Patricia Yaeger received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1971 and her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1980. She taught at Williams College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University, until she joined the University of Michigan faculty as an associate professor in 1990, where she was promoted to professor in 1999. Yaeger was named the Henry Simmons Frieze Collegiate Professor of English and Women's Studies in 2005. She was also editor of the Publications of the Modern Language Association from 2006 – 2011. Yaeger’s scholarship focused on English and women studies, culture of the American south, trauma, and environmental humanities. Among her published works are “Honey-Mad Women: Emancipatory Strategies in Women's Writing” (1988), “The Geography of Identity” (1996), and “Dirt and Desire: Reconstructing Southern Women's Writing 1930-1990” (2000). She was researching “female sublime” until July 25, 2014, when she passed away of ovarian cancer.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Patricia Yaeger papers, Ms.2017.017, Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.
This collection contains the papers of Patricia Yaeger, University of Michigan scholar of English and women’s studies, culture of the American south, trauma, and environmental humanities. Papers include correspondence, course lectures and related materials, talks, articles, book drafts, and subject files, dating from 1970 to 2014. The collection is arranged into seven series.
Series 1, PERSONAL AND EDUCATIONAL, 1970 – 2006, includes postgraduate work, curriculum vitae, and personal correspondence from students. Titles in quotations indicate Yeager’s original folder titles. All other titles were created by the processor. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 2, CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1988 – 2011, includes correspondence, meeting materials, and handwritten notes, primarily relating to Yaeger’s editorship at the Modern Language Association’s PMLA journal, and professorships at the University of Michigan. Topics include submissions to and proofs of the PMLA journal, and awards and grants at the University of Michigan. Titles in quotations are the original folder titles. All other titles were created by the processor. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution and then by topic.
Series 3, CONFERENCES AND RELATED MATERIALS, 1981 – 2013, includes programs, agendas, flyers, and handwritten notes for conferences, lectures, and seminars attended by Yaeger. Eight folders are dedicated to Yaeger’s drafts and research related to a talk on robots, human emotions, and the use of trash in a post-World War II aesthetic. Titles in quotations are the original folder titles. All other titles were created by the processor. This series is arranged alphabetically by event type and then by event title. Series 4, TEACHING MATERIALS, 1975 – 2014, includes handwritten and typed lecture notes, syllabi, and annotated readings. Particularly interesting are five folders containing literary and feminist theory “alphabet books” created by students in the form of zines. Course topics include feminist literature, feminist theory, great books by women, southern women writers, and trauma. Titles in quotations are the original folder titles. All other titles were created by the processor. This series is arranged alphabetically by course title and then by topic.
Series 5, WRITINGS AND RELATED MATERIALS, 1981 – 2014, includes articles book drafts, book reviews by Yeager of other author’s publications, and other writings. Items include handwritten and typed notes and final printed copies. It was unclear which projects were articles, book drafts, or other writings, so no distinction has been made between them. Titles include “Beyond the Hummingbird,” “Dirt and Desire,” “Honey-Mad Women,” and “Toward a Female Sublime.” Some titles are those of works by other scholars that were reviewed by Yaeger. Folder titles were created by the processor. This series is arranged alphabetically by project title.
Series 6, SUBJECT FILES, 1973 – 2014, includes handwritten and typed notes, research articles and clippings, and annotated readings. Topics include Eudora Welty, ghosts, Marx, recycling, sublime, trauma, and violence. Titles in quotations are the original folder titles. All other titles were created by the processor. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.
Series 7, PRINT MATERIALS, n.d., contains three books that were heavily annotated by Yaeger. This series is arranged alphabetically by book title.
Series 1. Personal and educational – arranged alphabetically by record type. Series 2. Career development – arranged alphabetically by institution or organization and then by topic. Series 3. Conferences and related materials – arranged alphabetically by event type and then by event title. Series 4. Teaching materials – arranged alphabetically by course title and then by topic. Series 5. Writings and related materials – arranged alphabetically by project title. Series 6. Subject files – arranged alphabetically by topic. Series 7. Print materials – arranged alphabetically by book title.
Gift of Richard Miller in 2015.