
introduction]. (Received May 1994, #151)
D:62. "New Orleans Mon Amour--Maybe."
(Received May 1994, #90)
D:63. New Oxford Review [symposium].
(Received May 1994, #217)
D:64. New York Times Book Review. (Received
May 1994, #199)
D:65. "Notes for Book on Triadic Behavior."
(Received May 1994, #26)
D:66. "Notes for a Novel about the End of the
World." (Received May 1994, #66)
D:66A. Notes, holograph. (Received May 1994, #6)
D:66B. Notes, journal. (Received May 1994,
#53)
D:67A. "Peirce and Modern Semiotic." (Received
May 1994, #32)
D:67B. "Peirce and Modern Semiotic." (Received
May 1994, #101)
D:68. "People Will Always Be Kind by Wifred
Sheed" [book review]. (Received May 1994, #104)
D:69. "Persecution." (Received May 1994, #239)
D:70. "Physician as Novelist." (Received May
1994, #283)
D:71. "Physician as Novelist." (Received May
1994, #123)
D:72. "The Planetarium by Nathalie Serraute"
[book review]. (Received May 1994, #52)
D:73. "Psycholinguistics: A Martian View."
(Received May 1994, #113)
D:74. "Questions They Never Asked Me."
(Received May 1994, #67)
D:75. "Questions They Never Asked Me."
(Received May 1994, #137)
D:76. "Questions They Never Asked Me."
(Received May 1994, #29)
D:77. "Red, White, and Blue-Gray." (Received
May 1994, #76)
D:78. "The Reentry Option" [Gulledge
interview]. (Received May 1994, #275)
D:79. "Reflections of a Late-Blooming First-
Novelist." (Received May 1994, #98)
D:80. "Reflections of a Late-Blooming First-
Novelist." (Received May 1994, #83)
D:81. "The Religion Nobody Talks About."
(Received May 1994, #28)
D:82. "The Religion Nobody Talks About."
(Received May 1994, #46)
D:83. The Richard Trilogy by Paul Horgan
[Percy's introduction]. (Received May 1994, #250)
D:84. "The Scandal of Judeo-Christianity."
(Received May 1994, #48)
D:85. "Science and the Loss of the Creature."
(Received May 1994, #50)
D:86. "Science and the Loss of the Creature."
(Received May 1994, #84)
D:87A. "Science and the Misplaced Concrete."
(Received May 1994, #87)
D:87B. "Science, Religion and the Tertium
Quid." (Received May 1994, #153)
D:88. "Sex and Violence in the Modern Novel."
(Received May 1994, #86)
D:89. Short story notes. (Received May 1994,
#241-#242)
D:90. "The South and the Southerner by Ralph
McGill" [book review]. (Received May 1994, #78)
D:91. "South, Quo Vadis." (Received May 1994, #41)
D:92. "Stoicism in the South." (Received May 1994, #77)
D:93. St. Paul's School. (Received May 1994, #280)
D:94. "Symbol and the Interpersonal Process."
(Received May 1994, #42)
D:95. "Symbol and the Interpersonal Process."
(Received May 1994, #96)
D:96. "Symbol as Need." (Received May 1994, #58)
D:97. "Symbol, Consciousness, and
Intersubjectivity." (Received May 1994, #45)
D:98. "Symbolic Behavior by Theodore Thass-
Thienemann" [book review]. (Received May 1994,
#94)
D:99. "The Symbolic Structure of Interpersonal
Process." (Received May 1994, #37)
D:100. "Symbolization by Unlike." (Received May
1994, #108)
D:101. "Symposium on Roman Catholicism and
Americn Exceptionalism." (Received May 1994,
#304)
D:102. "Theory Consumption and the Loss of
Being." (Received May 1994, #80)
D:103. ["There are three kinds of events"].
(Received May 1994, #57)
D:104-105. "Thomas More by Richard
Marius" [book review]. (Received May 1994,
#24)
D:106. "Toward a Science of Communication."
(Received May 1994, #79)
D:107. "Toward a Science of Communication."
(Received May 1994, #36)
D:108. "Toward a Triadic Theory of Meaning"
[first draft]. (Received May 1994, #114)
D:109. "Toynbee and the Rope Trick." (Received
May 1994, #99)
D:110-111. "The Trifle Scandal of the
Catholic Church." (Received May 1994, #39)
D:112-113. "Uncle Will's House."
(Received May 1994, #125)
D:114. ["What has happened is that"]. (2
folders) (Received May 1994, #27)
D:115. "What is a Southern Moderate?"
(Received May 1994, #44)
D:116. "What's Wrong With Louisiana."
(Received May 1994, #284)
D:117. "Where the Dreams Cross by Ellen
Douglas" [book review]. (Received May 1994, #95)
D:118. "Which Way Existentialism." (Received
May 1994, #65)
D:119. "Which Way Existentialism." (Received
May 1994, #55)
D:120. "Why Are You a Catholic?" (Received May
1994, #285)
D:121. "The Wisdom of Catholicism by Anton
Pegis" [book review]. (Received May 1994, #240)
D:122. "Wister and the Western." (Received May
1994, #49)
D:123. A World Unsuspected by Alex Harris [book
review]. (Received May 1994, #256)
D:125. "Young Nuclear Physicist." (Received
May 1994, #236)
Series III. Correspondence
1951-1990. About 650 items.
Arrangement: by correspondent.
Correspondence between Walker Percy and various friends and
acquaintances.
Included are about 70 letters, notes, and postcards, 1960-
1982, from Percy to Shelby Foote. Most are originals
(handwritten or typed) that Foote returned to Percy. Two early
items are carbon copies. Percy wrote to Foote, his lifelong
friend, about his and Foote's writing projects, personal and
family activities, shared experiences, and feelings about life,
work, and other matters. Note that many letters from Shelby
Foote to Percy are filed in the Shelby Foote Papers (#4038).
There is also a series of letters, 1951-1955, of Caroline
Gordon. In 1951, Percy sent Gordon, who he had met years
earlier, the manuscript of a novel that was to be called The
Charterhouse (no known draft of this novel survives). Gordon
read the manuscript and, in a series of long, single-spaced,
typed letters, offered Percy advice about it and about writing in
general. In the fall of 1952, Percy sent Gordon a revised
version of the manuscript which, once again, she critiqued in
detail and later tried to help him place with a publisher. In
these letters, Gordon also discussed Catholicism; other writers,
including Flannery O'Connor, whose manuscripts Gordon was
critiquing, and Dorothy Day, whom Gordon was getting to know
during this period; and her own work. Gordon also passed along
suggestions about Percy's work made by her husband Allen Tate.
One letter from Tate, offering advice about writing, is also
included.
There is also a series of letters, 1957-1960, to Percy from
Donald Barthelme concerning Percy's submissions to the journal
Forum. Percy had, in the 1950s, submitted various articles as
well as a chapter (included here) from his novel then titled
Confessions of a Moviegoer.
Also included are letters from Cleanth Brooks, Jacques
Maritain, Thomas Merton, Flannery O'Connor, Lewis P. Simpson, and
Allen Tate.
Note that a few letters are filed with drafts of writings in
Series I (with Items B-5 and B-6B) and Series II (with Item B-6).
Unless otherwise noted, materials were received in 1989.
Folder 1 Abadi Nagy, Zoltan
2 Atwan, Helen
3 Babin, James
4 Badde, Paul
5 Bannon, Lois
6 Barrett, Charles M. (Received in
February 1992)
7A-B Barthelme, Donald (Received in
April 1991)
8 Bell, Malcolm (Received in July 1990)
9 Bell, Malcolm (Received in December 1991)
10 Boone, E. T. P.
11 Bosworth, Sheila
12 Brooks, Cleanth
13 Ciuba, Gary
14 Clarion-Herald (New Orleans)
15A-B Coles, Robert (Received in
October 1994)
16 Collins, James
17 Commonweal
18 Cope, Ansley (Received in June 1993)
19-20 Cope, Ansley (Received in March 1994)
21 Corrington, Bill
22 Daniel, Robert Woodham
23 Deely, John
24 Fadiman, Clifton
25 Fitzgerald, Sally
26-32 Foote, Shelby
33 Giroux, Robert
34-35 Gordon, Caroline
36 Gray, Larry
37 Handke, Peter
38 Hannan, Philip M.
39 Horgan, Paul
40 Isaacson, Walter
41 Jenkins, Susan (Malcolm Cowley enclosure)
42 Journal of Philosophy
43 Ketner, Ken
44 Kisor, Henry
45 Kramer, Victor A.
46 Lindgren, Nilo
47 Lindley, Denver
48 Lopez, Julia Lavid
49 Malamud, Bernard
50 Maritain, Jacques
51 Marlette, Doug
52 Merton, Thomas
53 Mirrielees, Doris
54 The Modern Schoolman
55 Murphy, Matt H., Jr.
56 National Catholic Reporter
57 News-Banner (Covington, La.)
58 O'Connor, Flannery
58A Oglesby, H. Patrick (and Paul
E. Gallis (Received in January 1995)
59 Ong, Walter J.
60 Peggy(?)
61 Powers, J. F.
62 Roselle(?)
63 Sebeok, Thomas A.
64 The Sewannee Review
65 Simpson, Lewis P.
66 Spencer, Elizabeth
67 Susanne(?)
68 Tate, Allen
69 Taylor, Mark
70 Thornton, Weldon (Received in March 1993)
71 The Times (New York)
72 The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
73 Veatch, Henry B.
74 Wallace, Carolyn A.
75 Welty, Eudora
76 Wilson, Mercedes
77 Wilson(?)
78 Woodward, C. Vann
Series IV. Subject Files
About 700 items. Ca. 1950-1990.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Notes, source materials, and other items. About half of
this material is holograph notes that are nearly illegible. Most
of the other material consists of printed items that Percy used
as resources for his philosophical and fictional writings and
files on miscellaneous subjects relating to routine matters.
Note that, in most cases, Percy's original folder titles have
been retained.
Folder 1 Aches and Pains. (Received June
1994)
2 Ball, Henry Waring (diary).
(Received May 1994, #132)
3 Boat slips. (Received May
1994, #130)
4 Book of the Month Club. (Received
May 1994, #247)
5 Book signing schedules.
(Received May 1994, #170)
6 The Brain. (Received May 1994, #131)
7 Camus, Albert. (Received May 1994, #163)
8 "Celebration of the South."
(Received May 1994, #133)
9A Chaos Theory. (Received May
1994, #5)
9B Clippings. (Received March 1994)
10 "Community Spirit." (Received
May 1994, #134)
11-12 Dostoievsky, Fyodor.
(Received May 1994, #165)
13 Einstein, Albert. (Received May 1994, #138)
14 Ellison, Ralph. (Received May 1994, #166)
15 English 292 (Modern Fiction
and Alienation, Louisiana State University,
ca. 1974). (Received May 1994, #161)
16 Faulkner, William. (Received
May 1994, #168)
17 Ferdinand Phinizy Lectures.
(Received May 1994, #120)
18 The Florida Catholic.
(Received June 1994)
19 Franklin Library. (Received
May 1994, #248)
20 Great Books. (Received May
1994, #127)
21 Hemingway, Ernest. (Received
May 1994, #164)
22 House plan. (Received May
1994, #139)
23 Jefferson Lecture. (Received
May 1994, #141)
24 Jokes--Black. (Received May
1994, #142)
25 Ku Klux Klan. (Received May
1994, #116)
26 Lebanon and Marcus Smith.
(Received May 1994, #278)
27-28 Lecture offers. (Received May
1994, #147)
29 Library of America. (Received
May 1994, #144)
30 Lingo. (Received May 1994,
#145)
31 Los Angeles. (Received May
1994, #146)
32 Louisiana State University.
(Received May 1994, #149)
33 Loyola of Chicago. (Received
May 1994, #148)
34 Memorials for Percy, including
remarks by Elizabeth Spencer, Doris Betts,
and Louis Rubin. (Copies received September
1990; originials received May 1994, #268)
35 Mississippi-Moscow. (Received
May 1994, #251)
36 Natchez. (Received May 1994,
#253)
37 National Right-to-Life News.
(Received May 1994, #122)
38 New Age. (Received May 1994,
#254)
39-40 Notre Dame University.
(Received May 1994, #257)
41 O'Connor, Flannery. (Received
May 1994, #162)
42 Odense University. (Received
May 1994, #258)
43 Old cars. (Received May 1994,
#8)
44 Opus Dei. (Received May 1994,
#259)
45 Origins of Man. (Received May
1994, #260)
46 Patio bricks. (Received May
1994, #154)
47 PEN-Faulkner Award. (Received
May 1994, #9)
48 Percy, William Alexander.
(Received May 1994, #266)
49 Philosophical journals
(materials concerning Percy's submissions).
50 Poets' Corner. (Received May
1994, #10)
51 Poisonous snakes. (Received
May 1994, #158)
52 Pulitzer prizes. (Received
May 1994, #155)
53 Reader's Digest. (Received
May 1994, #261)
54 Robbe-Grillet, Alain.
(Received May 1994, #167)
55-56 Rome. (Received May 1994,
#262 and #281)
57 Sartre, Jean Paul. (Received
May 1994, #63)
58 The Sciences. (Received May
1994, #160)
59 Semiotics. (Received May
1994, #157)
60 The Sewanee Review. (Received
May 1994, #264)
61 Sex education. (Received May
1994, #265)
62 St. Joseph Seminary.
(Received May 1994, #156)
63 Styron, William. (Received
May 1994, #168)
64 Twomey, Father Louis J.
(Received May 1994, #150)
65 United States Information
Agency. (Received May 1994, #7)
66 "Walker Percy's Grail."
(Received May 1994, #135)
67 "Walker Percy's Heroes."
(Received May 1994, #115)
68 Waring family. (Received May
1994, #267
Series V. Other Papers
1 item. Ca. 1964-1966.
A. "Ignatius Reilly" by John Kennedy Toole. Published as A
Confederacy of Dunces (1980).
Percy was instrumental in the posthumous publication of
Toole's novel and wrote a preface for it (not included in this
draft). (See also correspondence with H. Patrick Oglesby and
Paul E. Gallis.)
Item A:1. Draft. (Photocopy typescript with a few
pencil marks by Percy. Autograph notations by
Percy on pages 23 and 43 only. 480 leaves [480
pages]). First leaf reads "copyright, Mrs. Thelma
Toole, 1977." Also included are photocopies of
correspondence between Toole and Robert Gottlieb
of Simon and Schuster about Toole's draft (10
letters, 9 June 1964-17 January 1966). (3
folders) (Received 1989)
Series VI. Restricted Material
10 items. Ca. 1985-1987.
RESTRICTION: Series VI contains materials closed to
research at the request of Mary Bernice Townsend Percy.
Folder 1 Poteat, Patricia. ALS, 5 February
1985 [photocopy 4 pp], from Percy to Poteat
about her book titled Walker Percy and the
Old Modern Age.
2 Samway, Patrick.
Correspondence [7 items (1986-1987)] between
Samway and Percy about an interview for
America; letters from Samway suggesting he
undertake a full-scale biography of Percy.
3 "The Second Coming." Screenplay
(photocopy), undated, adapted from Percy's
novel by actress Karen Allen and Michael
Lally [119 pp.].
4 Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. Copy of
Percy's March 1989 letter concerning his
cooperation with Wyatt-Brown on his study of
the Percy family.
Series VII. Pictures
4 items. 1946 and undated.
P-4294/1 Black-and-white 3" x 4" snapshot, inscribed
on verso by Percy: "Percy with El Capitan,
Southwest Champion quarter horse--Rancho la Merced-
-Santa Fe, 1946." This photograph was enclosed in
a Christmas card from Walker Percy to Shelby
Foote, 21 December 1982. (Received 1989)
/2-3. Snapshots of Percy as a young man, undated
(Received September 1989)
/4. 8" x 10" glossy photograph of Percy in
later years, undated. (Received in 1989)
Addition of December 1996 (Acc. 96185)
Size: About 35 items.
Dates: 1971-1990.
Provenance: Received from Gene Usdin of New Orleans, La., in
December 1996 (Acc. 96185).
Description: Correspondence, 1971-1990, between Walker Percy and
Gene Usdin and copies of clippings about Percy.
Filed in Box 43.