Manuscripts of "The Broken Home"
Select an image to view and enlarge text. The manuscripts are in the order Merrill placed them in before sending to Special Collections, Washington University. See the "Notes on the Manuscripts" link on the left (????).
1) "Years before I was born." "18 March." Pencil, ink, draft paper.
2) "A child and a red dog." Pencil, ink, draft paper.
2 Verso) "And yet he turned to earth." Pencil, ink, draft paper.
3) "The big red dog." Two pencil and two ink sketches. Pencil, ink, paper.
4) "18 March." "When my parents were very young." Pencil, draft paper.
4 Verso) "They are outside tonight." Ink, draft paper.
5) "My father, having flown." Pencil drawing. Ink, pencil, draft paper.
5 Verso) Top: Lines crossed out. Right margin: "To learn something." Ink, draft paper.
5 Verso) Top: Lines crossed out. Right margin: "To learn something." Ink, draft paper.
6 Verso) "Spring Cleaning." Ink, draft paper.
7) "My father having flown." Ink, draft paper.
8) "Crossing the street." Right margin: "For the Broken Home." Pencil drawing. Pencil, ink, bond.
9) "And this is why." Pencil, bond.
10) "And this is why." Ink, draft paper.
11) "--if only in." Right margin: "NOTES FOR A MYTH." Pencil drawing. Pencil, ink, draft paper.
12) "This perhaps is why." Three ink drawings. Pencil, ink, draft paper.
13) "The big red dog." "'The Broken Home.'" Pencil, ink, draft paper.
13 Verso) "…Ever that Everest." Lines from Merrill's poem "Time." Pencil, draft paper.
14) "One afternoon." Pencil, bond.
15) "One afternoon." Pencil, bond.
16) "Crosssing the street." Bond.
17) "One afternoon." Pencil, ink, bond.
18) "Tonight they have stepped out." Pencil, ink, bond.
19) "Crossing the street." "for Doris & Charles." Pencil, bond.
20) "One afternoon." "The Broken Home." Pencil, bond.
21) "…Obeyed, I fear." Pencil, draft paper.
22) "Crossing the street." Four pencil drawings. Pencil, ink, draft paper.
22 Verso) "'Avenues to a Theme' - (sub) title." Ink, draft paper.
23) "A child, a red dog." Pencil, bond.
23 Verso) "Inside, blinds beat sun." Pencil, ink, bond.
24) "Crossing the street." Bottom: titles for poems. Pencil, bond.
25) "When my parents were children." Top: titles for poems. Pencil, ink, bond.
26) "My father having flown." Bottom: titles for poems." Pencil, ink, bond.
27) "One afternoon brought something more." Right margin: "dog as satyr." Pencil, ink, bond.
28) "A child, a red dog." Top: "Last." Pencil, ink, bond.
29) "Crossing the street." Half sheet, bond.
29 Verso) "retrospect." Draft page of Merrill's The (Diblos) Notebook. Pencil.
30) "When my parents were younger." Half sheet, bond.
31) "Tonight they have stepped out." Half sheet, pencil, bond.
32) "My father having flown." Half sheet, bond.
33) "One afternoon, red." Half sheet, bond.
34) "A child, a red dog." Half sheet, bond.
35) "When my parents were younger." Bond.
36) "Tonight they have stepped out." Pencil, ink, bond.
37) "Crossing the street." Bond.
38) 'When my parents were younger." Bond.
37) "Crossing the street." Bond.
38) 'When my parents were younger." Bond.
39) "A child, a red dog." Bond.
40) "The Black Swan II." "the <big> red dog led me." One sketch. Pencil, draft paper.