The Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University holds the Irwin Edman papers, [ca 1930]-1954 (Finding Aid).
There are two Sylvia Plath items in this collection. I know what you are thinking: Who was Irwin Edman? The short answer is that Edman (1896-1954) was Professor of philosophy at Columbia University. The items in the collection are a letter co-authored by Plath and Gamaliel Bradford Senior High School classmate Jeanne Woods dated 15 March 1949 and his reply, dated 28 March 1949.
In their 15 March letter, Plath and Woods respond to Edman's March 1949 article "A Reasonable Life in a Mad World" from the Atlantic Monthly (pages 60-62). The letter is a mixture of sanctimoniousness with aspects Christian ideology. Plath at the time of this letter was a junior in High School and was writing on behalf of her English 31 class which was under the tutelage of Wilbury Crockett. The authors of the letter credit Edman with writing logically on the subject but find fault and inadequacy with his resolutions. They write to challenge his conclusions and hope for an honest evaluation of them. Acknowledging the benefits of nature, they argue that there are limitations on man that prohibit him from creating order in civilization. A human's mind is not enough to see everything in the universe. Edman advocates stoicism, pleasure principle, and hope but Plath and Woods ask about the role of spiritualism (seeking guidance from outside of one's self, from above).
Edman's response from 28 March 1949 is a dismissive missive of which the component parts are sexist, ageist, and patronization. Edman compliments his critics saying that the future of the country is promising because high school students are tackling the subject of his philosophic essay. He writes that if he were teaching the class they would undoubtedly discuss the matter, but that in the shape of correspondence, such a detailed and time-consuming venture that would take a year to talk about sufficiently is not reasonable. Edman writes that "a group of girls about sixteen years old" can hardly hope to solve simply philosophical issues that have been troubling higher minds for about two thousand years. He calls their arguments "traditional beliefs" and encourages them to reconsider their positions after they reach college.
Thanks are due to Tara Craig at Columbia for providing copies of these documents.
Sometimes an archival collection can consist of just one or two items. This collection is a perfect example as it is just one letter from Plath, and a carbon copy reply to her. You can see more libraries that hold Plath materials, both large and small, on the Archival Materials page of my website for Sylvia Plath, A celebration, this is.
All links accessed 18 November 2013.
There are two Sylvia Plath items in this collection. I know what you are thinking: Who was Irwin Edman? The short answer is that Edman (1896-1954) was Professor of philosophy at Columbia University. The items in the collection are a letter co-authored by Plath and Gamaliel Bradford Senior High School classmate Jeanne Woods dated 15 March 1949 and his reply, dated 28 March 1949.
In their 15 March letter, Plath and Woods respond to Edman's March 1949 article "A Reasonable Life in a Mad World" from the Atlantic Monthly (pages 60-62). The letter is a mixture of sanctimoniousness with aspects Christian ideology. Plath at the time of this letter was a junior in High School and was writing on behalf of her English 31 class which was under the tutelage of Wilbury Crockett. The authors of the letter credit Edman with writing logically on the subject but find fault and inadequacy with his resolutions. They write to challenge his conclusions and hope for an honest evaluation of them. Acknowledging the benefits of nature, they argue that there are limitations on man that prohibit him from creating order in civilization. A human's mind is not enough to see everything in the universe. Edman advocates stoicism, pleasure principle, and hope but Plath and Woods ask about the role of spiritualism (seeking guidance from outside of one's self, from above).
Edman's response from 28 March 1949 is a dismissive missive of which the component parts are sexist, ageist, and patronization. Edman compliments his critics saying that the future of the country is promising because high school students are tackling the subject of his philosophic essay. He writes that if he were teaching the class they would undoubtedly discuss the matter, but that in the shape of correspondence, such a detailed and time-consuming venture that would take a year to talk about sufficiently is not reasonable. Edman writes that "a group of girls about sixteen years old" can hardly hope to solve simply philosophical issues that have been troubling higher minds for about two thousand years. He calls their arguments "traditional beliefs" and encourages them to reconsider their positions after they reach college.
Thanks are due to Tara Craig at Columbia for providing copies of these documents.
Sometimes an archival collection can consist of just one or two items. This collection is a perfect example as it is just one letter from Plath, and a carbon copy reply to her. You can see more libraries that hold Plath materials, both large and small, on the Archival Materials page of my website for Sylvia Plath, A celebration, this is.
All links accessed 18 November 2013.
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