Thomas F. and Louise Y. Gossett Papers
Dr. Thomas F. Gossett was a Professor of English at Wake Forest. Dr. Louise Y. Gossett was a professor of English at Salem College. The Thomas F. and Louise Gossett Papers consist primarily of reviews and articles on A.R. Ammons and Flannery O'Connor collected by the Gossetts from various newspapers and periodicals. There are a few photographs of O'Connor and photocopied correspondence. There are a few letters from Ammons to the Gossetts, submissions to and issues of The Nickelodeon, and audio recordings of Ammons reading his poetry. Also included are research notes by the Gossetts on O'Connor and Ammons. The papers include Thomas F. Gossett's research notes and bibliographies for his two books, Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture and Race: the History of an Idea in America.
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Summary Information
- Repository
- Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
- Title
- Thomas F. and Louise Y. Gossett Papers
- Creator
- Gossett, Thomas F., 1916-
- Date
- 1950-2010 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 19.44 linear feet / 1 record carton, 43 card boxes
- ID
- MS359
Biographical and Historical Note
Dr. Thomas F. Gossett, 1916-2005, was Professor of English at Wake Forest College/University. The Dallas native earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Methodist Universiy and his doctorate from University of Minnesota. He taught at Wesleyan College in Macon, G.A., until he was suspended for supporting racial integration. He also taught at Trinity University in Texas and University of Illinios at Champaign. At Wake Forest University, he taught 19th and 20th century American fiction. He is best known for his two scholarly books, Race: The History of an Idea in America (1963, reprinted 1997) and Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture (1985). He retired from WFU in 1987 and died December 11, 2005; he was survived by his wife, Dr. Louise Y. Gossett.
Dr. Louise Y. Gossett was a professor of English and dean at Salem College. She published the book, Violence in Recent Southern Fiction (1965), as well as articles in the journals American Literature, Christianity and Literature, and South Atlantic Quarterly.
The Gossetts were friends of Southern author Flannery O'Connor, after being introduced to her by Father James McCown in 1956. In March 1958, they introduced O'Connor to writer Katherine Anne Porter. The Gossetts were also friends with the poet, A.R. Ammons, who graduated from Wake Forest and who returned as poet-in-residence in 1975 to the English department at the Reynolda campus.
Collection Overview
This collection is composed primarily of reviews and articles on A.R. Ammons and Flannery O'Connor collected by the Gossetts from various newspapers and periodicals. There are a few photographs of O'Connor and photocopied correspondence. There are a few letters from Ammons to the Gossetts, submissions to and issues of The Nickelodeon, edited by Ammons, and audio recordings of Ammons reading his poetry. Also included are research notes by the Gossetts on O'Connor and Ammons. The papers include Thomas F. Gossett's research notes and bibliographies for his two books, Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture and Race: the History of an Idea in America.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into four series: 1. Gossett, Thomas S.; 2. Ammons, A.R. ; 3. O'Flaherty, Daniel; and 4. O'Connor, Flannery. Series 2, 3, and 4 are composed primarily of materials collected by or created by Thomas and Louise Gossett about the authors.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Names
- Wake Forest University--Dept. of English.
- Wake Forest University--Faculty--Personal and professional papers.
Personal Names
Subjects
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Finding aid prepared by Processed by John Woodard, 2004, and Carolyn Jones, 2011, with assistance from Audra Eagle Yun
- Revision Description
- Revised by Stephanie Bennett, 2017 April
- Access Restrictions
- Collection is open.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Existence of Digital Copies
- Audio of A.R. Ammons poetry readings is available through WFU Digital Collections.
- Preferred Citation
- Thomas F. and Louise Gossett Papers (MS359), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.