The Other World - Manuscripts · James Merrill: Life and Archive

The Other World - Manuscripts

Title: "Lost '70s Novel"
Description: These are the only surviving remnants of James Merrill's attempted Ouija board novel, in a folder labeled "Lost 70's Novel," in Merrill's hand. After losing two different prose drafts of the novel, he decided to write a verse narrative instead, which became "The Book of Ephraim."
Subject: Merrill, James, 1926-1995
Creator: Merrill, James
Source: James Merrill Papers (MSS083) - Box 145, Folder 3828
Relation: Series_IV_Manuscripts; Exhibit Cases 7-8: Other World; James Merrill: Life and Art, pp. 532, 541; See also Merrill's November 27, 1973 letter to Tony Parigory and draft of "The Will."
Format: 16 leaves. Recto.; 16 jpegs. 600 ppi.
Language: English
Type: Manuscript
Identifier: Lost_'70s_Novel-001.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-002.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-003.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-004.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-005.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-006.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-007.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-008.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-009.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-010.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-011.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-012.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-013.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-014.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-015.jpg
Lost_'70s_Novel-016.jpg
Date: Circa 1970s
Rights Holder: Washington University in St. Louis
Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Media: Lost_'70s_Novel-001.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-002.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-003.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-004.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-005.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-006.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-007.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-008.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-009.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-010.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-011.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-012.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-013.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-014.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-015.jpg; Lost_'70s_Novel-016.jpg

Title: "The Will"
Description: "The Will," published in Divine Comedies, contains the first mention of Ephraim in a poem, as well as the first time he speaks. In it, Ephraim explains why the novel draft was lost twice--implying that he was involved.
Subject: Merrill, James, 1926-1995
Creator: Merrill, James
Source: James Merrill Papers (MSS083) - Box 141, Folder 3678
Relation: Series_IV_Manuscripts; Exhibit Cases 7-8: Other World; James Merrill: Life and Art, pp. 534-5; See also "Lost 70's Novel"
Format: 1 leaf. Recto; 1 jpeg. 600 ppi.
Language: English
Type: Manuscript
Identifier: The_Will-001.jpg
Rights Holder: Washington University in St. Louis
Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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