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The Letters
Mary Butts’s letters are instilled with a sense of movement (perhaps all letters are?) – hastily written at times, or of prolonged composition, returning to the text, the page, over a number of days. Her correspondence often describes travels across Europe, arranging meetings, planning parties – missives traveling by post across the continent. On the move.
The letters seem emblematic of Andrew Thacker’s suggestion that modernist writing is about experiencing “new times” in “specific spatial histories: rooms, cities, buildings, countries.”[1] They capture something of modernity, travel, movement, a sense of the new (and its wonder).
The letters also speak to the network of modernist communities. And in this, they reveal the typically modernist form of the assemblage, via the material and immaterial processes and connections of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s model, in which movements are multiple, contradictory, mapping a territory while at the same time undertaking processes of deterritorialization – an opening, closing, shifting of meaning and spaces.
The movements of Butts’s letters, written, carbon copied, mailed, received (or not), speed towards (seeking a reply from) numerous correspondents, including Jean Cocteau, Ezra Pound, Charles Williams, Virginia Woolf, M. R. James, John Rodker, Christopher Wood, James Joyce. And many more head to her mother, aunts, and daughter.
The movement of letters doesn’t stop there – they continue on their way into collections, libraries, archives, museums. They rest there, for a time, before being disinterred, studied, transcribed, digitized: a fashioning of new paths in the assemblage of scholars, students, universities, publishers, artists. And they are given a new existence on this website, part of a digital realm of other processes and byways.
Many of Butts’s voluminous correspondence are lost, but those that survive begin to be collected here.
Explore the digital scans of the letters and their transcriptions, look for connections, meaning, a new insight into Mary Butts and her literary imaginary, and the transnational assemblage of family and modernists in which we locate her.
We invite you to move between these letters to make new discoveries, and to create new paths of meaning.
A postcard from Mary Butts to Douglas Goldring, July 16, 1928
View / Download the Letters
While this space is currently a work in progress, you can already view all of the digitized letters from the University of Victoria Libraries – Special Collections & Archives’s Douglas Goldring fonds. More letters will be added here soon!
University of Victoria - Douglas Goldring fonds
Yale University Library - Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Browse and Search Metadata
Here you can browse metadata about the letters from the University of Victoria Libraries – Special Collections & Archives’s Douglas Goldring fonds. More letter metadata will be added here soon, with the goal of facilitating a wide range of literary and computational analysis.
| From | To | Date of letter | Sent from (location) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1922-04-09 | Germany--Titisee | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her time in Titisee, near Freiburg, Germany and her friends in London at their shared address, 43 Belsize Gardens. |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1927-08-14 | Austria--Sankt Anton am Arlberg | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the details of her journey from Germany to Austria with Cecil Maitland et al., their time in S. Anton, and Butts's plans for meeting Douglas Goldering |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1928-07-16 | France--Paris | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the weather in Paris and inventing a house costume |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1932-05-23 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her stay in Marine View, Sennen Cove, house decorations and furniture |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1932-06-22 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel Vos | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to invite his family to stay with her in Sennen Cove (the letter includes the budget of living expenses for the Goldrings) |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1933-03-16 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her new work The Macedonian, domestic life in Sennen, and her work in progress -- a fantasy entitled 'What the Moon Saw’ |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-02-21 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel-Vos | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her most recent work The Macedonian |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-05-30 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding an anecdote at Chofes(?) pub and the news about Wise dying |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-10-14 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel-Vos | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding Gabriel's accident, domestic life, Douglas's sons, her daughter Camilla, Douglas's review of 'This must be the Place’ |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-12-07 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring discussing Douglas Goldring's son Hugh Goldring |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1935-02-26 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the frictions between Douglas Goldring and (?).M. |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1932-01 to 1932-03(?) | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel-Vos | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her financial problems |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-01 (?) | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel-Vos | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding his most recent publication and her work in progress -- Scenes from the Life of Cleopatra ('Cleopatra') |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1924-04 to 1925-10 | England--London--7 St James Terrace | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the most recent news about various acquaintances |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1926-09 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Monttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to invite him for dinner |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1931-08 to 1931-11 | England--London--Chelsea--105 Oakley St | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding if she can dedicate her most recent book to Douglas Goldring |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring; Malin Goldring | 1930-12 | England--Rye--Iden--Iden 22--Thornsdale | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring and Malin Goldring regarding Christmas greetings and Butts's time in England |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1926-09 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Monttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to express her admiration for Malin Goldring and to touch base with Douglas Goldring |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1927-03 to 1927-05, or 1928-02 to 1928-06 | France--Villefranche--Hotel de la Colline | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her financial debt to Malin Goldring and Butts's financial problems in general |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1926-09 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Monttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding a crossed cheque he sends her and her time with a child (unnamed) |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1926-09 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Monttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her friends Pat & Duff |
| Mary Butts; Gabriel Atkin | Douglas Goldring | 1932-01 to 1932-02(?) | England--Cornwall--Sarah’s Well (Sennen Cove) | Mary Butts and Gabriel Atkin write to Douglas Goldring regarding the writing room in Sarah’s Well (Sennen Cove) and how to get there |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1931-08-26 to 1932-01 (?) | England--London--Chelsea--I05 Oakley St | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to apologize and inform him her illness |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1931-08 to 1931-11 | England--London--Chelsea--I05 Oakley St | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her illness and her new schedule of the business meeting for Gabriel's portfolio |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1932-6 to 1932-08 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel-Vos | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her domestic life and financial problems in Sennen |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-11(?) | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her progress in writing ‘Cleopatra’ (Scenes from the Life of Cleopatra) and Hugh Goldring's painting |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-11 to 1934-12 | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding Hugh Goldring's pneumonia | |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-12(?) | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the most recent news about Hugh Goldring and the Maples |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1934-11(?) | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding finishing up ‘Cleopatra’ (Scenes from the Life of Cleopatra) |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1920s -12 | France | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to borrow 1000 francs from him |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | France--Paris XIV--212 Boulevard Raspail | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding a landlord-tenant dispute |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1932-01 to 1932-04 | England--Cornwall--Sarah's Well (Sennen Cove) | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding his departure and the news about some properties and investments |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the arrival of Malin Goldring's cheque and Butts's travel plans | |
| Mary Butts; Gabriel Atkin | n.d. | Christmas greetings from Mary Butts and Gabriel Atkin to Douglas Goldring | ||
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1920s | France--Villefranche-sur-Mer | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding a flat on 31 Bld Tsaievitch |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | Italy--Rapallo--Pension Select | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her time in Rapallo, Italy, Ford's review of her short story 'The House', and a wolf-hound |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1928-01 to 1928-02 | France--Antibes--Hótel AntiPolis | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the custody of Camilla Rodlker |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1923-09(?) | England--London--43 belsize park gardens | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to invite him to Alex Waugh’s party |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1926-09 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Montttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring, introducing a list of editors and artists to him |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | France--Villefranche-sur-Mer | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her flat in Villefranche |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | France--Finistère--Tréboul--Hotel du Coteau | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding the publication of her most recent novel in the U.S., the plan to publish another book illustrated by Jean Cocteau in October, her divorce with John Rodker, and the death of Cecil Maitland |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | 1927 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Montttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring to apologize that she was 50 francs short on Malin Goldring's debt |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | Italy (?) | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her travel plans and asking Douglas to send an introduction to Norman Douglas |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | France--Antibes--Hòtel Antipolis | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding her time in Paris and her fight with John Rodker |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove | Mary Butts writes on the Christmas card to Douglas Goldring, apologizing for not being able to invite Patrick Goldring to stay during the summer |
| Mary Butts | Douglas Goldring | n.d. | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove (?) | Mary Butts writes to Douglas Goldring regarding his son Hugh Goldring's characters and health conditions |
| Mary Butts | Malin Goldring | 1932-07-26 | England--Cornwall--Sennen Cove--Tebel-Vos | Mary Butts writes to Malin Goldring to arrange the details of Malin's stay in her house |
| Mary Butts | Malin Goldring | 1927 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Montttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Malin Goldring to express her support for Malin |
| Mary Butts | Malin Goldring | 1927 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Montttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Malin Goldring to arrange a lunch with her on Monday |
| Mary Butts | Malin Goldring | 1926-09 to 1930-06 | France--Paris--14 Rue de Montttessuy | Mary Butts writes to Malin Goldring to rearrange a time to meet Malin |