Scope and Content Note
The papers of Karl Jay Shapiro (1913-2000) span the years 1947-1964 and consist of drafts, typescripts, proofs, and printed copies of Shapiro's published and unpublished articles, essays, lectures, and writings, as well as material relating to his books The Bourgeois Poet and To Abolish Children. Shapiro was also the author or editor of a large body of critical writing concerning the nature of poetry and its place in American society. Shapiro's articles, arranged alphabetically by title, include photocopies, ribbon and carbon typescripts, and mounted cut pages containing occasional notations by him or others. In addition to these articles, a selection of essays and lectures, many of which had been published separately, were assembled and published as To Abolish Children, a volume of nine essays on society and literature. The papers also include a printer's typescript copy of this book with changes and corrections. The articles, essays, and lectures in the collection are interrelated and some duplication of portions of text is apparent.
The collection further contains sets of galley proofs for Shapiro's volume of poetry The Bourgeois Poet. There are four sets of proofs for the first part of the book and one set for the second part, each containing annotations.