Elizabeth Phillips Papers
Elizabeth Phillips was a native North Carolinian and worked as an English and Women's Studies professor at Wake Forest University as one of the university's first full-time women professors. This collection contains papers, photographs, and memorabilia from both her personal and professional work. The bulk of this collection is her writings, including her research and notes for many of her works. Also included is correspondence, subject files, biographical and early life materials, course materials, and professional materials.
Biographical and Historical Note
Elizabeth Phillips was born in 1919 in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, to Arnold W. and Vera Phillips. Her sister Mary Louise was born in 1923. She attended Harris High School and graduated in 1935. She graduated from the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, now UNC Greensboro (1939) and later received a masters from the University of Iowa (1945), and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania (1957). Phillips received a Fulbright Scholarship and travelled to Korea in the early 1960s to teach English poetry and literature courses to Korean students.
Phillips began working as an English and Women's Studies professor at Wake Forest in 1957 where she went on to become one of the first full-time women professors. Although she retired in 1989, she remained active on campus. In 1992, Phillips was awarded the Medallion of Merit, the University's highest award for service. She wrote three books: Edgar Allan Poe: An American Imagination (1979), Marianne Moore (1982), and Emily Dickinson: Personae and Performance (1988). She also contributed multiple essays to the Dictionary of Literary Biography: American Poets, the Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography: The Age of Maturity, and American Women Writers.
Her partner, Eva Rodtwitt, was a French professor at WFU. Phillips died on June 26, 2008, at the age of 89.
Collection Overview
The Elizabeth Phillips Papers collection documents the personal life and professional work of Elizabeth Phillips. The collection is organized into six series: 1. Biographical materials and early life; 2. Correspondence; 3. Course materials; 4. Professional materials; 5. Subject files and writings of others; and 6. Writings by Phillips and related materials.
The biographical materials and early life series contains papers and photographs related to her time at Harris High School in Spruce Pine, N.C., her Fulbright Scholarship teaching position in Korea, and materials from college and her two postgraduate degrees. There are also materials related to her parents, Arnold W. Phillips and Vera Phillips, and some family genealogies.
The correspondence series includes both personal and professional correspondence, so letters may contain personal and professional information. The bulk of correspondence is with her family, including her parents, her sister, and her niece Stephanie Roth. Phillips also corresponded often with her students and colleagues. Some correspondents are identified by partial names, including just by initials or first name.
The course materials series contains course syllabi, reading lists, notes, examinations, and papers by students. The courses are primarily about English literature and poetry and some courses contain research materials that Phillips used to prepare for class.
The professional materials series is primarily comprised of materials from her time as a professor at Wake Forest University. Materials include English department memorandums, professional club and organization papers, and Phillips' curriculum vitae.
The subject files and writings of others contains materials separated by topic, including research topics and writings by others.
The final series, writings by Phillips and related materials contains Phillips' writings and materials related to each writing, such as correspondence, research, and notes. This series is primarily related to her three books and her poetry.
Collection Arrangement
The contents of each series and subseries are arranged alphabetically.
Series 1, Biographical materials and early life, 1929-2001. Series 2, Correspondence, 1934-2007. Series 3, Course materials, 1948-2003. Series 4, Professional materials, 1940-2007. Series 5, Subject files and writings by others, 1894-2008. Series 6, Writings by Phillips and related materials, 1934-2003
Series 6, Writings by Phillips and related materials, is further separated into subseries: Subseries 1, General writings, 1934-2003. Subseries 2, American Women Writers writings and research, 1958-1983. Subseries 3, Edgar Allan Poe writings, research, and correspondence, 1957-1990. Subseries 4, Emily Dickinson writings, research, and correspondence, 1982-1996. Subseries 5, Marianne Moore writings, research, and correspondence, 1944-1986
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Finley Turner, 2019 August
- Revision Description
- Revised by Kate Trathen, new materials added, 2026 May
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- 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.
- Preferred Citation
- Elizabeth Phillips Papers (MS628), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.