Mary Borland Thayer Fox papers (Ms. 78.14)

The collection consists chiefly of Fox's poetry and prose dating from 1919-1938. Much of the collection remained unpublished during Fox's lifetime, not coming to press until printed in a memorial volume in 1960. The analysis of the collection which follows closely corresponds to the physical arrangement of the papers.

Approximately one hundred separate poems are represented in the collection, most of which appear in manuscript or typed draft versions. The collection also includes typed transcripts (made more that twenty years later) which served as a selection tool for the posthumous volume of her poetry, A path across the night (New York, 1961). In addition to these more or less finished products, there are two notebooks of manuscript verse which appear to be of an earlier date and quite plainly draft or working copies. All of Fox's published work is found in this collection.

A total of 38 different examples of her prose appear in the collection, many of which are in two or three drafts. This material consists of short stories some of which were written obviously for juveniles as well as other material that is of a purely didactic nature. Her essays deal with contemporary subjects of her time and include articles on the Depression and its effects on the common man; fears of totalitarianism; social mores, and socialism. The titles of the works are usually a good indication of the content, and in some instances, the author's attitudes towards a subject. Also included in this section is a diary account written in 1936 of her trip to the Soviet Union to visit her brother, Charles W. Thayer (Thayer was attached to the United States Embassy there). Good descriptions of Russian historical places and of the Soviet people themselves are included in the narrative.

The final section of the collection containing the original writings of Fox consists of a number of original libretti for ballet, at least one of which was professionally produced; also, two scrapbooks of clipped verse and illustrations, some of which may have served as inspiration and/or models for Fox's own work. Likewise there are newspaper clippings relevant to her work as well as some copies of publications in which her writings appeared.

The second major division of the collection contains material not directly authored by Mary Fox. It consists chiefly of correspondence and includes: a) 34 letters written to Mary Fox in response to her essay in the April 1935 issue of The Atlantic Monthly entitled, "The Art of Dying"; b) 47 letters between William Logan Fox, her husband, Joseph M. Fox, her son, and Catharine M. Wright, one of her literary executors. Most of this correspondence deals with the publication of a posthumous volume of Fox's work A Path Across the Night; c) 31 letters written to William Logan Fox, congratulating him on the publication of this volume.

Finally in this section are seven pieces of sheet music, two of which are in manuscript, by Charles Cohen and Arthur Farwell. Cohen's work includes a song set to verse of Fox: "Alas, that spring should vanish with the rose". Farwell's music includes songs set to the poetry of William Blake: "The Lamb" and Emily Dickinson's: "These Saw Vision."