MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Emmet, Dorothy Mary, 1904-2000
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Descriptive Summary
Record Group: Section A - Correspondence
Dates of materials: 1967-1968, 1973-1974
Volume: 25 item(s); 31 pg(s)
Scope and Content
Merton discussed articles with Emmett for Theoria to Theory about "death of God" theology, the ethics of the war in Vietnam, Christian consciousness, and the prophets. Merton's critical review of the book Two Leggings by Peter Nabokov drew counter-criticism from a reader of Theoria to Theory, Mary R. Glover, who sent a letter to Emmet which she passed on to Merton. Included is Merton's response in which he clarifies the respect he has and value he sees in Native American spirituality; however, he feels that Two Legging's "manipulation of the religious system... renders his entire religious experience suspect". He also replies to another point Glover makes about Hinduism.
Biography
Dorothy Emmet was the author of a number of books on philosophy and helped found the department of philosophy at the University of Manchester, where she served as head of the department. After retiring from her professorship, she settled in Cambridge in 1966. There she became the first editor of the journal Theoria to Theory, to which Merton was a contributor. She was interested in philosophy's application to political and social issues and "taught Plato to unemployed Welsh miners" (source: Obituary: Dorothy Emmet. 25 September 2000. The Guardian. Accessed 2 December 2004. ‹http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,373005,00.html›).
Usage Guidelines and Restrictions
Related Information and Links
See also "Every, George" file for another Theoria to Theory contributor with whom Merton was in contact. Emmet sent Merton a signed copy of "Prophets and Their Societies" to which Merton added underlining and other markings (see Sub-Section D.7).
Other Finding Aids
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
Series List
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Container List
| Series | Date | Type | To/From | First Lines | Pub | Full Text | Notes |
| | 1967/02/14 | HLS | to Merton | We were interested and delighted that Mr. Ferry of Santa Barbara has taken out a subscription | |
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| | 1967/03/10 (#01) | TL[c] | from Merton | Thanks for your very nice note. I am really delighted to be in contact with your group, and I am | |
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| | 1967/03/10 (#02) | TLS[x] | from Merton | Thanks for your very nice note. I am really delighted to be in contact with your group, and I am | |
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| | 1967/03/16 | HLS | to Merton | I was delighted to get your letter but horrified to hear that you have not yet received | |
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| | 1967/04/03 | HLS | to Merton | I hope that by now you will have received the two copies of <u>Theoria to Theory</u> I sent by Air | |
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| | 1967/04/22 | TL[c] | from Merton | Tomorrow is already the fourth Saturday after Easter, and I have not acknowledged the two copies | |
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| | 1967/05/13 | HLS | to Merton | I am not sure whether I have written to you since your last letter of T. to T., which delighted us. | |
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| | 1967/06/06 | TL[c] | from Merton | I have been meaning to answer your letter and to send along this "Note" or appendix, or whatever one | |
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| | 1967/07/27 | HLS | to Merton | How nice that you signed yourself like that: so I am feeling free to call you "Tom" <u>sans</u> | |
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| | 1967/09/12 | HLS | to Merton | Here is a proof of your article. I shall have to return it to the printers before I can get it back | |
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| | 1967/09/16 | TL[c] | from Merton | I have two letters of yours to thank you for, and also I enclose some corrections which need to be | |
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| | 1967/09/21 | HLS | to Merton | Your letter of Sept. 16th came two days ago, in time to catch the galley proofs with your | |
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| | 1967/10/16 | TL[c] | from Merton | Many thanks for your letter and for sending "Rules" etc. I would like very much to have the other | |
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| | 1967/11/22 | TL[c] | from Merton | I have received <u>Rules</u> (and have just begun it) and have also just finished the xerox | |
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| | 1968/06/28 | TLS[x] | from Merton | This is just to thank you for the proofs. There was one misspelling-- that of the author's name | |
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| | 1968/07/31 (#01) | HLS | to Merton | I have received this comment on "Two Leggings", I think I should put it with the next number of T. | |
| [encloses letter from Mary R. Glover to Emmet] |
| | 1968/07/31 (#02) | TALS | from Glover, Mary R. | I am puzzled by Thomas Merton's review of <u>Two Leggings</u> by Peter Nabakov [sic]. "There was | |
| [enclosed with 1968/07/31 letter] |
| | 1968/08/03 (#01) | TLS[x] | from Merton | This is a hasty and rather messy reply to Mary Glover's questions. I hope you can decipher my | |
| [encloses response to Mary Glover's letter] |
| | 1968/08/03 (#02) | other | from Merton to Mary R. Glover | I do not quite see what the trouble is, but perhaps I was not clear. I shall confine myself to | |
| [response to Mary Glover's letter - enclosed with 1968/08/03 letter] |
| | 1973/10/29 | TLS | to Center from Emmet, Dorothy | We have had some correspondence in the past about various pieces which Thomas Merton published | |
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| | 1973/11/20 | TL[c] | from Center to Emmet, Dorothy | Thank you so much for your letter of October 29. The letter was referred to me for answering by | |
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| | 1973/12/20 | TALS | to Center from Emmet, Dorothy | Thank you for your letter of November 20th and for giving us the information about whom we should | |
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| | 1974/01/15 | TL[x] | from Center to Emmet, Dorothy | Thank you for your letter of December 20. I was delighted to find that you had located your lost | |
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| | 1974/01/22 | TLS[x] | to Center from Gelesa, Alice | I acknowledge, with thanks, receipt of your letter of the 15th January, together with enclosures, | |
| [Alic Gelesa was secretary to Dorothy Emmet] |
| | 1974/02/13 | other | to Center from Emmet, Dorothy | I hereby grant permission for the Merton Legacy Trust and Bellarmine College to release upon request | |
| [photocopy of permissions form signed by Dorothy Emmet] |
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