Molly Gloss papers , 1979-2003

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gloss, Molly
Title
Molly Gloss papers
Dates
1979-2003 (inclusive)
Quantity
7 linear feet, (19 containers)
Collection Number
Coll 296
Summary
Collection comprises the papers of American author Molly Gloss, including notes, planning documents, research materials, and drafts of novels, short stories, book reviews, and essays written between 1979 and 2003. The collection includes examples of her work in several genres, including young adult fantasy literature, Outside the Gates (1986); western fiction, The Jump-Off Creek (1989); adventure fiction, Wild Life: A Novel (2000); and science fiction, The Dazzle of Day, "Interlocking Pieces" and "Lambing Season".
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Author Molly Gloss was born in Portland, Oregon on November 20, 1944 to Charles David and Eleanor Marie Lovelace. In 1966 she married Edward G. Gloss, with whom she had a son, Ben. Gloss received a B.A. and a secondary teaching certificate from Portland State College, now University, in 1966. She worked as a schoolteacher and a correspondence clerk for a freight company before becoming a full-time writer in 1980 after her son had entered school. In 1981, Gloss took a course in science fiction writing from Ursula K. Le Guin at Portland State University. Since then she has authored several short stories and novels in that genre, as well as works of western fiction, fantasy fiction, and young adult literature. In addition, Gloss has written book reviews, essays, an appreciation of Ursula K. Le Guin, and an introduction to the memoir of a woman homesteader. Molly Gloss lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Collection comprises the papers of author Molly Gloss, including notes, planning documents, research materials, and drafts of novels, short stories, book reviews, and essays. The collection includes some correspondence with readers, editors and publishers, but lacks personal correspondence. The collection includes examples of Gloss' work in several genres, including young adult fantasy fiction, Outside the Gates (1986); western fiction, The Jump-Off Creek (1989); science fiction, The Dazzle of Day (1997), "Interlocking Pieces" and "Lambing Season"; and adventure fiction, Wild Life: A Novel (2000).

The notes, planning documents and research materials concern Gloss' novels The Jump-Off Creek, The Dazzle of Day and Wild Life: A Novel. The correspondence, notes and drafts concerning The Jump-Off Creek reveal its development over many years and through several versions to its final form, a "woman's western" novel about a woman homesteader in Oregon in the 1890s. Related works are titled "Unfamiliar Ground," "The Wolf Killers" and "The Lady of Two Creeks." Of particular note in these materials is Gloss' response to Ursula K. Le Guin's comments on an early version of The Jump-Off Creek in which Gloss discusses women and the western novel. Later, Gloss addressed this topic and the evolution of The Jump-Off Creek in an interview and a lecture that are published in Talking up a Storm: Voices of the New West and Interchange, the journal of the Oregon Educational Media Association. These works are not included in this collection, but are available in the University of Oregon Libraries.

The notes, planning documents and research materials concerning The Dazzle of Day reveal the author's efforts to ground her fiction on principles of social science. This type of science fiction has been referred to as anthropological science fiction or speculative anthropology. The materials include notes on language, agriculture and religion. Also included in these materials are diagrams of the spacecrafts in this novel.

The collection includes manuscripts of most of the author's short stories, including early unpublished works and widely anthologized works such as "The Doe," a reworking of the theme of William Stafford's poem "Traveling Through the Dark," and "Lambing Season," a 2003 Hugo Award nominee.

Much of Gloss' fiction is set in the Pacific Northwest and addresses the human response to wilderness and the theme of community. Her science fiction short stories, which often feature Western-type landscapes and themes, focus more on human feelings and social issues than science and technology.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • American fiction--Women authors
  • Authors, American--20th century
  • Science fiction, American--Authorship
  • Western stories--Authorship
  • Young adult literature, American--Authorship

Geographical Names

  • West (U.S.)--In literature

Form or Genre Terms

  • Manuscripts for publication