Berkshire Eagle

mnsss290 Cynthia Propper Seton Papers, 1951-1982 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Cynthia Propper Seton Papers, 1951-1982 Finding Aid MS 142 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Seton, Cynthia Propper Cynthia Propper Seton Papers1951-1982 MS 142 2 boxes (1 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Author. Papers consist primarily of typescripts of Seton's columns, essays, and novels; biographical material; detailed correspondence; and a few photographs. Major themes addressed in the papers are Smith College; the city of Northampton; the social movements of the 1960s (especially the women's movement); the impact of feminism on middle-aged women; and writing. Biographical Note

Cynthia Propper was born Oct 11, 1926 in New York City to Charlotte Jansen and Karl Propper. She graduated from the Fieldston School in Riverdale, New York and earned her B.A. from Smith College in 1948. She was married to Paul Seton, the Smith College physician and psychiatrist; the two had five children: Anthony, Julia, Margaret, Jennifer, and Nora. After living in Natick and Stockbridge, Massachusetts the family moved in 1957 to Northampton, where they remained for the rest of Seton's life. Starting in 1956 Seton worked as a journalist, serving for 12 years as a writer for the Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where she wrote a column on modern motherhood called "Skirting the Issue." Her column was also printed in the Washington Post for a year, from 1959-60. She published three essay collections and five novels. Additionally, Seton also wrote articles for magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Redbook, and McCall's, and regularly contributed book reviews to several publications. Many critics praised Seton's work, calling her "a latter-day Jane Austen, writing a comedy of manners." Her third novel, A Fine Romance, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1976. In addition to writing, Seton lectured on literary and feminist topics and taught at the Indiana Writer's Conference. After a decade-long battle with Hodgkin's disease and leukemia, Seton died in Northampton on October 23, 1982.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Cynthia Propper Seton Papers consist of 1 linear foot of material dating from 1946 to 1982, with the majority dating from the later 1960's to the end of Seton's life. The collection consists mainly of Seton's writings, including drafts and finished typescripts of her columns, essays, and novels. Personal papers are less extensive, and are primarily Seton's detailed correspondence to her longtime friend and confidante Frances Richardson, whom Seton met in 1951 while their husbands were both at Yale Medical School. These discuss Seton's views on women's rights, writing, travels, her children, and her later battle with Hodgkin's disease. Seton's search for what it means to live a fulfilling life runs heavily throughout the correspondence, a theme she also discusses at length in her writings.

The collection also contains several photographs and some biographical information, mostly articles featuring Seton's politics and experience as an older feminist and mother, but also obituaries and other materials relating to her death. Major themes addressed in the papers are the social movements of the 1960s (especially the women's movement); the impact of feminism on middle-aged women; Smith College; the city of Northampton; and the writing process.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into three series:

I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS II. CORRESPONDENCE III. WRITINGS Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Copyright ownership of Cynthia Seton's unpublished works is unknown. Copyright to materials authored by persons other than Cynthia Seton may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Cynthia Propper Seton Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

The Cynthia Propper Seton Papers were first donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Cynthia Seton in 1969. Her publisher George Brockway and her friend Frances Richardson donated additional materials in the 1990s.

Processed by Joanna Johnson, 2011

Search Terms Seton, Cynthia Propper Smith College--History--Sources Northampton (Mass.)--History--20th century--Sources Authors, American--20th century--Biography--Sources Feminism--United States--History--20th century--Sources Female friendship--United States--History--20th century Family--United States--History--20th century--Sources Women authors, American--20th century--Biography--Sources Additional Information SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS 1 1 Contents 1 2 Articles and clippings about Cynthia Seton, 1971-83 1 3 Obituary clippings, 1982, n.d. 1 4 Eulogies, Oct 1982 1 5 Photographs, 1946-88, n.d. SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE 1 6 To Frances Richardson, 1963-82 1 7 To David Richardson, 10 Nov 1967 SERIES III. WRITINGS Articles 1 8 Literary reviews, clippings, and typescripts, 1973-81 1 9 "Ah, Did You Once See Shelley Plain?," n.d. 1 10 "The College Town," Feb 1974 1 11 "Higamous Bigamous Who Is Monogamous?," n.d. 1 12 "On Being Bored By Mistake," 1972 1 13 "One Woman and Two Myths," 1972 1 14 "On Women, Men, and Monogamy," n.d. 1 15 Untitled essay, perhaps related to The Mother of the Graduate, n.d. Books 2 1 The Half-Sisters: incomplete typescript, n.d. 2 2 The Mother of the Graduate: typescript, Mar 1970 A Special and Curious Blessing 2 3 Typescript, 1968 2 4 Galley, 25 Apr 1968 2 5 Page proof, 30 Apr 1968 2 Published copy, 1968 2 6 Portions of an untitled novel, n.d.