Grant Cochran Knight papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Grant Cochran Knight papers
- Date
- 1908-1961, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Knight, Grant Cochran, 1893-1956.
- Extent
- 5 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- English literature.
- Poetry.
- College students.
- Correspondence.
- Arrangement
- The collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 64m77 : [identification of item], Grant Cochran Knight papers, 1908-1961, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Grant Cochran Knight was born April 15, 1893, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Knight graduated from Albright College and received his MA from Gettysburg College. After graduation he joined the University of Kentucky in 1923. He worked in the English department and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1945, the College of Arts and Sciences began recognizing individual faculty members with the Distinguished Professor Award, the first to receive this award was Grant Knight of the English Department. In 1951 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Albright. His published works include James Lane Allen and the Genteel Tradition, The Critical Period in American Literature, 1890-1900, and The Strenuous Age in American Literature, 1900-1910. He died in 1956 while writing another book on American Literature.
- Scope and Content
- The Grant Cochran Knight papers (dated 1908-1961, undated; 5 cubic feet; 7 boxes, 4 volumes) contain manuscripts, printed articles, correspondence, and photographs that document the life and work of Grant Cochran Knight. The photograph and scrapbook albums show Knight's college days at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania and his fervor for literature. The manuscripts and articles included display Knight's intellectual work with literature to his more creative literary pursuits, including his poetry and short stories. Two proofs from books Knight had published are included as well as many typescripts that are untitled. The correspondence included in the collection deals mostly with the publication of his books, and his position as Literature professor at the University of Kentucky. The Letters to Grant Cochran Knight scrapbooks contain correspondence dating from 1924 to 1949, from some of the prominent American authors of the twentieth century, including Van Wyck Brooks, Bennett Cerf, Norman Cousins, Thoedore Dreiser, Max Eastman, Hamlin Garland, Elizabeth Hardwick, Helen Keller, Christopher Morley, Olive Dargan, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, and Robert Penn Warren.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Correspondence, 1916-1961
Scope and Contents
The correspondence series covers Cochran's writing career and his work with the University of Kentucky. Letters between Mr. Knight and potential publishers is what makes up the bulk of the correspondence. Personal letters and letters from faculty and students of the University of Kentucky can also be found.
1916-1939
1943-1949
1950-1954
1955-1957
Correspondence regarding James Lane Allen, 1929-1935
Letters to Grant Cochran Knight scrapbook, Volume One: A-C, 1924-1949
Letters to Grant Cochran Knight scrapbook, Volume One: D-K, 1924-1949
Letters to Grant Cochran Knight scrapbook, Volume One: L-W, 1924-1949
Olive Tilford Dargan letters to Mr. and Mrs. Grant C. Knight, 1935-1961
Literature Journals, 1928-1956
Scope and Contents
The Literature Journals series contains literary journals that Mr. Knight collected. Many of the journals contain articles that Knight wrote. The journal include Letters published by the University of Kentucky, The Saturday Review of Literature, and and American Literature.
1928-1945
1945-1951
1951-1953
1953-1955
1955-1956
Manuscripts, 1920-1954, undated
Scope and Contents
The Manuscripts series includes a great variety of material published by Cochran.
American Literature and the Will to Power, undated
American Writers Reject "Pro Patria", 1920-1940
Article on Lewis Sinclar, undated
Chapter I "Introduction", undated
Chapter V "The Hard Boiled School: Objective Realism", undated
Chapter VII "The Proletarian School: Instrumentalism", undated
The Critical Period in American Literature proofs, 1951
The Deep Heart, undated
The Strenuous Age in American Literature proofs, 1954
The Strenuous Age in American Literature, 1954
Untitled typescript, undated
Articles, 1944
Poems, undated
Short stories, undated
Untitled short stories, undated
Twist of the Root, undated
The Critical Period in American Literature manuscript proof, undated
The Critical Period in American Literature draft, undated
The Critical Period in American Literature, undated
Notes and other documents, 1909-1950
Scope and Contents
The Notes series documents his school days and professional work. They include classes he attended, literature, vocabulary notes he kept, and notes he made on manuscript he read.
Literature notes, undated
Notes on the Hungry Heart, 1909
NYU Graduate School course, 1950
German mother certificate with Hitler seal, 1939 October 1
Photograph albums, 1910-1918, undated
Scope and Contents
The photo albums series contains three volumes which document Grant Cochran Knight's early life. Subjects include trips to Massachusetts and Philadelphia, and photographs of several schools he attended.
Photograph album, volume I., 1914-1917, undated
Scope and Contents
This photo album subseries contains the contents of an album assembled by Grant Cochran Knight. It consists of picture from his school days and class mates he socialized and lived with. The photos were removed from Grant Cochran Knight's photo album Volume I for preservation reasons but the location of those photographs within the album has been preserved. The location of the photograph within the scrapbook is indicated by the page number. The descriptions were handwritten in the scrapbook presumably by Knight.
Page 1, photograph 1: Freshman year my "roomy" Benjamin Griffin Hoffman. Now a "Rev." (also a Benedict.), 1914-1915
Page 1, photograph 2: While John D. made money. - the oil pumping station near Myerstown. B.G. Hoffman, G. Knight, E. Crumbling, E. Baumeister, 1914-1915
Page 1, photograph 3: A friend in any need. Harry Merwin Buck, 1914-1915
Page 2, photograph 1: A site for my statue, undated
Page 2, photograph 2: Spoiling the vista. Church and I, undated
Page 2, photograph 3: untitled, 1916 November 19
Page 3, photograph 1: Worth Hearing. Maude Adams in "The Little Minister" Lebanon, 1916 October 4
Page 3, photograph 2: Worth Hearing. Minnie Maddern Fiske in "Estwhile Susan" Lebanon, 1917 February 2
Page 3, photograph 3: Worth Hearing. Fritz Kreisler, Reading, 1916 December 14
Page 4, photograph 1: Disciples of art. Edith Smith, Franklin Willits, Edith, undated
Page 4, photograph 2: My chum. Miss Edith Littley, a senior, undated
Page 4, photograph 3: Out of school. Miss Emily Rigney and Edith, undated
Page 5, photograph 1: Summer Vacation. The Silver Wedding - 30 June. Roses, undated
Page 5, photograph 2: Summer Vacation. The Silver Wedding - 30 June. After twenty-five years, undated
Page 5, photograph 3: Summer Vacation. The Silver Wedding - 30 June. Memories, undated
Photograph album, volume II., undated
Scope and Contents
The photo album II subseries was put together by Grant Cochran Knight. It contains photographs from a trip Knight took to Massachusetts, as well as photos of building at the school he attended. The photos were removed from Grant Cochran Knight's photo album Volume II.
The first page of this photo album reads "Volume Two of photographic biography. Beginning with summer vacation - August, 1917. Below a photograph has been glued down and was later ripped out. Below were the photograph once was reads "I take a look at myself."
Photograph 1: Grant Cochran Knight, Dorthea Alzina Knight, undated
Page 2, photograph 1: The White Mountains. From this point I could view the Green Mountains, the Blue Mountains, the White Mountains, undated
Page 2, photograph 2: The White Mountains. From this point I could view the Green Mountains, the Blue Mountains, the White Mountains, undated
Page 2, photograph 3: The White Mountains. the Presidential Range, undated
Page 2, photograph 4: The White Mountains. On the state highway, undated
Page 3, photograph 1: "Sunapee" comes from the Indian "Soo-Nupi", meaning "Wild Goose Water", undated
Page 3, photograph 2: I learn to canoe, undated
Page 3, photo 3: A steamer leaves a trail of smoke, undated
Page 3, photograph 4: Loon Island Lighthouse in background, undated
Page 4, photograph 1: New York's famous skyline, undated
Page 5, photograph 1: Salem Massachusetts. The House of Seven Gables, undated
Page 5, photograph 2: Salem, Massachusetts. Tourists from state of Washington, undated
Page 5, photograph 3: Salem, Massachusetts. They liked to tell what they knew, undated
Page 5, photograph 4: Salem, Massachusetts. Hawthorne's view of Salem Harbor, undated
Page 6, photograph 1: Cambridge, Massachusetts - Harvard University, undated
Page 6, photograph 2: Cambridge, Massachusetts - Harvard University, undated
Page 6, photograph 3: Cambridge, Massachusetts - Harvard University, undated
Page 7, photograph 1: Longfellow's home. Used as headquarters by George Washington. From the gate, undated
Page 7, photograph 2: Longfellow's home. Used as headquarters by George Washington. From the lawn, undated
Page 7, photograph 3: Longfellow's home. Used as headquarters by George Washington. "Under the spreading chestnut tree--", undated
Page 8, photograph 1: Concord, Massachusetts. The parish church, where the first Continental Congress met, 1774, undated
Page 8, photograph 2: Concord, Massachusetts. Emerson's house, undated
Page 8, photograph 3: Concord, Massachusetts. Here the great writer died, undated
Page 9, photograph 1: The Old North Bridge. Passage over this bridge was disputed by minute men, undated
Page 9, photograph 2: Where Emerson wrote "Nature" and most of his work. Within sight of the battlefield, undated
Page 9, photograph 3: The Minute Man, undated
Page 10, photograph 1: A typical slate gravestone. At Concord. "I lost my life in the ranging Sea's; A sovereign God does as he please. The Kittery friends they did appear, And my remains they buried here." Inscription on tombstone of "Margaret Hills, consort of Oliver Hills, died October 31st 1803 Aet. 28." Kittery Cemetery, Maine, undated
Page 11, photograph 1: Back again at Boston. Bunker Hill Monument, undated
Page 11, photograph 2: Back again at Boston. The Prescott Monument, undated
Page 12, photograph 1: Leaving Boston Harbor on the "Belfast." 5 P.M., undated
Page 12, photograph 2: Leaving Boston Harbor on the "Belfast." En route for the Cod Canal, undated
Page 12, photograph 3: Leaving Boston Harbor on the "Belfast." The skyline at New York 8:30 A.M., undated
Page 13, photograph 1: I teach in Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg, undated
Page 14, photograph 1: The entrance, undated
Page 14, photograph 2: McKnight Hall, undated
Page 14, photograph 2: A glimpse of the chapel, undated
Page 15, photograph 1: Chemical Lab, undated
Page 15, photograph 1: Pennsylvania Hall, undated
Page 15, photograph 3: The gym, undated
Page 15, photograph 4: Gadfelter Hall, undated
Page 16, photograph 1: A few of the "houses." Sigma Chi, undated
Page 16, photograph 2: A few of the "houses." Sigma Chi, undated
Page 16, photograph 3: A few of the "houses." A.T.O., undated
Photograph album, volume III., 1910-1918, undated
Scope and Contents
This photo album series was put together by Grant Cochran Knight. It consists of picture from his school days, class mates he socialized and lived with, and a trip he took to Philadelphia. The items were removed from Grant Cochran Knight's scrapbook Volume III.
Page 2: photograph 1: My freshman year at Albright. John Francis Dunlap, A.M., D.D., President of Albright in my freshman year, 1914-1915
Page 2, photograph 2: My freshman year at Albright. "Haps" Benfer - star athlete who welcomed me to school, 1914-1915
Page 3, photograph 1: Beginning the 22 September I played tennis at every opportunity. Herman Flick, of Craley, is here shown behind me, undated
Page 4, photograph 1: "The Skylight Freshman Sextette". Probably the beginning of the Albright Band. All six roomed on the 4th floor and this photo was taken on the roof. Back row left to right: Hussler, Knight, Burg. Front row left to right: B. Hoffman, Church, Kilpatrick, undated
Page 4, photograph 2: A scene in Lebanon quite familiar to Ben and me, 1914
Page 5: My first chemistry experiment, undated
- Box 4, folder 8
Scope and Contents
This material was removed from Scrapbook Volume III, pages 5-6.
Page 6, photograph 1: On the tennis court - 28 September Left to right: Knight, B. Hoffman, Flick, Hassler, Baumerster, Kast, undated
Page 7, photograph 1: A trip to the Zor at Philadelphia 3 October. Six freshman and one prep in the party. Where we didn't arrive, although I have been in this, undated
Page 7, photograph 2: We easily recognized the University of Pennsylvania campus and buildings, 1910
Page 8, photograph 1: This we observed from the trolley, 1910
Page 8, photograph 2: Where we went after dinner at the "Baltimore Dairy Lunch" and a hurried inspection of the Museum of Fine Arts. Here our crowd separated and 'Bishop' Heishley and I crossed the Delaware into Cambridge, 1913
Page 9, photograph 1: It was my first visit to Independence Hall and I was keenly interested in everything, 1913
Page 9, photograph 2: We stood with bared heads before this venerable relic, undated
Page 10, photograph 1: Heishley and I were lost in the maze of this wonderful building. We were especially attracted to the book department. Arrived home and suffered by contrasts, undated
Page 10, item 2: A flavored antiseptic toothpick, from Donough and Snavely, Lebanon, undated
Page 11, item 1: On the night of 6 October was fought the Battle of Newmanstown, undated
Page 11, photograph 2: Here is where we attended Sunday school and church, undated
Page 12, photograph 1: A day in Reading. Here we spent part of the morning. this is a Carnegie Library and a very fine Library, 1912
Page 14, item 1: Col. Roosevelt held this paper in his hand while making his famous Reading speech, undated
Page 16, photograph 1: We walked across this viaduct and later attended performance of "The Shepherd of the Hills" presented at the Academy of Music, undated
Page 16, photograph 2: untitled, undated
Page 17, photograph 1: We voted Reading a nice busy place. Saw movies at the 'Empire' and returned home on 9:14, undated
Page 17, item 2: The key to the situation - used by me during freshman year, undated
Page 18: Banquet program, 1918
Page 19, photograph 1: The winning combination - B.G. Hoffman and I in our apartments, room No. 70. We are sitting on his bed, undated
Page 19, photograph 2: Roy Dick and Lester ('Bishop') Heishley, undated
Page 20: School play advertisment. Ben Aucker, Crumbling and I walk to Lebanon. 14 November, undated
Scrapbook, 1908-1955
Scope and Contents
This scrapbook was put together by Grant Cochran Knight and contains newspaper clippings, programs, and letters about his professional career. The photos from Scrapbook Volume IV were removed and stored with the rest of the photographs from this collection.
Mr. Levi Knight family, 1908 December 12
- Box 4, folder 8
Scope and Contents
Mr. and Mrs. Levi Knight and son Grant, 12 December 1908. On verso of original there is a note by Grant Cochran Knight: "My father, L.R. Knight, is about 51 in this photograph; my mother is about 36; I am 15. I rather like this boy."
Grant C. Knight On the edge of the Pacific, 1947 August
Scrapbook, 1925-1955
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
