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Richard S. Kennedy E.E. Cummings Files
Notifications
Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Richard S. Kennedy (1920-2002) was Professor Emeritus of English at Temple University. As a scholar his main interest focused upon the works of E.E. Cummings, Thomas Wolfe, and Robert Browning. He wrote extensively about all three authors. One of his major literary achievements was his seminal biography on E.E. Cummings, Dreams in the Mirror, which is fully represented in this collection. Professor Kennedy was a graduate of Harvard University. He taught at Temple University until 1988, upon his retirement he received the T.U. Great Teacher Award. Professor Kennedy remained a prolific scholar and writer until his death on December 29, 2002.
The Kennedy/E.E. Cummings Files represents Professor Richard S. Kennedy's extensive research for his major biography of E.E. Cummings, Dreams in the Mirror. The material also covers his follow-up biography, E.E. Cummings Revisited. The core of the collection contains Kennedy's extensive research notes and correspondence. A significant amount of Cummings own correspondence is contained in the collection, along with various photographs and photocopies of his artwork. The collection gives a close view of Kennedy's research methodology and process, while at the same time providing a window into Cummings' personal and creative life. Another interesting aspect of the collection is Kennedy's correspondence with Cumming's daughter Nancy Thayer (the correspondence is restricted at this time). The University Archives of Temple holds close to 500 audio cassettes of Dr. Kennedy's lectures and class sessions at the University.
The collection is arranged into 8 series as follows:
Series 2: Correspondence, 1960s-2001, undated
Series 3: Articles, Essays, and Lectures, 1965-1990, undated
Series 4: Miscellaneous Materials 1975-2000, undated
Series 5: Artwork and Photos 1979-1982, undated
Series 6: Interview Notebooks 1964-1968, undated
Series 7: Nancy Thayer (RESTRICTED), 1972-1992, undated
Series 8: Additional Materials received August 11, 2009 Ella Kennedy via Stehle, 1992-2002, undated
Series 1: Research Notes, 1965-2000, undated
Series 2: Correspondence, 1960s-2001, undated
Series 3: Articles, Essays, and Lectures, 1965-1990, undated
Series 4: Miscellaneous Materials 1975-2000, undated
Series 5: Artwork and Photos 1979-1982, undated
Series 6: Interview Notebooks 1964-1968, undated
Series 7: Nancy Thayer (RESTRICTED), 1972-1992, undated
Series 8: Additional Materials received August 11, 2009 Ella Kennedy via Stehle, 1992-2002, undated
Donated by Mrs. Richard S. Kennedy in January 2005.
Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy. Certain digital files may also be inaccessible. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared in 2007 by David Gonsalves. Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in May 2017.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- May 2025
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research. The estate has opted to retain the intellectual rights and copyrights of Dr. Kennedy. Permission to publish from Dr. Kennedy's writings is required by family.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Richard S. Kennedy E.E. Cummings Files are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated. The estate has opted to retain the intellectual rights and copyrights of Dr. Kennedy. Permission to publish from Dr. Kennedy's writings is required by family.
Collection Inventory
Scope and Contents
Series 1 contains the extensive research Kennedy conducted on Cummings as a student and professor.
Research Notes: Cambridge, "My Childhood" I, 1971, undated.
Box 1
Folder 1
Research Notes: Cambridge, "My Childhood" II, undated.
Box 1
Folder 2
Research Notes: Cambridge, "My Childhood" III, undated.
Box 1
Folder 3
Research Notes: Poems from Childhood and High School Days, undated.
Box 1
Folder 4
Research Notes: Early Schools, undated.
Box 1
Folder 5
Research Notes: Early Schools, undated.
Box 1
Folder 6
Research Notes: Harvard Material I, undated.
Box 1
Folder 7
Research Notes: Harvard Material II, undated.
Box 1
Folder 8
Research Notes: Poems Written for Class at Harvard I, undated.
Box 2
Folder 1
Research Notes: Poems Written for Class at Harvard II, undated.
Box 2
Folder 2
Research Notes: Poems Published at Harvard, undated.
Box 2
Folder 3
Research Notes: Poems for Briggs Class – English 16 (Harvard), 1975, undated.
Box 2
Folder 4
Research Notes: Verse Translations from Harvard, undated.
Box 2
Folder 5
Research Notes: Poems after Harvard (1916-1917), undated.
Box 2
Folder 6
Research Notes: War – France (Also Enormous Room), undated.
Box 2
Folder 7
Research Notes: Camp Devens (July 24, 1918-January 17, 1919), undated.
Box 3
Folder 1
Research Notes: Slater Brown Interview (by George Wickes), undated.
Box 3
Folder 2
Research Notes: New York (after Camp Devens), undated.
Box 3
Folder 3
Research Notes: Poems and Experiments with Style, undated.
Box 3
Folder 4
Research Notes: MS Tulips and Chimneys (1920), undated.
Box 3
Folder 5
Research Notes: Tulips and Chimneys Material, 1976, undated.
Box 3
Folder 6
Research Notes: Reviews of Tulips and Chimneys, undated.
Box 3
Folder 7
Research Notes: Edward Cummings Notes etc., 1980, undated.
Box 3
Folder 8
Research Notes: Edward Cummings: The Father of the Poet (essay by R.S. Kennedy), 1965, undated.
Box 3
Folder 9
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Ancestry I, undated.
Box 4
Folder 1
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Ancestry II, 1974, undated.
Box 4
Folder 2
Research Notes: Interviews, Obituaries, and News Stories, undated.
Box 4
Folder 3
Research Notes: Early 1920s – Paris etc., undated.
Box 4
Folder 4
Research Notes: Elaine Orr, 1971, undated.
Box 4
Folder 5
Research Notes: Elaine Orr and the Break-Up, undated.
Box 4
Folder 6
Research Notes: Anne Barton, 1977, undated.
Box 4
Folder 7
Research Notes: Him and Other Dramatic Experiments, undated.
Box 5
Folder 1
Research Notes: Sketchbooks, Notebooks, and Scrapbooks, undated.
Box 5
Folder 2
Research Notes: Marion Morehouse, 1969, undated.
Box 5
Folder 3
Research Notes: 1930s and 1940s, undated.
Box 5
Folder 4
Research Notes: Eimi, undated.
Box 5
Folder 5
Research Notes: Plays and Ballet, undated.
Box 5
Folder 6
Research Notes: Painting, 1978, undated.
Box 5
Folder 7
Research Notes: Poems found among Elaine Orr Thayer's papers after her death, undated.
Box 5
Folder 8
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Personal Notes I, undated.
Box 6
Folder 1
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Personal Notes II, undated.
Box 6
Folder 2
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Personal Notes III, undated.
Box 6
Folder 3
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Personal Notes IV, undated.
Box 6
Folder 4
Research Notes: Notes from "Non-Lecture", undated.
Box 6
Folder 5
Research Notes: Russian Diary, undated.
Box 6
Folder 6
Research Notes: 1x1, undated.
Box 7
Folder 1
Research Notes: Later Poems, undated.
Box 7
Folder 2
Research Notes: Later Materials, undated.
Box 7
Folder 3
Research Notes: Unfinished Poems, undated.
Box 7
Folder 4
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings Society and Spring, 1980-1990.
Box 7
Folder 5
Research Notes: Notes on printed poems in 1892.5, undated.
Box 7
Folder 6
Research Notes: Miscellaneous Notes, undated.
Box 7
Folder 7
Research Notes: Miscellaneous Material, 1983-1992, undated.
Box 7
Folder 8
Research Notes: 1917 Notebook – Paris and La Forté Macé I, undated.
Box 8
Folder 1
Research Notes: 1917 Notebook – Paris and La Forté Macé II, undated.
Box 8
Folder 2
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Autobiography, undated.
Box 8
Folder 3
Research Notes: Massachusetts Historical Society, undated.
Box 8
Folder 4
Research Notes: Rochester Material, 1977, undated.
Box 8
Folder 5
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings' Yale Papers and Dial Papers, 1972, undated.
Box 8
Folder 6
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings at the University of Texas, 1976, undated.
Box 8
Folder 7
Research Notes: E.E. Cummings at the University of Virginia, 1979, undated.
Box 8
Folder 8
Research Notes: Etcetera and Miscellaneous Extra Papers, 2000, undated.
Box 9
Folder 1
Research Notes: Materials for Etcetera, undated.
Box 9
Folder 2
Research Notes: Books in Cummings' Library, undated.
Box 9
Folder 3
Research Notes: Honors, 1963, undated.
Box 9
Folder 4
Research Notes: Legal, Financial, and Medical Records, 1971, 1976, undated.
Box 9
Folder 5
Research Notes: Material for Appendix of The Years of Innocence, undated.
Box 9
Folder 6
Research Notes: Poems for George J. Firmage (Kennedy's Literary Agent), 1978, undated.
Box 9
Folder 7
Research Notes: Notes on Letters Received, undated.
Box 9
Folder 8
Scope and Contents
Series 2 contains Kennedy's personal correspondence regarding his research on Cummings, as well as related documents and notes, and Kennedy's correspondence with Cummings himself.
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1960's.
Box 10
Folder 1
Correspondence: Kennedy: Various letters to Harvard Class of 1915 still in original opened envelopes with an explanatory note, probably from Kennedy's wife (not signed), 1970.
Box 10
Folder 2
Correspondence: Kennedy: Letters from Harvard Class of 1915, 1970.
Box 10
Folder 3
Correspondence: Kennedy: Worthwhile Letters from Harvard Class of 1915, 1970.
Box 10
Folder 4
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1970-1971.
Box 10
Folder 5
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1972.
Box 10
Folder 6
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1973.
Box 10
Folder 7
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1974.
Box 10
Folder 8
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1975.
Box 10
Folder 9
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1976.
Box 10
Folder 10
Correspondence: Kennedy, undated.
Box 10
Folder 11
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1977.
Box 11
Folder 1
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1978.
Box 11
Folder 2
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1979.
Box 11
Folder 3
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1980.
Box 11
Folder 4
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1981.
Box 11
Folder 5
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1984.
Box 11
Folder 6
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1990.
Box 11
Folder 7
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1992.
Box 11
Folder 8
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1993.
Box 11
Folder 9
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1994.
Box 11
Folder 10
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1995.
Box 11
Folder 11
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1996.
Box 11
Folder 12
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1997.
Box 11
Folder 13
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1998.
Box 11
Folder 14
Correspondence: Kennedy, 1999.
Box 11
Folder 15
Correspondence: Kennedy, 2000.
Box 11
Folder 16
Correspondence: Kennedy, 2001.
Box 11
Folder 17
Correspondence: Kennedy: Slater Brown Letters, 1972-1978.
Box 11
Folder 18
Correspondence: Kennedy, undated.
Box 11
Folder 19
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters as a child (1899-1903), undated.
Box 12
Folder 1
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Spencer Love (1908-1909), undated.
Box 12
Folder 2
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to and from Father (1917-1920's), undated.
Box 12
Folder 3
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to and from Mother (1920's), undated.
Box 12
Folder 4
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Family I (1917-1920's), undated.
Box 12
Folder 5
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Family II (1917-1920's), undated.
Box 12
Folder 6
Correspondence: Cummings: Dos Passos Letters (1992), undated.
Box 13
Folder 1
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Jacobs (1931-1935), undated.
Box 13
Folder 2
Correspondence: Cummings: Werner Letters (1932-1935), undated.
Box 13
Folder 3
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to J.P. Bishop (1938-1939), undated.
Box 13
Folder 4
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to and from Sister (1935-1936, 1950-1957), undated.
Box 13
Folder 5
Correspondence: Cummings: Elizabeth (1933-1961), undated.
Box 13
Folder 6
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Paul Nordoff (1939-1960), undated.
Box 13
Folder 7
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Watsons I (1925-1962), undated.
Box 13
Folder 8
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Watsons II (1936-1962), undated.
Box 13
Folder 9
Correspondence: Cummings: Brace Harcourt Letters (1954-1958), undated.
Box 13
Folder 10
Correspondence: Cummings: Letters to Howard Nelson (1950's-1960's), undated.
Box 13
Folder 11
Correspondence: Cummings: Zuckerman (1950's-1960's), undated.
Box 13
Folder 12
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1914-1924), undated.
Box 14
Folder 1
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1925-1932), undated.
Box 14
Folder 2
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1940's), undated.
Box 14
Folder 3
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1950's), undated.
Box 14
Folder 4
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1950's-1960's), undated.
Box 14
Folder 5
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous I (1918-1961), undated.
Box 14
Folder 6
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous II (1918-1961), undated.
Box 14
Folder 7
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous III (1918-1961), undated.
Box 14
Folder 8
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1925-1961), undated.
Box 15
Folder 1
Correspondence: Cummings: Miscellaneous (1930's-1950's), undated.
Box 15
Folder 2
Scope and Contents
Series 3 contains various articles and lectures related to Kennedy's research and his time as a professor.
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Dave Forrest's Articles, 1965-1980.
Box 16
Folder 1
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: E.E. Cummings the Painter by Rushworth M. Kidder, 1978, undated.
Box 16
Folder 2
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: A First Look at the Dreams of E.E. Cummings… by David V. Forrest, undated.
Box 16
Folder 3
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: When I Was A Little Girl by Elizabeth Cummings, undated.
Box 16
Folder 4
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Facts and Fancy in Enormous Room by J.P. Hallais; Note: no folder-bound hard cover, June 1970.
Box 16
Folder 5
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Lecture for ALA. Baltimore, May 1993.
Box 17
Folder 1
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Various Lectures and Talks I, undated.
Box 17
Folder 2
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Various Lectures and Talks II, undated.
Box 17
Folder 3
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Cummings Material – Miscellaneous, 1997.
Box 17
Folder 4
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Articles – Miscellaneous, 1982, undated.
Box 17
Folder 5
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Essays – Miscellaneous, 1973-1990, undated.
Box 17
Folder 6
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Published Essays: "Edward Cummings, the Father of the Poet" by Richard S. Kennedy, undated. 3 copies.
Box 18
Folder 1
Physical Description
3 copies
Articles, Essays and Lectures: Published Essays: Dutch Quarterly Review of Anglo-American Letters, 1983.
Box 18
Folder 2
Physical Description
Vol. 13
Articles, Essays and Lectures: Published Essays: "E.E. Cummings, the Emergent Styles 1916" by Richard S. Kennedy, April 1979.
Box 18
Folder 3
Articles, Essays and Lectures: Published Essays: "E.E. Cummings, Painter" by Rushworth M. Kidder, April 1975.
Box 18
Folder 4
Articles, Essays and Lectures: Published Essays: "Knowing and Remembering Cummings" by Norman Friedman, April 1981.
Box 18
Folder 5
Articles, Essays and Lectures: Published Essays: "E.E. Cummings at Harvard: Verse, Friends, Rebellion" by Richard S. Kennedy, July 1971.
Box 18
Folder 6
Articles, Essays and Lectures: Published Essays: "E E. Cummings at Harvard: Studies" by Richard S. Kennedy, July 1976. 2 copies.
Box 18
Folder 7
Physical Description
2 copies
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: Published Essays: "'Buffalo Bills' An Early E.E. Cummings Manuscript" by Rushworth M. Kidder, October 1976.
Box 18
Folder 8
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: The Georgia Review, Summer 1969.
Box 18
Folder 9
Physical Description
Vol. 23
Articles, Essays, and Lectures: The Georgia Review, Fall 1970.
Box 18
Folder 10
Physical Description
Vol. 23
Scope and Contents
Series 4 contains various miscellaneous materials related to Kennedy's research.
Miscellaneous Materials: Fred's Notes, undated.
Box 19
Folder 1
Miscellaneous Materials: Materials for Chap. 1 & last Chap. (Dreams in the Mirror?), undated.
Box 19
Folder 2
Miscellaneous Materials: Historical Notes – Newspapers (N.Y. SUN 1915-16), undated.
Box 19
Folder 3
Miscellaneous Materials: Current working outlines and chronological schemes, undated.
Box 19
Folder 4
Miscellaneous Materials: Working notes, 1975, undated.
Box 19
Folder 5
Miscellaneous Materials: Miscellaneous Information and Addresses, 1977, undated.
Box 19
Folder 6
Miscellaneous Materials: Cummings Society, National Biography, etc. – (includes correspondence), 1991-1992, undated.
Box 19
Folder 7
Miscellaneous Materials: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, undated.
Box 20
Folder 1
Miscellaneous Materials: French Translation of Dreams in the Mirror, 2000.
Box 20
Folder 2
Miscellaneous Materials: George Firmage's gathering of all the worthless E.E.C.-fragments and rejected poems (Kennedy's description), undated.
Box 20
Folder 3
Miscellaneous Materials: Santa Claus and Tom, undated.
Box 20
Folder 4
Physical Description
photocopies
Miscellaneous Materials: Research Application, Various Notes, 2003, undated.
Box 20
Folder 5
Miscellaneous Materials: Newsreel Notebooks, undated.
Box 21
Folder 1
Miscellaneous Materials: Cummings' Fort Devens Notebook, undated.
Box 21
Folder 2
Physical Description
photocopy
Miscellaneous Materials: Cummings' Sketchbook, undated.
Box 21
Folder 3
Physical Description
photocopy
Miscellaneous Materials: Musical Notation for Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town, undated.
Box 21
Folder 4
Miscellaneous Materials: Various Photocopies etc., undated.
Box 21
Folder 5
Miscellaneous Materials: 1 small document box containing notes on index cards and scrap paper, undated.
Box 22
Folder 1
Miscellaneous Materials: "E.E. Cummings Centennial", October 23, 1994.
Box 22
Folder 2
Physical Description
cassette tape
Miscellaneous Materials: "Cummings Celebration", undated.
Box 22
Folder 3
Physical Description
cassette tape
Miscellaneous Materials: "E.E. Cummings", undated.
Box 22
Folder 4
Physical Description
cassette tape
Miscellaneous Materials: 1 envelope containing 5 floppy disks of E.E. Cummings Revisited. Harvard Magazine, November-December 1988.
Box 22
Folder 5
The New York Times Magazine, June 25, 1978.
Box 22
Folder 6
Memorials in the First Church in Boston, undated.
Box 22
Folder 7
Physical Description
pamphlet
Scope and Contents
Series 5 contains photocopies and photographs of E.E. Cummings' artwork; it also contains photos of E.E.C. and his close relations. Some of the folders contain Kennedy's notes on the artwork.
Artwork and Photos: E.E.C. Exhibition Catalogs, 1982, undated.
Box 23
Folder 1
Artwork and Photos: Illustrations for Dreams and Mirrors, undated.
Box 23
Folder 2
Artwork and Photos: First Choice Art/Photos for Dreams in the Mirror, undated.
Box 23
Folder 3
Artwork and Photos: Second Choice Art/Photos for Dreams in the Mirror, undated.
Box 23
Folder 4
Artwork and Photos: More Dreams in the Mirror Photos, undated.
Box 23
Folder 5
Artwork and Photos: Photos for E.E. Cummings Revisited, undated.
Box 23
Folder 6
Artwork and Photos: Notes about Photos and Drawings, undated.
Box 23
Folder 7
Artwork and Photos: Drawings, 1979, undated.
Box 23
Folder 7
Physical Description
electro-print copies
Artwork and Photos: Miscellaneous Art/Photos etc., undated.
Box 23
Folder 8
Scope and Contents
Series 6 contains notebooks that Kennedy used for his interview notes.
Interview Notebook, July 1973.
Box 24
Folder 1
Interview Notebook, undated.
Box 24
Folder 2
Interview Notebook, August 1964.
Box 24
Folder 3
Interview Notebook, August 1978.
Box 24
Folder 4
Interview Notebook, 1977.
Box 24
Folder 5
Interview Notebook, undated.
Box 24
Folder 6
Interview Notebook, 1977.
Box 24
Folder 7
Scope and Contents
Series 7 contains correspondence related to Cummings' daughter, Nancy Thayer.
Nancy Thayer: Correspondence with Kennedy, 1972-1992.
Box 25
Folder 1
Nancy Thayer: Correspondence with E.E. Cummings. Note: Photocopies and handwritten copies of original letters, and Kennedy's notes, undated.
Box 25
Folder 2
Nancy Thayer: Kennedy's notes on Nancy and Elaine Thayer. Note: Contains photocopies of correspondence between E.E.C. and Elaine Thayer, undated.
Box 25
Folder 3
Scope and Contents
Series 8 includes other additional materials received in August of 2009 by Ella Kennedy via Stehle.
Contact sheets, pics…Family, self-portraits, La Ferta Mace, etc., undated.
Box 26
Folder 1
Kennedy, Richard S. "E.E. Cummings and Marion Morehouse: the Later Years" 19p. typescript. With: photograph of Elaine Cummings, undated.
Box 26
Folder 2
Kennedy, Richard S. Poems read by RSK at the Cummings Society Celebration of the Centennial of E.E. Cummings' birth. With other material, re: Celebration, 1992.
Box 26
Folder 2
Richardson, John. "Rediscovering an Early Modern Vision". Tear sheets from House & Garden; Re: The Dial Collection (Metropolitan Museum) and Scofield Thayer, February 1987.
Box 26
Folder 4
Miscellaneous files and documents (Reviews of biography, anonymous list of errors in the book, David Diamond letters, Roger Kennedy letter, "Possibilities for Illustrations for Selected Poems", 2009, undated.
Box 26
Folder 5