Karen Csengeri Papers, 1808-1997

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MSS-187

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Karen Csengeri’s papers consist of correspondence, notes, photographs, research materials, and typescripts, each divided into a subseries under Series 1: Hulme, Thomas Ernest. The correspondence predominantly includes responses from various libraries and other memory institutions to her request for any and all material on T.E.H. Communication primarily took place in 1976, although some letters carried on into the mid-80s and throughout the 1990s. Other correspondence were transcribed letters of T.E.H. and have been appropriated to the research material subseries. The research materials comprise a large part of the collection in the form of photocopies of articles written by both T.E.H. and his critics, as well as books. A small envelope of photos documenting the literary figure’s early history have been placed with microfilm under audiovisual. Another significant portion of Dr. Csengeri’s papers include her notes. Handwritten and thorough, they document both her research efforts (that included travel to England) and the details of T.E.H.’s life and works that comprised Csengeri’s thesis. Other notes, filed in a separate series, Series 2: Other Literary Figures, include work on T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, with a subseries devoted to each writer. Finally, typescripts and a notated manuscript of Dr. Csengeri’s 1994 edited publication The Collected Works of T.E Hulme, as well as a small collection of literary journals to which Csengeri contributed essays and reviews (all included in Series 1), round out the collection. The correspondence is arranged chronologically by postdate. With the exception of the notes on Ezra Pound, subsequent materials are first arranged alphabetically by type or subject, then further arranged chronologically by either date of first printing, such as in the case of the photocopied publications, or of an event in T.E.H.’s life as indicated by Csengeri in her notes. The Pound materials, as they are interpretations on his Cantos, are arranged by the number of the canto.

Dates

1808 - 1997

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials may be accessed by request at the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections on the fifth floor of the William S. Carlson Library on the main campus of the University of Toledo. Materials do not circulate.

Conditions Governing Use

In most cases, the Canaday Center does not own the copyright and literary rights to items in its collections; it is the responsibility of the researcher to adhere to U.S. Copyright and Fair Use laws, including seeking permission from the copyright holder and payment of any royalty fees, in the reproduction and use of archival materials. Providing copies or scans does not constitute a license to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.

Biographical / Historical

Karen Csengeri is a Toledo resident and University of Toledo graduate, where she received her B.A. in Mathematics in 1970 and M.A. in English in 1974. She earned her Ph.D., the thesis for which generated the material in this collection, at the University of Michigan in 1985. From graduate teaching assistant to assistant professor and adjunct instructor, Dr. Csengeri has taught English and General Studies since 1971, at multiple universities and colleges, including the University of Toledo, State University of West Georgia, Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University, University of Michigan, Kennesaw State University, and Lourdes College. A large portion of Dr. Csengeri’s work involves Thomas Ernest Hulme (T.E.H.), a British literary figure of the early twentieth century who was an Imagist predecessor to Ezra Pound, influenced T.S. Eliot’s ideas on classicism and Original Sin, and introduced French philosopher Henri Bergson to England and the United States. Her initial interest in Hulme developed as a result of a Proseminar on Early Twentieth Century British Literature taught by Noel Stock, who became a longtime friend. Stock ascribed importance to Hulme, an ascription furthered by Professor Wallace Martin during his Literary Theory class. Both professors influenced Csengeri to conduct extensive research on Hulme, who she asserts was one of the most misunderstood figures in twentieth century letters. Arguing that previous works about Hulme did the writer a disservice through backwards chronology and a lack of context or proper background, Csengeri pursued a mission of clearing up the confusion with Hulme’s detailed life story. This mission resulted in her Ph.D. thesis, The Life and Work of T.E. Hulme. In addition to her thesis, Dr. Csengeri has published several essays and reviews, as well as edited the book The Collected Writings of T.E. Hulme in 1994 which has generated many favorable reviews for its clear, comprehensive, and chronological format. Other publications of note to which Csengeri has contributed include English Literature in Translation, Comparative Literature, Essays in Criticism, The Old Northwest, Helix, and West Georgia College Review.

Extent

7 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Series 1: Hulme, Thomas Ernest (6 linear feet) Subseries A: Audiovisual, 1976 Subseries B: Correspondence, 1975-1997 Subseries C: Notes, (regarding dates) 1870-1976 Subseries D: Publications, 1982-1990 Subseries E: Research Material, (regarding dates) 1884-1974 Subseries F: Typescripts, 1994 Series 2: Other Literary Figures (1 linear foot) Subseries A: Eliot, T.S., 1888-1965 Subseries B: Pound, Ezra, undated