| Level | Fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | DL |
| Title | The David Lodge Papers |
| Extent | 53 standard boxes |
| Date | 1960-[early 21st century] |
| Description | The collection comprises the principal literary papers of David Lodge which consist of holograph manuscripts, first and final (copy edited) typescripts, galley and page proofs, foul papers, research papers, working notes and some correspondence relating to nine published novels and one unpublished novel, a stage play and nine works of non-fiction, together with scripts and other papers of the television adaptation of two of his novels.
The novels represented in this collection include 'Small World' (1984), 'Changing Places' (1975), 'Paradise News' (1991), 'Out of the Shelter' (1970), 'How Far Can You Go' (1980), 'Ginger You're Barmy' (1962), 'Nice Work' (1988), 'The Picturegoers' (1960), 'The Devil, the World and The Flesh' (unpublished, written in 1953) and 'The British Museum is Falling Down' (1965). The collection also includes papers relating to the television screenplay of 'Small World' and 'Nice Work', and to his 1986 stage play 'The Pressure Cooker', later revised as 'The Writing Game' and first produced at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1990. The papers also include material relating to the following works of non-fiction: 'The Art of Fiction' (1992), 'Write On', 'After Bakhtin' (1990), 'Modern Criticism and Theory' (1988), 'Jane Austen: Emma, A Casebook' (1968), 'Language of Fiction' (1966), 'Working With Structuralism' (1981), 'The Modes of Modern Writing' (1977) and 'The Novelist at the Crossroads' (1971)
A later deposit, received in 2018, includes papers relating to Lodge's memoirs 'Quite A Good Time To Be Born' (2015), and 'Writer's Luck' (2018). A number of theses and dissertations, some foreign language, relating to Lodge's literary work and collected by him are also included. |
| Notes | This collection level description is based on the record created by Caroline Hughes, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick for the Archives HUB, a JISC-funded service. Amended October 2003 |
| Arrangement | These papers are currently subject to a temporary arrangement in advance of a full and detailed catalogue:
Boxes 1-26: Papers relating to published novels and one unpublished novel;
Box 27: Papers relating to stage play;
Boxes 28-32: Papers relating to television screen plays of novels;
Boxes 33-43: Papers relating to works of non-fiction.
An additional deposit, received during 2018, comprises:
Boxes 44-46: Papers relating to 'Quite A Good Time To Be Born';
Boxes 47-49: Papers relating to 'Writer's Luck' including first completed text with pencilled emendations;
Boxes 50-53: Various theses and dissertations relating to Lodge's literary work. |
| Access Conditions | There are restrictions on access to some parts of this collection and a number of items are not to be consulted without the express permission of the author or his executors. These restrictions apply to the Lodge's manuscript of the very early novel, 'The Devil, the World and the Flesh' and to all his working notebooks for his fictional works. Further details can be found in the pdf file (attached below). Applications to consult restricted items should, in the first instance, be made to the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections. |
| Copyright | Researchers may make notes about the papers for their personal use but may not copy them. The papers may be quoted from in academic dissertations with the permission of the Special Collections Department. They may not be quoted in published work without the permission of the author or his literary executors. Readers are required to sign a form accepting these conditions. For further information, please contact the Director of Special Collections. |
| Language | English |
| Finding Aids | A temporary handlist is available as a pdf file. Click on the link in the document field below. A paper copy is also available at the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections. |
| Document | DL David Lodge.pdf |
| Access Status | Open |
| Administrative History | David John Lodge (b 1935), Professor of English, novelist.
Education: BA, MA, University of London; PhD, University of Birmingham.
Career: British Council, London, 1959-60; Assistant Lecturer, 1960-62, Lecturer 1963-71, Senior Lecturer, 1971-73, Reader in English, 1973-76, Professor of Modern English Literature, 1977-86, Honorary Professor, 1986-, University of Birmingham.
Bibliography (not fully comprehensive)
Publications: Novels:
'The Picturegoers' (1960);
'Ginger, You're Barmy' (1962);
'The British Museum is Falling Down' (1965);
'Out of the Shelter' (1970), revised edition (1985);
'Changing Places' (1975);
'How Far Can You Go?' (1980);
'Small World' (1984);
'Nice Work' (1988);
'Paradise News' (1991);
'Therapy (1995);
Thinks.... ' (2001).
'Author, Author (2004)
'Deaf Sentence' (2008)
'A Man of Parts' (2011)
''The Man Who Wouldn't Get Up and Other Stories' (2016)
Publications: Criticism:
'Language of Fiction: essays in criticism and verbal analysis of the English novel' (1966, new ed. 1984);
'Jane Austen: Emma: a casebook' (ed.) (1968, rev. ed. 1991)
'The Novelist at the Crossroads: and other essays on fiction and criticism' (1971);
'The Modes of Modern Writing: Metaphor, Metonymy, and the Typology of Modern Literature' (1977);
'Working with Structuralism: essays and reviews on nineteenth and twentieth century literature' (1981);
'Write On: Occasional Essays' (1986);
'Modern Criticism and Theory: a reader ' (ed.) (1988)
'After Bakhtin: essays on fiction and criticism' (1990);
'The Art of Fiction: illustrated from classic and modern texts' (1992);
'The Practice of Writing: Essays, Lectures, Reviews and a Diary' (1996);
'Consciousness & the Novel: connected essays' (2002).
'The Year of Henry James: The Story of a Novel' (2006)
'Lives in Writing' (2014)
Publications: Stage plays:
'The Writing Game' (1991)
'Home Truths' (1999).
'Secret Thoughts' (2011)
Publications: autobiography:
'Quite a Good Time To Be Born: a Memoir, 1935-1975' (2015)
'Writer's Luck: a Memoir, 1976-1991' (2018)
Honours: Yorkshire Post Fiction Prize, 1975 (for 'Changing Places'); Hawthornden Prize, 1976 (for 'Changing Places'); Whitbread Book Prize of the Year, 1980; Sunday Express Book of the Year Award, 1988 (for 'Nice Work'); Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 1988
Reference: International Authors and Writers Who's Who ( 17th edition, 2001/2002 ). |
| Acquisition | Agreement for the donation of a substantial collection of Lodge's literary papers was reached in 1989 and additional papers were purchased from the author in 1995. Further deposits have been made by the author in 1997, 2000, and 2018 |
| Archival Note | This collection level description is based on the record created by Caroline Hughes, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick for the Archives HUB, a JISC-funded service. Amended October 2003 and February 2021 |
| Related Material | University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department holds the papers of other 20th century novelists including the papers of Martin Booth (GB 0150 MB). |
| Publication Note | A short article about the first deposit of papers was published in the University of Birmingham Library's 'Research Libraries Bulletin', No. 2, Autumn 1994 |