A Guide to the Correspondence with Harold Grier McCurdy, 1977-1987 McCurdy, Harold Grier, Correspondence with 9806-u

A Guide to the Correspondence with Harold Grier McCurdy, 1977-1987

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 9806-u

Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
USA
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Reference Request Form: https://small.lib.virginia.edu/reference-request/
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Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Special Collections Department

Repository

Special Collections, University of Virginia Library

Accession number

9806-u

Title

Correspondence with Harold Grier McCurdy, 1977-1987

Physical Characteristics

The collection consists of 108 letters.

Language

English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Correspondence with Harold Grier McCurdy, Accession #9806-u , Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These papers were given to the Library by Harold G. McCurdy of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on February 10, 1988.

Scope and Content Information

This collection, consisting of the correspondence between John Moffitt (1908-1987), poetry editor of America, and Harold Grier McCurdy (1909- ), a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina and a poet, contains one hundred and eight letters, 1977-1987. In many of the letters they critique each other's poetry, share personal news, and discuss their differences over poetic style and composition.

Several topics of note include: "modern idiom" (July 25, 1977; October 28, 1978; March 20, 1979; and November 15, 1984); Groping for the Right Note, a poem of McCurdy's (February 7,1978); Ezra Pound's influence over modern poetry (February 10,1978); literary fashion (March 24, 1979); On the Death of an Old Lady by Moffitt (July 7, August 13, September 5 & 27, 1981);Communism (October 6, 1981); gnosticism (February 12 and November 22, 1982); Moffitt's "conversion" from Hinduism to Catholicism (November 5 & December 27, 1983; February 16, 1984; and July 1,1987); the evolution of The Empress Is Not Amused (March 1,1984); Wallace Stevens (March 1, 5, & 10, and April 24, 1984);and Not by Work Alone containing printed Moffitt letters.