Barbara Johnson papers (Ms.2017.025)

This collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Barbara Johnson, American literary critic and scholar of deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminist theory, and queer theory. The collection documents Johnson's personal life, academic career, research, and writing, and is composed of biographical materials, correspondence, syllabi, handwritten notes, research articles, and writing drafts, dating from 1971-2009 and is arranged into 11 series.

Series 1, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1974 – 2006, includes an autobiographical essay, housing files regarding improvement of her home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, medical files regarding her weakening health in the 2000s, and a handwritten note about her declining penmanship due to her illness. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.

Series 2, CORRESPONDENCE, 1973-2009, contains personal and professional correspondence from various senders including Judith Butler, Alice Jardine, and Marjorie Garber. Topics include writing and research, travel, and job postings. Correspondence can also be found in series 3, Professional and Administrative, series 4, Conferences, and in series 6, Writings. This series is arranged alphabetically by provenance – by sender, recipient, or subject.

Series 3, PROFESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE, 1983-2006, is arranged into two subseries: General Files and Recommendations.

Series 3, Subseries 1, General Files, 1986-2005, contains materials related to Johnson's academic career including search committee files, reading materials for a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar attended by Johnson, School of Criticism and Theory membership materials, and a handwritten to-do list. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by institution then by topic.

Series 3, Subseries 2, Recommendations, 1983-2006, includes correspondence, curriculum vitae, and tenure dossiers, for Johnson's colleagues and students requesting recommendations from Johnson. Notable names include Elizabeth Abel, Juan Pablo Lupi, and D. A. Miller. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by person's last name.

Series 4, CONFERENCES, 1987-2002, consists of conference schedules, flyers, and related material, for conferences attended by Johnson. Conference topics include feminism, gender studies, poetry, psychoanalysis, and Johnson's own book projects. Drafts of conference lectures are often adaptations of Johnson's published works or course material. These lectures have been removed from the series and relocated to the restricted series until January 1, 2023 after which date they will open without restrictions. This series is arranged alphabetically by name of conference or institution at which the conference was held.

Series 5, TEACHING, 1973-2008, includes course readings and reading packets, syllabi, and handwritten and typed notes. Course topics include "African American Women Writers," "Deconstruction and Psychoanalysis," "Persons and Things," and "The Sexual Politics of Poetry." Writing drafts related to Johnson's teaching are often adaptations of her published works. These files have been removed from the series and relocated to the restricted series until January 1, 2023 after which date they will open without restrictions. Researchers can request access to these files during the closure period by contacting the donor via the Pembroke Center Archives: Bill Johnson González, pembroke_archives@brown.edu. This series is arranged alphabetically by course title then by record type. When available, Johnson's original folder titles have been maintained and are written in quotations. All other folder titles were created by the processor.

Series 6, WRITINGS BY BARBARA JOHNSON, circa 1970-2009, is arranged into 6 subseries: Articles, Books, Chapters, Talks, Unidentified Projects, and Previously restricted writings.

Series 6, subseries 1, Articles, circa 1970-2003, contains proofs, photocopies, and drafts of articles including "From Melville's First: The Execution of Billy Budd" and "Bringing Out D. A. Miller." This subseries is arranged chronologically according to the article's publication date.

Series 6, subseries 2, Books, circa 1970-2009, includes handwritten notes, research materials, and drafts of books including Défiguration du langage poétique: la seconde révolution baudelairienne, The Feminist Difference: Literature, Psychoanalysis, Race and Gender, and Mother Tongues: Sexuality, Trials, Motherhood, Translation. Some materials are in French. This subseries is arranged chronologically according to the book's publication date then by record type.

Series 6, subseries 3, Chapters, circa 1990-2001, contains proofs and drafts of "Gender and Poetry: Charles Baudelaire and Marceline Desbordes-Valmore," a chapter Johnson wrote for Understanding French Poetry: Essays for a New Millennium by Stamos Metzidakis. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 6, subseries 4, Talks, circa 1970-1996, contains typed drafts of an introduction for Azizah Y. al-Hibri, philosopher and scholar of Islam and Law, and a talk regarding the opening of Boylston Hall at Harvard University. This series is arranged by the date the talk was given, then by title.

Series 6, subseries 5, Unidentified Projects, n.d., contains one folder of drafts and readings regarding "transferential bigamy."

Series 6, subseries 6, Previously restricted writings, 1975-2001, contains drafts of unpublished talks, lectures, or other projects by Johnson. These writings are often adaptations of Johnson's published works or course material. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by title.

Series 7, WRITINGS BY OTHERS, 1969-2004, contains drafts and correspondence by Johnson's students and colleagues. Notable scholars include Judith Butler, Teresa di Lauretis, Paul de Man, Shoshana Felman, Marjorie Garber, Elaine Scarry, and Naomi Schor. This series is arranged alphabetically by author's last name.

Series 8, SUBJECT FILES, 1971-2005, contains research articles, clippings, and handwritten notes. Topics include "Black Women Writers, Race, and Psychoanalysis," "Fanon and Lacan," and "Persons and Things." More general subjects include Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Sigmund Freud, Charles Baudelaire, Nella Larsen, and Nora Zeale Hurston. Johnson's original folder titles are written in quotations. All other folder titles were created by the processor. Writing drafts found in Johnson's subject files are often adaptations of Johnson's published works or course material. These have been removed from the series and relocated to the restricted series until January 1, 2023 after which date they will open without restrictions. Researchers can request access to these files during the closure period by contacting the donor via the Pembroke Center Archives: Bill Johnson González, pembroke_archives@brown.edu. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject then by record type.

Series 9, PRINT MATERIAL, 1975-2000, includes books, journals, and magazines including Johnson's copy of Herman Melville's "Billy Budd, Sailor" and newsletters on black women writers and from feminist organizations. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title.

Series 10, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, circa 1989-2009, includes cassettes, DVDs, and floppy discs containing audio of Johnson's lectures and digital research material on Mary Shelley, "The Feminist Difference," and "Persons and Things." This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then title on carrier.

Series 11, RESTRICTED, 1975-2006, includes student files, student work, and student work and grades. Student files may include any combination of course work, correspondence, or grades. Student work contains only graded or ungraded course work. Student work and grades includes graded or ungraded course work and final grades. Materials in this series are closed until January 1, 2056 after which date they will open without restrictions. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then alphabetically by student name or course title.