Cases 3 and 4 - Notebooks, Manuscript Drafts, and Edited Drafts
Research notes, notebooks, and drafts that are either handwritten, typed, or word-processed all illustrate how literature emerges from a process, and often a process that involves working with others. Notebooks and other scraps of paper, if they are saved, often show the first inklings of an idea, while drafts can reveal the process and the changes that take place before a text reaches publication. Cases 3 and 4 explore an array of work involved showing the drafting stages of novels, short stories and poetry found within the Fisher Library’s literary archives.
Mazo de la Roche’s Jalna (1927). Jalna was Mazo de la Roche’s breakthrough novel; eventually it became part of a larger 16-book series. It follows the Whiteoak family through 100 years of living at Jalna, the mansion from which the series takes its name. It is based on Benares, a house in Mississauga, Ont., built in the late 1850s. The story was first published in 1927 when it won the Atlantic Monthly’s inaugural $10,000 novel award. It has been translated into many languages and adapted for stage, radio, and television. The series has sold more than 11 million copies in both English and foreign-language editions. Displayed here are pages, both holograph and typed, from the first chapter of Jalna. Mazo de la Roche was regarded as one of the most successful Canadian authors of her generation. In 1948, her Jalna books rated second in popular demand for fiction in England – surpassed only by the works of Charles Dickens.
Graeme Gibson’s Five Legs. Graeme Gibson’s first novel Five Legs, published by House of Anansi in 1969, is regarded as a breakthrough in Canadian experimental fiction. Gibson spent nearly a decade writing Five Legs. Although Dennis Lee, who co-founded Anansi and served as the house’s primary editor, significantly edited the final manuscript, the early pages appear to have remained mostly the same. Displayed here is one of the notebooks used by Gibson for drafting ideas. Once Five Legs was complete, Gibson approached various publishers with his manuscript. It was rejected several times before fellow writers Kildare Dobbs and George Jonas separately suggested that Gibson approach House of Anansi. It was a natural fit and Dennis Lee took on the task of editing and publishing Gibson’s book. The book was unexpectedly popular, selling an impressive one thousand copies in its first week. This release undeniably lent a hand in solidifying Anansi’s reputation as a publisher of important Canadian literature.
Lawrence Hill. Author Lawrence Hill’s papers contain a near-complete record of the development process of all of his written works. This material ranges from early notes to research files to various drafts, with edits along the way. For his award-winning The Book of Negroes, published in 2007, Hill preserved notebooks, extensive research and background information, and drafts from all stages in the writing process. The notebooks, one of which is seen here, document various aspects of The Book of Negroes, including character and plot points, as well as his preliminary research.