Ivy Compton-Burnett Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-MS-ms029

Staff Only

The Ivy Compton-Burnett Papers consists primarily of letters and post cards from Compton-Burnett to Kay Dick (98 items) and Kathleen Farrell (29 items), some items addressed to both, all written between 1947 and 1969. Included is one letter from Margaret Jourdain to Kay Dick dated December 16, 1947. The content is largely personal in nature, offering or accepting invitations, conveying information about travel plans, etc. Frequent reference is made to Compton-Burnett's domestic situation and health. Occasional comments concern contemporary events and literary figures including Olivia Manning, Rose Macaulay, Richard Church and Pamela Hansford Johnson, and Compton-Burnett's own work and work habits. Also included is one typescript [carbon] of Elders and Betters [novel] by Compton-Burnett [circa 1944] with moderate revision in pencil, bound in limp blue folder.

Dates

Creation: 1944-1968

Creator

Compton-Burnett, I. (Ivy), 1884-1969 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Conditions Governing Use

Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies.

Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University.

If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)

Extent

2.00 boxes

Additional Description

Biographical Information

Ivy Compton-Burnett (June 5, 1884 –August 27, 1969) was an English novelist. Born in Pinner, Middlesex, Compton-Burnett attended Addiscombe College, Hove, in 1898–1901, then boarded for two terms in 1901–2 at Howard College, Bedford, before embarking on a university degree in Classics.

Apart from Dolores (1911), Compton-Burnett's subject matter focused on domestic situations in large households of the late-Victorian upper classes. Manservant and Maidservant (1947) is often considered to be her best work. She was awarded the 1955 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for her novel Mother and Son and was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1967.