Karl E. Beckson papers, 1956-1993, bulk 1965-1992

Summary Information

Abstract

This collection consists of research and publication materials, correspondence, and manuscripts of several of Karl Beckson's books. It includes a large amount of research materials for Beckson's biography of Arthur Symons.

Description

Summary

The collection contains research and publication materials, correspondence, and published writings. The research and publication materials consist of photocopies of letters and prints of photographs of Arthur Symons, Henry Harland, and other writers; correspondence with publishers, libraries, scholars, and friends of Symons; and publishing agreements. The published writings include manuscripts and galleys of several books written by Beckson between 1989 and 1993.

Arrangement

The contents of the collection are arranged alphabetically, following the titles that Beckson wrote on his folders.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Karl Beckson Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Karl E. Beckson. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1992.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Anne Diebel, GSAS 2012 2009.

Finding aid written Anne Diebel, GSAS 2012 1/2010.

Revision Description

2010-04-07 File created.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical / Historical

Karl Beckson was a professor of English literature and author of many articles and books on British literature and culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

He was born Emmanuel Beckson on February 4, 1926, and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. After serving in the United States Navy during the Second World War, he earned a B.A. (1949) in English from the University of Arizona and an M.A. (1952) and Ph.D. (1959) from Columbia University, where he studied with Lionel Trilling and Mark Van Doren. He worked briefly at Columbia, Bronx Community College, and Fairleigh-Dickinson University before teaching at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, for the rest of his career. As a scholar, he took special interest in the late-nineteenth-century Symbolist movement and its influence on late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century writers such as James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, and George Bernard Shaw. He wrote several books on Arthur Symons, Oscar Wilde, and Henry Harland, including biographies of Symons and Harland. He also co-wrote a dictionary of literary terms and edited several volumes of letters and memoirs. Beckson retired in 2004 and died on April 29, 2008.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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