Series 6. Literary notebooks [MSS 2/241-03]

Present in Series 6 are ten volumes of S. Weir Mitchell's literary notebooks, spanning 1889 to 1910. These volumes contain poetry manuscripts and notes for Mitchell's novels, including outlines, story ideas, character sketches, quotations, and references from other works. The notebooks reveal sources that inspired Mitchell and explain how he developed plot and characters; the notebooks also document the extensive historical research Mitchell conducted before writing an historical novel. Included in these volumes is an early draft of Phillip Vernon (1895), notes for Hugh Wynne (1896), and historical notes, probably used for The Red City (1907). Other notes and outlines are for works that Mitchell never completed. Many of the poems in the notebooks were inspired by different locations, such as Venice, Newport, Egypt, and Japan.

1889-1910

MSS 2/241-03 Series 6