RN Linscott to FPK, October 5, 1918

19181005-f0413-rnl-fpk-a.jpg
19181005-f0413-rnl-fpk-b.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

RN Linscott to FPK, October 5, 1918

Description

This letter talks about the revisions she needs to make to her book, "The Old Gray Homestead", which includes taking out her entire conclusion of the story.

Creator

RN Linscott

Source

From the collection of Frances Parkinson Keyes Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.

Date

1918-10-05

Contributor

Rachel Murray & Brodey Lajoie

Type

Document
Letter
Typed

Document Item Type Metadata

Text

Houghton Mifflin Company
4 Park Street Boston

October 5, 1918

Dear Mrs. Keyes,

I have at last found an opportunity to re-read “The Old Gray Homestead”, and have discovered exactly three revisions that I should like to suggest.

First, I think that the two letters from Austin dated September 24th and October 12th (pages 35 to 40) might well be omitted. This will necessitate a certain amount of revision in the last letter, as I believe there are references there to matters mentioned in the preceding letters.

Second, It seems to me that the material you interpolated in Chapter XIV is not placed quite correctly. Would it not be better if the passage about Thomas and Austin beginning “In the midst of such general satisfaction” (the second page of chapter XIV) were placed at the end of the monologue by Mrs. Eliot, instead of in front of it, and a new chapter started beginning “Strangely enough, Sylvia and Austin were perhaps less happy at this date” etc. That would give us a semi-humorous chapter devoted entirely to Mrs. Eliot and to the quarrel between Tom and Austin, and leave the important passage regarding Austin’s quarrel with Sylvia for a chapter by itself.

My third suggestion, and the one that you will probably come furthest from agreeing with, is that the entire last chapter be omitted. It seems to me that the natural and pleasantest ending for a book entitled “The Old Gray Homestead” will be on note struck by Mr. and Mrs. Gray at the close of the preceding chapter. Furthermore, it seems to me that the present last chapter is bound to give the impression that you have dragged in the war by the hair, and I don’t think it is going to be of any particular value in the sale of the book, as the war will probably be over long before the volume is published.

I believe you said in one your previous letters that you had a carbon copy of the manuscript, and it would not be necessary for me to return it for revision. If you will, therefore, send us new copy for any pages where revision is necessary, and let us know just what pages are omitted, we will fix up our copy here and re-number the pages and chapters.

Yours very truly,
RN Linscott

Mrs. H. W. Keyes,
Pine Grove Farm,
North Haverill, N.H.

RNL/T

About the Original Item

Date Added
November 7, 2013
Collection
Frances Parkinson Keyes Collection
Item Type
Document
Letter
Typed
Citation
RN Linscott, “RN Linscott to FPK, October 5, 1918,” Omeka@CTL, accessed March 19, 2024, http://libraryexhibits.uvm.edu/omeka/items/show/1289.
Associated Files