A calendar of selected letters of James Hanley from the Northern Illinois University Libraries

Author

Amy L. Towne

Publication Date

2000

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of English

LCSH

Hanley; James; 1901---Correspondence; Northern Illinois University. Libraries

Abstract

This thesis catalogues and describes selected correspondence in Northern Illinois University's collection of the neglected British novelist and playwright James Hanley. Taken from NIU's collection of letters from Hanley to Norman Unger and Anthony Ward as well as those written to Hanley from theatrical and literary agents, the calendar illuminates Hanley's lifetime career as a writer. The contents are described and annotated with a focus on historical events and prominent literary and theatrical figures that influenced Hanley's writing. The author's experience of reduced, often oppressive conditions in England after the Second World War as seen in his letters to his American friend Norman Unger shows the source of themes of oppression and freedom in the common man that was often a large part of his novels. The letters from theatrical and literary agents illuminate the opportunities afforded to struggling writers by the rise of the television and film industry, an industry that shaped both the direction and theme of Hanley's writing. The difficult realities of Hanley's writing career are also made evident by his frequent letters attempting to promote and sell his works to in different critics and audiences. Finally, James Hanley is seen in the last stages of his career in his letters to Anthony Ward selling off a lifetime of work with bitterness and resignation.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [95], 101-103)

Recommended Citation

Towne, Amy L., "A calendar of selected letters of James Hanley from the Northern Illinois University Libraries" (2000). Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations. 51.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-thesesdissertations/51

Extent

103 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text