Guide to the Barbara Johnson papers, 1971-2009

John Hay Library , University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2024

Collection Overview

Title:	Barbara Johnson papers
Date range:	1971-2009
Creator:	Johnson, Barbara
Extent:	20.25 Linear Feet (17 record center cartons and 7 file boxes)
Abstract:	This collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Barbara Johnson, American literary critic and scholar of deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminist theory, and queer theory. The collection documents Johnson's personal life, academic career, research, and writing, and is composed of biographical materials, correspondence, syllabi, handwritten notes, research articles, and writing drafts, dating from 1971-2009.
Repository:	John Hay Library , University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2017.025

Scope & content

This collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Barbara Johnson, American literary critic and scholar of deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminist theory, and queer theory. The collection documents Johnson's personal life, academic career, research, and writing, and is composed of biographical materials, correspondence, syllabi, handwritten notes, research articles, and writing drafts, dating from 1971-2009 and is arranged into 11 series.

Series 1, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1974 – 2006, includes an autobiographical essay, housing files regarding improvement of her home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, medical files regarding her weakening health in the 2000s, and a handwritten note about her declining penmanship due to her illness. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.

Series 2, CORRESPONDENCE, 1973-2009, contains personal and professional correspondence from various senders including Judith Butler, Alice Jardine, and Marjorie Garber. Topics include writing and research, travel, and job postings. Correspondence can also be found in series 3, Professional and Administrative, series 4, Conferences, and in series 6, Writings. This series is arranged alphabetically by provenance – by sender, recipient, or subject.

Series 3, PROFESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE, 1983-2006, is arranged into two subseries: General Files and Recommendations.

Series 3, Subseries 1, General Files, 1986-2005, contains materials related to Johnson's academic career including search committee files, reading materials for a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar attended by Johnson, School of Criticism and Theory membership materials, and a handwritten to-do list. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by institution then by topic.

Series 3, Subseries 2, Recommendations, 1983-2006, includes correspondence, curriculum vitae, and tenure dossiers, for Johnson's colleagues and students requesting recommendations from Johnson. Notable names include Elizabeth Abel, Juan Pablo Lupi, and D. A. Miller. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by person's last name.

Series 4, CONFERENCES, 1987-2002, consists of conference schedules, flyers, and related material, for conferences attended by Johnson. Conference topics include feminism, gender studies, poetry, psychoanalysis, and Johnson's own book projects. Drafts of conference lectures are often adaptations of Johnson's published works or course material. These lectures have been removed from the series and relocated to the restricted series until January 1, 2023 after which date they will open without restrictions. This series is arranged alphabetically by name of conference or institution at which the conference was held.

Series 5, TEACHING, 1973-2008, includes course readings and reading packets, syllabi, and handwritten and typed notes. Course topics include "African American Women Writers," "Deconstruction and Psychoanalysis," "Persons and Things," and "The Sexual Politics of Poetry." Writing drafts related to Johnson's teaching are often adaptations of her published works. These files have been removed from the series and relocated to the restricted series until January 1, 2023 after which date they will open without restrictions. Researchers can request access to these files during the closure period by contacting the donor via the Pembroke Center Archives: Bill Johnson González, pembroke_archives@brown.edu. This series is arranged alphabetically by course title then by record type. When available, Johnson's original folder titles have been maintained and are written in quotations. All other folder titles were created by the processor.

Series 6, WRITINGS BY BARBARA JOHNSON, circa 1970-2009, is arranged into 6 subseries: Articles, Books, Chapters, Talks, Unidentified Projects, and Previously restricted writings.

Series 6, subseries 1, Articles, circa 1970-2003, contains proofs, photocopies, and drafts of articles including "From Melville's First: The Execution of Billy Budd" and "Bringing Out D. A. Miller." This subseries is arranged chronologically according to the article's publication date.

Series 6, subseries 2, Books, circa 1970-2009, includes handwritten notes, research materials, and drafts of books including Défiguration du langage poétique: la seconde révolution baudelairienne, The Feminist Difference: Literature, Psychoanalysis, Race and Gender, and Mother Tongues: Sexuality, Trials, Motherhood, Translation. Some materials are in French. This subseries is arranged chronologically according to the book's publication date then by record type.

Series 6, subseries 3, Chapters, circa 1990-2001, contains proofs and drafts of "Gender and Poetry: Charles Baudelaire and Marceline Desbordes-Valmore," a chapter Johnson wrote for Understanding French Poetry: Essays for a New Millennium by Stamos Metzidakis. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 6, subseries 4, Talks, circa 1970-1996, contains typed drafts of an introduction for Azizah Y. al-Hibri, philosopher and scholar of Islam and Law, and a talk regarding the opening of Boylston Hall at Harvard University. This series is arranged by the date the talk was given, then by title.

Series 6, subseries 5, Unidentified Projects, n.d., contains one folder of drafts and readings regarding "transferential bigamy."

Series 6, subseries 6, Previously restricted writings, 1975-2001, contains drafts of unpublished talks, lectures, or other projects by Johnson. These writings are often adaptations of Johnson's published works or course material. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by title.

Series 7, WRITINGS BY OTHERS, 1969-2004, contains drafts and correspondence by Johnson's students and colleagues. Notable scholars include Judith Butler, Teresa di Lauretis, Paul de Man, Shoshana Felman, Marjorie Garber, Elaine Scarry, and Naomi Schor. This series is arranged alphabetically by author's last name.

Series 8, SUBJECT FILES, 1971-2005, contains research articles, clippings, and handwritten notes. Topics include "Black Women Writers, Race, and Psychoanalysis," "Fanon and Lacan," and "Persons and Things." More general subjects include Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Sigmund Freud, Charles Baudelaire, Nella Larsen, and Nora Zeale Hurston. Johnson's original folder titles are written in quotations. All other folder titles were created by the processor. Writing drafts found in Johnson's subject files are often adaptations of Johnson's published works or course material. These have been removed from the series and relocated to the restricted series until January 1, 2023 after which date they will open without restrictions. Researchers can request access to these files during the closure period by contacting the donor via the Pembroke Center Archives: Bill Johnson González, pembroke_archives@brown.edu. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject then by record type.

Series 9, PRINT MATERIAL, 1975-2000, includes books, journals, and magazines including Johnson's copy of Herman Melville's "Billy Budd, Sailor" and newsletters on black women writers and from feminist organizations. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title.

Series 10, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, circa 1989-2009, includes cassettes, DVDs, and floppy discs containing audio of Johnson's lectures and digital research material on Mary Shelley, "The Feminist Difference," and "Persons and Things." This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then title on carrier.

Series 11, RESTRICTED, 1975-2006, includes student files, student work, and student work and grades. Student files may include any combination of course work, correspondence, or grades. Student work contains only graded or ungraded course work. Student work and grades includes graded or ungraded course work and final grades. Materials in this series are closed until January 1, 2056 after which date they will open without restrictions. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then alphabetically by student name or course title.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Baudelaire, Charles, 1821-1867
• Butler, Judith, 1956-
• De Man, Paul
• Desbordes-Valmore, Marceline, 1786-1859
• Fanon, Frantz, 1925-1961
• Garber, Marjorie B.
• Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.
• Lacan, Jacques, 1901-1981
• Miller, D. A.
• Plath, Sylvia

Subject Organizations

• Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.
• Feminist Theory Archive.

Subject Topics

• Psychoanalysis and racism
• Psychoanalysis and literature
• Political correctness
• Narcissism in literature
• Feminist theory
• Feminist literary criticism
• Deconstruction
• Queer theory.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 11 series.

• Series 1, Biographical and Personal, 1974 – 2006, is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
• Series 2, Correspondence, 1973-2009, arranged alphabetically by provenance then by first name
• Series 3, Professional and Administrative, 1983-2006, is arranged into two subseries: General Files and Recommendations.
• Series 3, Subseries 1, General Files, 1986-2005, is arranged alphabetically by institution then by topic.
• Series 3, Subseries 2, Recommendations, 1983-2006, is arranged alphabetically by person's last name.
• Series 4, Conferences, 1987-2002, is arranged alphabetically by name of conference or host institution.
• Series 5, Teaching, 1973-2008, is arranged alphabetically by course title then by record type.
• Series 6, Writings by Barbara Johnson, 1970-2009, is arranged into five subseries: Books, Chapters, Talks, and Unidentified Projects.
• Series 6, subseries 1, Articles, circa 1970-2003, is arranged chronologically according to the article's publication date.
• Series 6, subseries 2, Books, circa 1970-2009, is arranged chronologically according to the book's publication date then by record type.
• Series 6, subseries 3, Chapters, circa 1990-2001, is arranged alphabetically by record type.
• Series 6, subseries 4, Talks, circa 1970-1996, is arranged by the date the talk was given, then by title.
• Series 6, subseries 5, Unidentified Projects, n.d., contains one folder.
• Series 7, Writings by Others, 1969-2004, is arranged alphabetically by author's last name.
• Series 8, Subject Files, 1971-2005, arranged alphabetically by subject then by record type.
• Series 9, Print Material, 1975-2000, arranged alphabetically by record type then by title.
• Series 10, Electronic Records, circa 1989-2009, is arranged alphabetically by record type then title on carrier.
• Series 11, Restricted, 1975-2006, is arranged alphabetically by record type then alphabetically by student name, course title, or writing title.

Biographical / Historical

Barbara Johnson was born on October 4, 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the eldest of four children. Her father was a school principal, and her mother was a librarian. She attended Oberlin College between the years of 1965 and 1969 where she studied French, and from which she graduated magna cum laude with the highest honors. Johnson completed her Masters of Philosophy at Yale University in 1973, where she also received her Ph.D. in French in 1977 under Paul de Man. During her time at Yale, Johnson was also a part of the "Yale School," a literary theory group prompted by the deconstruction philosophy of Jacques Derrida. Major members and contributors to the group included Paul de Man, Geoffrey Hartmann, Harold Bloom, and J. Hillis Miller, all of whom were instrumental in creating Deconstruction and Criticism, a pivotal anthology in literary theory and deconstruction. Influential works by Derrida and Lacan had not yet been translated from French into English, so early on in her career, Johnson undertook translating these, which became her "theoretical enterprise."

Johnson was an assistant professor of French at Yale between 1977 and 1981, at which point she became an associate professor. In 1983, Johnson took a position at Harvard University in the Romance Languages and Literature department, and the Comparative Literature department. She took on several visiting professorships throughout her life at various prestigious institutions, as well as many positions in administrations, boards, and committees. In 1997, Johnson became Professor of English and Comparative Literature and the Fredric Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society at Harvard University.

During her time at Harvard, Barbara Johnson met her partner Marjorie Garber, a professor of English, famous for her work and research in Shakespeare and sexuality. The two married and shared homes in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Nantucket, Massachusetts, until their separation in the early 2000s.

As author, translator, and editor, Johnson contributed greatly to the fields of literary theory, criticism, feminist theory, and comparative literature. She grew to be an expert in the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allen Poe, and Anne Sexton, as well as the literature of Nella Larsen, Mary Shelley, Herman Melville, and the writings of Franz Fanon, Jaques Lacan, Roland Barthes, and Jacques Derrida. Her first book, "Défigurations du Langage Poétique: la seconde revolution Baudelairienne," published in 1979, has a focus on criticism and interpretation regarding Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud, and Stéphane Mallarmé and their prose poetry. She then went on to translate several of Derrida's works, followed by her second book in 1980, "The Critical Difference: Essays in the Contemporary Rhetoric of Reading," an exploration of the relationship and differences between literature and criticism. Johnson subsequently published "A World of Difference" in 1987, "The Wake of Deconstruction" in 1994, "The Feminist Difference: Literature, Psychoanalysis, Race, and Gender" in 2001, "Mother Tongues" in 2003, and "Persons and Things" in 2008. Her last book, "Moses and Multiculturalism," was published posthumously in 2010. Johnson's books, articles, translations, and lectures contributed enormously to the fields of structuralism, post-structuralism, feminist theory, (de)colonialism, and Lacanian psychoanalysis. In addition, in 1980 Johnson was introduced to, and began to work with, the writings of Nora Zeale Hurston, making her an early scholar to link French literary theory with African-American texts.

Around 2003, Johnson was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia, a fatal neurological disease. She slowly lost motor control and her ability to speak over the course of the following six years, and died on August 27th, 2009. Though Johnson and Garber never had children of their own, Johnson grew close to a number of her students including Bill Johnson González. Towards the end of her life, Gonzalez became a close friend and caretaker and he started collecting her professional files. Upon her death, Johnson bequeathed her papers to González, who subsequently donated them to the Pembroke Center Archives, with the help and support of Johnson's literary executors Shoshana Felman and Judith Butler.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are some restrictions on access, though most of the collection is open for research use. Student files within Series 11, Restricted, are closed until January 1, 2056 after which date the files will be open without restriction. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. Advance notice is required to view any audiovisual media or born-digital records that may exist in this collection. Audiovisual media and born-digital records in this collection may not have been reformatted yet. Researchers may request access to copies by contacting the John Hay Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. Access to original physical audiovisual or born-digital media is restricted.
Use of the materials:	All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, available on the John Hay Library website or by request, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Barbara Johnson, MS.2017.025, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Gift of Bill Johnson González beginning in 2017.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Amanda Knox, Mary Murphy, and Anna Steinberg, on behalf of the Pembroke Center for the Teaching and Research on Women and the Brown University Library.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-04-09 .
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Sponsor:	Curatorial work and processing provided by the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women on behalf of the Brown University Library.

Additional Information

Inventory

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