Scope and Contents
Bowen was a remarkably prolific author who issued novels, biographical works, and plays in "astonishing profusion" (Times, December 27, 1952), and she had a special interest in romance, fantasy, occult, and supernatural themes and topics. The papers here contain drafts and other versions of certain titles but represent only a portion of her output. Aside from long-form works, Bowen wrote scores of book reviews, short stories, essays and articles, particularly on issues related to women, including education, character, independence, marriage, and child-rearing. Extremely successful and with a reputation as "outspoken," Bowen was often solicited for her opinion on current events and contemporary lifestyles; the collection holds many examples of those shorter writings. She was well regarded by her literary peers and by her great fans, and the collection holds correspondence from those in both categories.
Auxiliary material covers the lives of family members, including Bowen's mother, Josephine Bowen Ellis Campbell, who published under the name Mrs. Vere Campbell, and ancestors in the Bowen, Ellis, and Campbell families. Present are some of Mrs. Campbell's writings and press cuttings, and a small group of letters, photographs, and personal memoirs of the Ellises, who served as Moravian missionaries in the West Indies during the nineteenth century.
Dates
- 1810 - 1998
- Majority of material found within 1900 - 1951
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Box 41 (sound recordings): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Arrangement
Extent
16 Linear Feet (41 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Auxiliary material covers the lives of family members, including ancestors in the Bowen, Ellis, and Campbell families. Present are three manuscript memoirs of Marjorie Bowen's ancestors: her grandfather, Bishop John Ellis (1785-1855), a Moravian missionary who spent several decades in Antigua, Jamaica, and Barbados, written by his widow; her grandmother Elizabeth Bowen Ellis (1792-1842), written by her son (Bowen's father) Charles Bowen Ellis; and a memoir of Charles Bowen Ellis (1821-1887), also a Moravian minister and missionary, written by one of his siblings.
Marjorie Bowen (1885-1952)
Mrs. Vere Campbell (1860-1921)
Custodial History
Separated Materials
Processing Information
- Audiovisual materials
- Authors
- Authors, English -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Bowen family
- Bowen, Marjorie, 1888-1952
- Campbell family
- Campbell, Vere, Mrs., 1860-1921
- Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910
- Clouston, J. Storer (Joseph Storer), 1870-1944
- Doyle, Arthur Conan, 1859-1930
- Drawings (visual works)
- Ellis family
- Ellis, Charles Bowen, 1821-1887
- Ellis, Elizabeth Bowen, 1792-1842
- Ellis, John, 1785-1855
- English literature -- 20th Century
- Long, Hilary Blaise
- McBean, Angus, 1904-1990
- Methuen, Algernon, 1856-1924
- Moravian Church -- Clergy
- Photographic prints
- Preedy, George, 1888-1952
- Roughead, William, 1870-1952
- Scrapbooks
- Scripts (documents)
- Shearing, Joseph, 1888-1952
- Sound recordings
- V-mail
- Wagenknecht, Edward, 1900-2004
- West, Rebecca, 1892-1983
- Winch, John, 1888-1952
- Women authors, English -- 20th Century
- Title
- Guide to the Marjorie Bowen Papers
- Author
- by Sandra Markham
- Date
- 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- 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.