ROSENSTEIN, HARRIET.
Harriet Rosenstein research files on Sylvia Plath, 1910-2018

Restrictions on Access

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Special restrictions apply: The collection contains some copies of original materials held by other institutions; these copies may not be reproduced without the permission of the owner of the originals.

Related Materials in Other Repositories

Sylvia Plath collection, Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History, Smith College; Ruth Tiffany Barnhouse papers, Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History, Smith College

Related Materials in This Repository

Sylvia Plath collection; Ted Hughes papers

Source

Purchase from Peter Grogan, 2019

Custodial History

Peter Grogan, rare book and manuscript dealer, acquired this collection from Ken Lopez Bookseller. Lopez acquired the collection directly from Harriet Rosenstein in 2017, at which time the collection included correspondence between Sylvia Plath and her former psychiatrist, Ruth Barnhouse (also sometimes known by her married name Ruth Beuscher). Smith College filed suit against Lopez, claiming ownership of the Barnhouse/Plath letters as the repository of the Ruth Barnhouse papers. Smith College won the lawsuit and those letters were removed from this collection and transferred to Smith. Rose Library purchased the remainder of the collection from Grogan, who packed and shipped the material to the library from London, England.

For a more detailed examination of the context of this collection, see Paul Alexander's "The Psychiatrist Who Tried to Save Sylvia Plath," Literary Hub, October 23, 2018.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Harriet Rosenstein research files on Sylvia Plath, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Appraisal Note

The collection was acquired by Jennifer Gunter King, Director of the Rose Library, as part of the Rose Library's holdings in literature and poetry. All material received with the collection has been retained.

Processing

Arranged and described at the file level by Sarah Quigley, December 2019. Original files were refoldered and most titles were transcribed. Original folders with notes or titles that differed from the contents inside were retained in the new folder. Files containing copies of Plath's articles and reviews by and about Plath were consolidated into a single file. Files with broken date ranges contain copies of correspondence between Plath and the individuals named on the file.

Plath scholar Catherine Rankovic provided the transcription of Harriet Rosenstein's shorthand notes to Rose Library staff in 2020. Sarah Quigley added the transcripts to the collection to facilitate access to the information in the notes. The transcripts were not originally part of the collection.

Many of the audio cassette tapes were mislabeled and physical items may no longer match titles in the finding aid. Sarah Quigley corrected the finding aid with information provided by Plath scholar Peter K. Steinberg.

This finding aid may include language that is offensive or harmful. Please refer to the Rose Library's harmful language statement for more information about why such language may appear and ongoing efforts to remediate racist, ableist, sexist, homophobic, euphemistic and other oppressive language. If you are concerned about language used in this finding aid, please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu.

Biographical Note

Harriet Rosenstein received a Ph.D. from Brandeis University (Waltham, Massachusetts) in 1973. Her dissertation, Sylvia Plath: 1932-1952, is a biography of the poet. Rosenstein had intended to publish her dissertation but conflict with the Plath estate ultimately prevented her from finishing the project.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of Harriet Rosenstein's research files on Sylvia Plath from 1910-2018. Files may include interview transcripts, correspondence between Rosenstein and various individuals who knew Plath, and copies of correspondence between Plath and the individuals named on the file. The collection also includes recordings of Rosenstein's interviews with individuals who knew Plath. There is also material relating to Rosenstein's book contract with Alfred A. Knopf, correspondence between Rosenstein and Olwyn Hughes regarding Rosenstein's research, and fragments of drafts of Rosenstein's dissertation.

Arrangement Note

Arranged in alphabetical order.

Finding Aid Note

A detailed inventory of letters in the collection, including excerpts, created by Peter Grogan, is available upon request.