Archives West Finding Aid

The DeVoto-McQuown papers consist of a collection of Bernard DeVoto letters, articles and manuscripts, plus a small set of letters written between Harvard English professor Robert S. Hillyer and Madeline Reeder Thurston McQuown. The papers were in the possession of McQuown, but because of the amount of DeVoto material in the collection, the decision was made to give it the names of both principals.

The collection divides into two categories, the first being correspondence and the second being the collected material about DeVoto and his manuscripts. The correspondence has been arranged chronologically by author. The collected material, mainly newspaper clippings, had been foldered together and placed after the correspondence in the first box. The second box contains manuscripts written by DeVoto.

The DeVoto material makes up the heart of the collection. The correspondence between the two in this collection began with a 1932 letter in which DeVoto tried to place the then Ogdenite, Madeline Reeder into the Ogden he remembered as a child. DeVoto initially was trying to find information for his research on the west. The correspondence possibly began because Madeline's job in the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers Project made her privy to a lot of new source material desired by DeVoto. However started, a friendship and correspondence blossomed between the two. This relationship at times took on a turbulent air, but, in this collection, lasted for a fifteen year period. Specifically DeVoto sought information about the Mormons from Madeline, which was part of the groundwork for his book The Year of Decision: 1846. At some point in 1933 DeVoto began to teach Madeline the art of short story writing. Thereafter the correspondence, for the most part, dwelled upon an instruction in writing technique.

This portion of their correspondence is of extreme interest because of the opportunity to read DeVoto's analysis of his own writing technique. Undated, but presumably part of this correspondence, are three drafts of the short story "The Timid Professor," by DeVoto. Attached to the front of each draft is a page of notes in which DeVoto explained his methodology in preparing each draft. In the text of the story are explicit remarks by DeVoto explaining word usage, the development of scenes, and the construction of dialogue. In addition to using this story as a model for Madeline, he critiques her work with similar explicitness.

Five undated letters have been placed into the 1933 correspondence because their content fit into the context of the other 1933 letters. One of the undated letters from DeVoto, mentioned an article about Wilfredo Pareto's Traite de Socioloqe Generale that DeVoto had been working on for Harper's Monthly Magazine. This article about Pareto, appeared in the October 1933 issue of Harper's Two of the undated letters fit into DeVoto's schooling of Madeline's writing technique. In addition, the Vermont based Breadloaf Writers Conference, which Madeline attended in 1933, provided a common thread throughout the 1933 and some of the undated correspondence.

The entire correspondence between the two reflects the emotional and fast paced life of DeVoto. DeVoto at times, in a self protective manner slashed out at Madeline claimed that she and others misunderstood his work. In addition, DeVoto occasionally gave his opinion on such notables as Robert Frost, Sinclair Lewis, Fawn Brodie and Dale Morgan. The letters also reflect an uncanny ability of DeVoto to fire off a conciliatory letter to Madeline within days of sending a harsh letter.

The letters offer some interesting historical observations from DeVoto. Madeline McQuown while working for the Federal Writers Project turned up a number of Mormon journals and letters. At this same period DeVoto was working on his historical trilogy The Year of Decision: l846 published in 1943; Across the Wide Missouri published in 1947; and The Course of Empire published in 1952. Thus through these letters DeVoto offered insight about newly surfacing western history material.

Overall this small collection demonstrates the importance DeVoto placed upon letter writing. To him it was another forum in which to express himself and his ideas. The quality of and the length of these letters show the seriousness in which DeVoto practiced the art of letter writing.