Scope and Contents
The Elena Wilson Papers consist of correspondence, literary manuscripts, printed materials, and personal and family papers documenting the life of Elena Wilson and her work as literary executor of her husband Edmund Wilson. The papers span the years 1906-1979, encompassing early family documents through papers relating to Elena Wilson's death. The bulk of the collection dates from 1972-1979 and relates to Elena Wilson's life and work after the death of Edmund Wilson.
The collection is housed in 42 boxes and one portfolio, and is organized into six series: Correspondence, Writings, Subject Files, Personal Papers, Family Papers, and Helen Miranda Wilson Papers. Oversize materials are stored in 9 boxes. Restricted Fragile Papers, stored in boxes 40-42 and a portfolio, contain materials for which reference photocopies have been substituted in the main files.
Series I, Correspondence , (boxes 1-8), consists of letters to Elena Wilson from business and personal correspondents, with a small amount of outgoing carbons interfiled. The bulk of this series consists of letters from Edmund Wilson to Elena, 1946-1969, and correspondence after Edmund's death concerning Elena's work as his literary executor. Also present are letters of condolence sent to Elena on Edmund's death, letters to Elena from her children, Henry H. M. Thornton and Helen Miranda Wilson, and letters from friends and European relatives. Other letters addressed to both Elena and Edmund, as well as Elena's letters to Edmund, are in the Edmund Wilson Papers (YCAL MSS 187).
Edmund's letters to Elena date from 1946, shortly after they met, through the last years of Edmund's life. During April-September, 1946, Edmund wrote frequently, often daily or several times per week, discussing plans for their divorces and marriage, and describing his family and social life in Wellfleet. Later correspondence consists of intermittent groups of detailed letters written during periods when they were apart, including European trips made by Elena, time spent by Edmund alone in Talcottville, and Edmund's trips to the Southwest, 1947, Haiti, 1949, Red Bank, during his mother's last illness, 1950, the Middle East, 1954 and 1967, and Europe, 1956. Also present are undated items, including many valentine and birthday cards.
Correspondence relating to Elena's work as editor of Letters on Literature and Politics includes letters from collaborators Leon Edel and Daniel Aaron, who contributed a foreword and introduction respectively, publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and correspondents represented in the Letters, their surviving family members, and repositories holding their papers. Much of this correspondence concerns solicitation of the photocopies of Edmund's letters filed in the Writings series. Other correspondence about Edmund Wilson's writings includes letters from Leon Edel about the publication of Edmund's journals, and letters from Vera Nabokova, Simon Karlinsky, and Harper & Row about Karlinsky's edition of Edmund's correspondence with Vladimir Nabokov. Also present are letters from friends and readers responding to Letters on Literature and Politics, requests for access to Wilson's papers, requests for permission to quote from his works, fan mail, and corrections from readers received after Edmund's death.
Series II, Writings (boxes 9-27), is organized into three subseries: Letters on Literature and Politics, Other Writings, and Writings by Others. The largest part of the Letters on Literature and Politics subseries consists of photocopies of Edmund's letters collected by Elena. A few correspondents are represented by Edmund's original letters or transcripts of them; these are identified in folder titles. For some correspondents, photocopies of letters to Edmund are also present. In most cases, materials are accompanied by notes made by Elena about the content of the letters and owners of the originals. Many of Edmund's major correspondents are represented, as well as lesser known names whose correspondence highlights themes in the Letters. Large files are present for Alfred Raymond Bellinger, John Peale Bishop, Louise Bogan, Clelia Carroll, Malcolm Cowley, W. Stanley Dell, John Dos Passos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Christian Frederick Gauss, Maxwell David Geismar, Mamaine Koestler, H. L. Mencken, Arthur Mizener, Helen Muchnic, Vladimir Nabokov, The New Yorker, Maxwell E. Perkins, Roger W. Straus, Allen Tate, Philippe Thoby-Marcelin, and Morton Dauwen Zabel. Folder titles assigned by Elena Wilson have been retained, with some standardization of name forms and the addition of cross references. Date spans following names of correspondents in folder titles are the dates of Edmund Wilson's original letters; date spans following folder titles indicate when photocopies and accompanying notes were made.
Background Materials for Letters on Literature and Politics include biographical information about Edmund Wilson and lists and an index card file of correspondent names. Other Materials consist of drafts, a setting copy, proofs corrected by Elena Wilson and Daniel Aaron, lists of corrections, reviews, and related correspondence.
The Other Writings subseries includes drafts of an essay written by Elena Wilson, "My View From the Other Window," describing her experiences living with Edmund in Talcottville, New York, and offering a viewpoint in contrast to Edmund's appreciative description of his ancestral home in his book Upstate. Other materials are notes, including notebooks kept by Elena during her Greek language studies, 1972-1979.
Most Writings by Others concern Edmund Wilson and his work, including essays and lectures by Daniel Aaron, Lewis M. Dabney, and Leon Edel, and contracts and draft materials for Simon Karlinsky's The Wilson-Nabokov Letters. Also present is a memoir written by Elena Wilson's aunt, Marie ("Maroussia") Struve, describing her early life in Russia before the 1917 Revolution.
Series III, Subject Files (box 28), is organized into two subseries: Edmund Wilson and Other Subjects. Edmund Wilson files include biographical information, lists of copyright status of his books, lists of essays written for The New Republic, brief notes concerning visitors at Wellfleet after his death, an obituary, and other clippings. Files for Other Subjects contain clippings, postcards, and a printed book about André Lhote, an artist with whom Elena studied in the 1920s.
Series IV, Personal Papers (box 29), contains a birth certificate, calendars, passports, financial records, and documents relating to Elena's divorce from James Thornton. Passports bear photographs of Elena Wilson and Helen Miranda Wilson as a child. Other photographs of Elena Wilson and her children are in the Edmund Wilson Papers (YCAL MSS 187).
Series V, Family Papers (box 30), is organized into three subseries: Mumm Family, Struve Family, and Thornton Family. These materials include a marriage contract made by Elena's parents Hermann Mumm and Olga Struve, genealogical information and clippings about the Mumm and Struve families, biographical information about James Thornton, and a copy of Henry H. M. Thornton's birth certificate and a clipping about his marriage.
Series VI, Helen Miranda Wilson Papers (box 30), contains an obituary for Elena Wilson and copies of her death certificate and will. In addition, explanatory notes written by Helen Miranda Wilson are appended to documents filed in other series.
Oversize (boxes 31-39) contains oversize materials from all series.
Restricted Fragile (boxes 40-42) and Restricted Fragile Oversize (portfolio), contain fragile originals for which preservation photocopies have been substituted in the main files.
The collection is housed in 42 boxes and one portfolio, and is organized into six series: Correspondence, Writings, Subject Files, Personal Papers, Family Papers, and Helen Miranda Wilson Papers. Oversize materials are stored in 9 boxes. Restricted Fragile Papers, stored in boxes 40-42 and a portfolio, contain materials for which reference photocopies have been substituted in the main files.
Series I, Correspondence , (boxes 1-8), consists of letters to Elena Wilson from business and personal correspondents, with a small amount of outgoing carbons interfiled. The bulk of this series consists of letters from Edmund Wilson to Elena, 1946-1969, and correspondence after Edmund's death concerning Elena's work as his literary executor. Also present are letters of condolence sent to Elena on Edmund's death, letters to Elena from her children, Henry H. M. Thornton and Helen Miranda Wilson, and letters from friends and European relatives. Other letters addressed to both Elena and Edmund, as well as Elena's letters to Edmund, are in the Edmund Wilson Papers (YCAL MSS 187).
Edmund's letters to Elena date from 1946, shortly after they met, through the last years of Edmund's life. During April-September, 1946, Edmund wrote frequently, often daily or several times per week, discussing plans for their divorces and marriage, and describing his family and social life in Wellfleet. Later correspondence consists of intermittent groups of detailed letters written during periods when they were apart, including European trips made by Elena, time spent by Edmund alone in Talcottville, and Edmund's trips to the Southwest, 1947, Haiti, 1949, Red Bank, during his mother's last illness, 1950, the Middle East, 1954 and 1967, and Europe, 1956. Also present are undated items, including many valentine and birthday cards.
Correspondence relating to Elena's work as editor of Letters on Literature and Politics includes letters from collaborators Leon Edel and Daniel Aaron, who contributed a foreword and introduction respectively, publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and correspondents represented in the Letters, their surviving family members, and repositories holding their papers. Much of this correspondence concerns solicitation of the photocopies of Edmund's letters filed in the Writings series. Other correspondence about Edmund Wilson's writings includes letters from Leon Edel about the publication of Edmund's journals, and letters from Vera Nabokova, Simon Karlinsky, and Harper & Row about Karlinsky's edition of Edmund's correspondence with Vladimir Nabokov. Also present are letters from friends and readers responding to Letters on Literature and Politics, requests for access to Wilson's papers, requests for permission to quote from his works, fan mail, and corrections from readers received after Edmund's death.
Series II, Writings (boxes 9-27), is organized into three subseries: Letters on Literature and Politics, Other Writings, and Writings by Others. The largest part of the Letters on Literature and Politics subseries consists of photocopies of Edmund's letters collected by Elena. A few correspondents are represented by Edmund's original letters or transcripts of them; these are identified in folder titles. For some correspondents, photocopies of letters to Edmund are also present. In most cases, materials are accompanied by notes made by Elena about the content of the letters and owners of the originals. Many of Edmund's major correspondents are represented, as well as lesser known names whose correspondence highlights themes in the Letters. Large files are present for Alfred Raymond Bellinger, John Peale Bishop, Louise Bogan, Clelia Carroll, Malcolm Cowley, W. Stanley Dell, John Dos Passos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Christian Frederick Gauss, Maxwell David Geismar, Mamaine Koestler, H. L. Mencken, Arthur Mizener, Helen Muchnic, Vladimir Nabokov, The New Yorker, Maxwell E. Perkins, Roger W. Straus, Allen Tate, Philippe Thoby-Marcelin, and Morton Dauwen Zabel. Folder titles assigned by Elena Wilson have been retained, with some standardization of name forms and the addition of cross references. Date spans following names of correspondents in folder titles are the dates of Edmund Wilson's original letters; date spans following folder titles indicate when photocopies and accompanying notes were made.
Background Materials for Letters on Literature and Politics include biographical information about Edmund Wilson and lists and an index card file of correspondent names. Other Materials consist of drafts, a setting copy, proofs corrected by Elena Wilson and Daniel Aaron, lists of corrections, reviews, and related correspondence.
The Other Writings subseries includes drafts of an essay written by Elena Wilson, "My View From the Other Window," describing her experiences living with Edmund in Talcottville, New York, and offering a viewpoint in contrast to Edmund's appreciative description of his ancestral home in his book Upstate. Other materials are notes, including notebooks kept by Elena during her Greek language studies, 1972-1979.
Most Writings by Others concern Edmund Wilson and his work, including essays and lectures by Daniel Aaron, Lewis M. Dabney, and Leon Edel, and contracts and draft materials for Simon Karlinsky's The Wilson-Nabokov Letters. Also present is a memoir written by Elena Wilson's aunt, Marie ("Maroussia") Struve, describing her early life in Russia before the 1917 Revolution.
Series III, Subject Files (box 28), is organized into two subseries: Edmund Wilson and Other Subjects. Edmund Wilson files include biographical information, lists of copyright status of his books, lists of essays written for The New Republic, brief notes concerning visitors at Wellfleet after his death, an obituary, and other clippings. Files for Other Subjects contain clippings, postcards, and a printed book about André Lhote, an artist with whom Elena studied in the 1920s.
Series IV, Personal Papers (box 29), contains a birth certificate, calendars, passports, financial records, and documents relating to Elena's divorce from James Thornton. Passports bear photographs of Elena Wilson and Helen Miranda Wilson as a child. Other photographs of Elena Wilson and her children are in the Edmund Wilson Papers (YCAL MSS 187).
Series V, Family Papers (box 30), is organized into three subseries: Mumm Family, Struve Family, and Thornton Family. These materials include a marriage contract made by Elena's parents Hermann Mumm and Olga Struve, genealogical information and clippings about the Mumm and Struve families, biographical information about James Thornton, and a copy of Henry H. M. Thornton's birth certificate and a clipping about his marriage.
Series VI, Helen Miranda Wilson Papers (box 30), contains an obituary for Elena Wilson and copies of her death certificate and will. In addition, explanatory notes written by Helen Miranda Wilson are appended to documents filed in other series.
Oversize (boxes 31-39) contains oversize materials from all series.
Restricted Fragile (boxes 40-42) and Restricted Fragile Oversize (portfolio), contain fragile originals for which preservation photocopies have been substituted in the main files.
Dates
- 1906-1979
- Majority of material found within 1972 - 1979
- 1906-1979
- Majority of material found within 1972 - 1979
Creator
Language of Materials
Chiefly in English; some materials are in German.
Language of Materials
Chiefly in English; some materials are in German.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Boxes 40-42 and portfolio (folders 935-937): Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Boxes 40-42 and portfolio (folders 935-937): Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Conditions Governing Use
The Elena Wilson Papers are the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Elena Wilson Papers were acquired through gifts of Elena Wilson, 1975 and 1977; purchases from Elena Wilson, on the Danford N. Barney, Jr., Fund, the Edwin J. Beinecke, '07, Frederick W. Beinecke, '09S, and Walter Beinecke, '10 Fund, and the Eugene G. O'Neill Memorial Fund, 1973 and 1978; a purchase from Helen Miranda Wilson on the Ezra Pound Archive Fund, 1995, and a gift of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1981.
Extent
23.38 Linear Feet ((42 boxes) + 1 portfolio)
23.38 Linear Feet ((42 boxes) + 1 portfolio)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The collection consists of correspondence, literary manuscripts, printed materials, and personal and family papers documenting the life of Elena Wilson and her work as literary executor of Edmund Wilson. The bulk of the collection dates from 1972-1979, after Edmund's death; also present are a small amount of early papers and documents of Elena's family. Series I, Correspondence, includes letters from Edmund Wilson, letters of condolence received after his death, and correspondence concerning Elena's work as his literary executor. Correspondents include Leon Edel, Daniel Aaron, Simon Karlisky, and Vera Nabokova.
Series II, Writings, contains materials pertaining to Letters on Literature and Politics, including drafts, proofs, and an extensive file of photocopies of letters written by Edmund Wilson. Also present are drafts of "My View From the Other Window," an essay by Elena Wilson describing her experiences living with Edmund in Talcottville, New York; writings about Edmund by others; and a memoir written by Elena Wilson's aunt, Marie Struve, describing her early life in Russia before the 1917 Revolution.
Series III, Subject Files, includes biographical material about Edmund Wilson and lists of his writings. Series IV, Personal Papers, contains calendars, passports, and other legal documents. Series IV, Family Papers, consists of legal documents and biographical information about the families of Elena Wilson's parents, Georg Hermann Mumm and Olga Struve, and her first husband, James Thornton. Series VI, Helen Miranda Wilson Papers, contains documents pertaining to Elena Wilson's death, with notes made by Helen Miranda Wilson, daughter of Elena and Edmund Wilson.
Series II, Writings, contains materials pertaining to Letters on Literature and Politics, including drafts, proofs, and an extensive file of photocopies of letters written by Edmund Wilson. Also present are drafts of "My View From the Other Window," an essay by Elena Wilson describing her experiences living with Edmund in Talcottville, New York; writings about Edmund by others; and a memoir written by Elena Wilson's aunt, Marie Struve, describing her early life in Russia before the 1917 Revolution.
Series III, Subject Files, includes biographical material about Edmund Wilson and lists of his writings. Series IV, Personal Papers, contains calendars, passports, and other legal documents. Series IV, Family Papers, consists of legal documents and biographical information about the families of Elena Wilson's parents, Georg Hermann Mumm and Olga Struve, and her first husband, James Thornton. Series VI, Helen Miranda Wilson Papers, contains documents pertaining to Elena Wilson's death, with notes made by Helen Miranda Wilson, daughter of Elena and Edmund Wilson.
ELENA WILSON (1906-1979)
Elena Wilson was born on August 27, 1906, in Reims, France. The family of her father, Georg Hermann Mumm, were founders of Mumm's Champagne. Her mother, Olga Struve, was born in Japan, where Elena's grandfather served as Russian ambassador. During her childhood and early adulthood, Elena Mumm lived in France, Germany, and Switzerland, spoke French, German, Russian, and English, was educated by private tutors, and studied art in Munich and Paris. In her twenties, she emigrated to the United States. She married James Thornton, a Canadian businessman, in 1931, and had a son, Henry H. M. Thornton, in 1932.
During the 1930s-40s, Elena and James Thornton lived in New York, and Elena worked as an editor for Town and Country. In 1945 she met Edmund Wilson, then married to writer Mary McCarthy. Edmund's short story "Glimpses of Wilbur Flick," part of his novel Memoirs of Hecate County, was published in Town and Country in 1946. Elena's relationship with Edmund deepened during 1946. In October they went to Nevada, obtained divorces, and were married in Reno on December 11. After their marriage, Elena Wilson left Town and Country and settled with Edmund in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Their daughter Helen Miranda Wilson was born in 1948. In Wellfleet, and later in Edmund's ancestral home in Talcottville, New York, Elena was involved in literary and social circles and managed a large household including Helen, her son Henry, and Edmund's children from previous marriages, Rosalind and Reuel.
After Edmund's death in 1972, Elena acted as his literary executor. She edited a collection of his correspondence, Letters on Literature and Politics (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1977), and worked with Leon Edel, Simon Karlinsky, and other editors of Edmund's writings. She continued to live in Wellfleet, where she was active in political organizations, including the League of Women Voters and Amnesty International. Elena Wilson died in Wellfleet on July 27, 1979.
During the 1930s-40s, Elena and James Thornton lived in New York, and Elena worked as an editor for Town and Country. In 1945 she met Edmund Wilson, then married to writer Mary McCarthy. Edmund's short story "Glimpses of Wilbur Flick," part of his novel Memoirs of Hecate County, was published in Town and Country in 1946. Elena's relationship with Edmund deepened during 1946. In October they went to Nevada, obtained divorces, and were married in Reno on December 11. After their marriage, Elena Wilson left Town and Country and settled with Edmund in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Their daughter Helen Miranda Wilson was born in 1948. In Wellfleet, and later in Edmund's ancestral home in Talcottville, New York, Elena was involved in literary and social circles and managed a large household including Helen, her son Henry, and Edmund's children from previous marriages, Rosalind and Reuel.
After Edmund's death in 1972, Elena acted as his literary executor. She edited a collection of his correspondence, Letters on Literature and Politics (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1977), and worked with Leon Edel, Simon Karlinsky, and other editors of Edmund's writings. She continued to live in Wellfleet, where she was active in political organizations, including the League of Women Voters and Amnesty International. Elena Wilson died in Wellfleet on July 27, 1979.
Processing Information
The Elena Wilson Papers contain archival materials formerly classed in ZA Wilson, as well as materials subsequently acquired from the Wilson family and through Elena Wilson's publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux. For papers of Edmund Wilson formerly classed in ZA Wilson, see the Edmund Wilson Papers (YCAL MSS 187). Letters of Edmund Wilson acquired from his correspondents and formerly classed in ZA Wilson, are cataloged separately in the Library's online catalog and in the Yale Collection of American Literature Manuscript Miscellany (YCAL MSS MISC). More information about reorganization of materials formerly classed in ZA Wilson is in the Description of the Papers. Photocopies of Edmund Wilson's letters collected by Elena Wilson and used in editing Letters on Literature and Politics have been retained for reference use only and may not be duplicated. In some cases, fragile original photocopies of these materials have been re-photocopied by the Library for preservation and the originals filed in the Restricted Fragile series; these preservation photocopies are also for reference use only. All photocopied correspondence for which the Library does not own originals have been ink stamped, on either front or back: "Do not duplicate. For reference use only. For reproduction contact owner of the original document". In some cases, these original documents are owned by the Beinecke Library, as part of other collections. Duplicates of these materials may be made from the originals only. Notes made by Elena Wilson on original folders have been photocopied, and the original folders discarded. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
- Aaron, Daniel, 1912-2016
- American literature -- 20th century
- Authors, American -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Edel, Leon, 1907-1997
- Karlinsky, Simon, 1924-2009
- Mumm family
- Nabokova, Vera
- Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
- Struve family
- Talcottville (N.Y.)
- Thornton family
- Wilson, Edmund, 1895-1972
- Wilson, Elena, 1906-1979
- Wilson, Helen Miranda, 1948-
- Title
- Guide to the Elena Wilson Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Karen Spicher
- Date
- July 2004
- Description rules
- Beinecke Manuscript Unit Archival Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.