by Sylvia Plath
*Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth), then an official youth organization in East Germany.
*Edward M. Cohen (1928–2008); SP’s correspondent from Chicago, Illinois. Cohen and SP corresponded from 1950 until 1954 and met during SP’s spring vacations in 1951 and 1952. There are very few letters from SP to Cohen. The few there are may have been typed by Cohen and sent to SP while he retained the originals. One of Cohen’s wives destroyed SP’s letters. There are many letters from Cohen to SP held by Lilly Library.
*Sylvia Plath, ‘And Summer Will Not Come Again’, Seventeen 9 (August 1950), 191, 275–6.
*‘I try rather hard desperately’ appears in the original.
*‘just like Cinderella it says in Seventeen’ appears in the original.
*‘some fellow guy in the kitchen’ appears in the original.
*Robert Irving Elliott (1916–66), played Major League Baseball for the Boston Braves, 1947–51.
*‘is that people fellows look at me’ appears in the original.
*Ilo Pill (1917–2012), an Estonian refugee; dated and corresponded with SP, 1950–4. Pill immigrated in March 1950.
*Typed by Eddie Cohen from the original and enclosed with Eddie Cohen to SP, 14 May 1951; held by Lilly Library. SP excerpted this letter as entry 20 in her journals, see Karen V. Kukil, ed., The Journals of Sylvia Plath (London: Faber & Faber, 2000), 19.
*Eddie Cohen to SP, [8 September 1950]; held by Lilly Library.
*‘The Chips’, Time, 11 September 1950, 102. SP slightly misquotes from the article: ‘But one steady look at the Politburo makes it obvious to any American that he could not endure existence in that vast concentration camp which is Russia and her satellites . . . Weary of war though we are, it’s better to fight.’ The movie producers credited for the text are Cecil B. DeMille, Sam Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck, Joseph M. Schenk, Warner Bros. and Louis B. Mayer.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*Anne Bennett Vernon (1931– ); B.A. 1953, music, Smith College; SP’s friend from Wellesley, and housemate at Haven House.
*Probably Nancy Teed Shears (1932–2014) withdrew from Smith College, July 1952;B.A. 1954, business management and administration, University of Kansas; SP’s housemate at Haven House.
*Margaret Pratt Shakespeare (1886–1968), Head of Haven and Wesley Houses, 1944–52.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Bates Manufacturing Company is a maker of bedding.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Kenneth E. Wright (1902–88); botany professor, Smith College, 1946–67; SP’s faculty adviser and professor of general botany course (Botany 11) completed by SP, 1950–1; SP’s colleague, 1957–8.
*Benjamin Fletcher Wright (1900–76); president of Smith College, 1949–59; lived at 8 Paradise Road, Northampton, Mass.
*Marie Schnieders (1906–73), German professor, Smith College, 1937–71; 1954 class dean, SP’s colleague, 1957–8.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*Possibly Stephen Vincent Bénet Pocket Book (Pocket Books, 1946), which SP received as a Christmas gift in 1947.
*Smith College Associated News, the college newspaper that ran from 1945 to 1952. Continued by The Sophian in 1952.
*The Sunday edition of the New York Herald Tribune.
*Hilda Pill (1896–1989). The Pills lived at 2023 Lexington Avenue, Apartment 4, New York.
*Kate Francis Scott (1890–1971); author of A College Course in Hygiene (Ann Arbor: Edwards Brothers, 1937). Associate professor in hygiene, Smith College, 1927–55.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Elizabeth Powell Dempsey (1931–2012); B.A. 1952, economics, Smith College; SP’s housemate at Haven House. Elected Phi Beta Kappa in 1951.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Marjorie Clarke Coxe (1929– ); B.A. 1951, English, Smith College; SP’s housemate at Haven House. Coxe was featured in the article ‘Four BWOC’, Flair, August 1950, 48–9. ‘BWOC’ stands for ‘Big Woman on Campus’.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*Haven House, 96 Elm Street, Northampton, Mass.; residence of SP during her first two years at Smith College, 1950–2. During her freshman year, SP had a single room on the third floor. During her sophomore year, SP roomed with Marcia Brown Stern; they occupied room 6 on the second floor.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Sylvia Plath, ‘Den of Lions’, Seventeen 10 (May 1951), 127, 144–5.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Patricia O’Neil Pratson (1932– ); B.A. 1954, English, Smith College; SP’s friend from Wellesley.
*Louise Giesey White (1932– ); B.A. 1954, government, Smith College. Resident of Hopkins B House. Classmate of SP in high school in Wellesley, class of 1950.
*During her first year at Smith College, SP completed Art 13 (basic design) taught by Mervin Jules; Botany 11 (general botany) taught by Kenneth E. Wright; English 11 (Freshman English) directed by Mary Ellen Chase and Edna Rees Williams; French 16 (introduction to French literature) taught by members of the department; History 11 (general European) taught by Elisabeth Ahlgrimm Koffka; and Physical Education 1 (body mechanics, dance, and sports).
*Mary McBreen, ed., Who’s Who in 1954 (Northampton, Mass.: Smith College, 1950). SP’s annotated copy held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Probably Eddie Cohen to SP, two letters dated [28 September 1950]; held by Lilly Library.
*Probably Madeleine Guilloton.
*Children’s book author and illustrator Ann Davidow-Goodman (1932– ); daughter of Leonard and Claire Sondheim Davidow of Highland Park, Illinois; SP’s friend. Ann Davidow withdrew from Smith College in January 1951 following her first semester; earned B.A. 1954, University of Chicago; married Leo Goodman 1960 (divorced 1976); married Russell Hayes 1983. Corresponded with SP, 1951–62.
*This sentence added by SP in the left margin.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Joyce Stocklan Goldberg (1932– ); B.A. 1953, American studies, Smith College; SP’s housemate at Haven House.
*William Albert Gallup, Jr (1929–2005); B.A. 1951, Amherst College; dated SP in 1950.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*No longer with the letter.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*A day when classes are cancelled by the president of the college; a tradition since 1877.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Sylvia Plath, ‘Ode to a Bitten Plum’, Seventeen 9 (November 1950), 104.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*‘(Eng Fr & Hist are females.)’ appears in the original.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*See Eddie Cohen to SP, [5 October 1950]; held by Lilly Library.
*Austin Walsh Kenefick, Jr (1932– ); B.A. 1954, Amherst College; dated SP 1950–1.
*Elizabeth Carlo Day (1928–2010); B.A. 1951, art history, Smith College; SP’s housemate at Haven House.
*Margot Macdonald, editor of the ‘It’s All Yours’ section of Seventeen.
*The Blue Ship Tea Room, then located on T Wharf. See SP’s journals, 5 September 1958 for her description of eating there.
*The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (1950); a film about the artist directed by Robert J. Flaherty and Richard Lydford. Played at Sage Hall, 7 October 1950, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
*English poet and playwright Christopher Fry (1907–2005); his The Lady’s Not For Burning (1948). SP’s copy, with Kenefick’s ownership inscription on the front pastedown, held by Lilly Library. See SP to ASP, 4 November 1950.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Dat
e supplied from postmark.
*The Elizabeth Mason Infirmary, 69 Paradise Road, Northampton, Mass.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Sylvia Plath, ‘The Golden Season’; held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*A general interest magazine published 1936–71.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*‘Thurs. Tuesda’ appears in the original.
*Enid Epstein Mark (1932–2008); B.A. 1954, English, Smith College; SP’s classmate and friend, 1951–4. The High School of Music and Art was located at 443–65 W. 135th Street, New York.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*‘His Our class’ appears in the original.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Probably a Marie Callender pie.
*Date supplied from internal evidence.
*The DQ is Amherst College’s oldest secular, co-ed, a cappella singing group.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Elizabeth (‘Betsy’) Whittemore MacArthur (1933– ); B.A. 1954, botany, Smith College; SP’s housemate at Haven House.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Wiggins Tavern, in the Hotel Northampton, 36 King Street, Northampton, Mass.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Probably Ralph Dewey Powell, Jr (1932– ); B.S. 1954, Amherst College. Powell lived at 8 Locust Road, Weston, Mass.
*A student–faculty group that judged infringements of the academic honour system at Smith College. During the 1952–3 academic year, SP served as secretary of the Honor Board, under the direction of Helen Whitcomb Randall (1908–2000); English professor at Smith College, 1931–73; dean of the college, 1948–60; SP’s colleague, 1957–8.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Probably Hazel M. Purmort (1883–1955), a professor of secretarial studies at Boston University. The Plaths used the term ‘Aunt’ quite loosely.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Mary E. Mensel, Director of Scholarships and Student Aid (1946–64); 1918 graduate of Smith College; daughter of Ernest H. Mensel, professor of German at Smith College (1901–33) and Ann Mensel, associate professor of German at Smith College (1927–50).
*A Streetcar Named Desire was performed at the Academy of Music, Northampton, Mass., at 8:30 p.m.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Sylvia Plath, ‘Atmosphere in the Short Story’; held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*American novelist Olive Higgins Prouty (1882–1974). SP received the Olive Higgins Prouty scholarship as a student at Smith College. Corresponded with SP 1950–63.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men (New York: Modern Library, 1953); SP’s copy held by Lilly Library.
*Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge (New York: Modern Library, 1944); SP’s copy held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Each student residence at Smith College hosted its own winter and spring dances in the 1950s.
*Valentine Hall, 59 College Street, Amherst, Mass.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*‘Christopher Fry Succeeded By Defying the Rules’, New York Herald Tribune, 5 November 1950, Section 5, p. 1.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*See Eddie Cohen to SP, [5 November 1950]; held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Carol Pierson Ryser (1932–2012); B.A. 1954, sociology, Smith College; SP’s friend and housemate at Haven House.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*American realist painter and lithographer George Wesley Bellows (1882–1925).
*American writer Mary Ellen Chase (1887–1973); professor of English, Smith College, 1926–55; SP completed English 11 (Freshman English), directed by Chase, 1950–1; SP’s colleague 1957–8; Chase lived at 54 Prospect St., Northampton, Mass.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*In addition to previously cited letters, see Eddie Cohen to SP [12 Oct. 1950], [18 Oct. 1950], [24 Oct. 1950], [28 Oct. 1950], [5 Nov. 1950], and [7 Nov. 1950]; held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Corbet Stephens Johnson, Jr (1932–94); B.A. 1953, Amherst College; briefly dated SP in 1950.
*Rahar’s Inn, a bar/restaurant at 7 Old South Street, Northampton, Mass., in the 1950s.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Sylvia Plath, ‘Character is Fate’; held by Lilly Library.
*Possibly Helen Carle of 30 Audubon Road, Wellesley, Mass.; Carle was a real estate agent and member of the Red Cross Gray Lady Service.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Peter Anthony Bertocci (1910–89); professor of Philosophy at Boston University. His talk ‘The Question of Sex Before Marriage’ took place in the Browsing Room of the Neilson Library at 7:15 p.m. Bertocci lived at 30 Pine Street, Wellesley, Mass.
*Emile George de Coen, III (1930– ), who lived at 22 Grantland Road, Wellesley, Mass.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*See Eddie Cohen to SP, [15 November 1950]; held by Lilly Library.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*William Graham Cole (1917–2011), chaplain and assistant professor of Religion and Biblical Literature, Smith College, 1947–52.
*Date supplied from postmark.
*A Streetcar Named Desire was on its third Boston run on 13–25 November 1950 at the Plymouth Theatre, 131 Stuart Street, Boston, Mass.