[No surviving envelope]
I have two things to thank you for – your letter of the 18th which arrived unexpectedly in just a week by the Europa, andHale, Emilyand Eleanor Hinkley attend New York Murder;i1 yourHinkley, Eleanor Holmes (TSE's first cousin)and EH attend American Murder;c2 jointMurder in the Cathedralunsolicited 1936 New York production;e2delights EH and Eleanor Hinkley;a5 cable with Eleanor which was a still greater surprise.1 The latter, I ought to have thanked you for in my last letter; and it was not ordinary forgetfulness, but the effort of trying to say a good deal in a short time, that made me overlook it. I had not known that Murder was coming off on that night, I did not expect the production to be either very good or very successful, and I did not expect you to be in New York for it. I am very glad that you were, and I feel that I should like to refund your expenses, which must have been considerable, if you had to stop at a hotel – and after all, you were there as my representative, as there could have been no one else from whom I can expect to get a reliable critical report of it. If you got any newspaper notices worth seeing, I should like to see them, and would return them to you. I hope I shall hear all about your visit to New York next week, and whether you saw any scholastic and academic agencies etc.
IGwynne, M. BrookeTSE teaches 'Usk' and 'Rannoch' for;a7 had my meeting with Miss Gwynne’s class yesterday morning, and hope that it was satisfactory to her and to them. We met at 11, and went on till about 12.30 – I talked for three quarters of an hour, and the rest of the time was spent in discussion, in which several members participated. I told them at the beginning that I had had a good deal of experience of teaching, and had had a good deal to do with poetry, but that I could only give opinions and conjectures which they must judge in the light of experience. The'Usk';a3 latter'Rannoch, by Glencoe';a6 part of the time I took up by reading and then analysing and explaining ‘Usk’ and ‘Rannoch’, which Miss Gwynne had chosen, and had had multiplied for the class – this perhaps was interesting in itself, though one of the class complained that the immediate effect was to make her enjoy the poems less: one or two others disagreed with her. If Miss Gwynne felt gratified I should expect her to drop you a line of thanks. At any rate, she walked all the way to Russell Square with me, talking about these matters.
Aswritingand originality;b7 for Miss Gilman, I dare say indeed that the criticism that I followed the Agamemnon too closely is justified; but that does not worry me, because this was only a first attempt, and I think a beginner is well advised to use models, and not to aim at originality at once. One’s original gift begins as only a tiny germ, and it has to grow and develop at its own pace and not be hurried. ItLaforgue, JulesTSE's early debt to;a2 is quite true to say that my earliest poems were too close imitations of Laforgue to be of great value – so I don’t expect too much of my first play!
IThorp, Margaret (née Farrand)TSE on;a3 return Margaret’s letter, which rather amused me by its plump downright tone. I suppose that she believes herself to be mature! which is itself a sign of immaturity – and I dare say that in her surroundings she has matured as far as she is ever likely to. The sharp division between ‘mature’ and ‘immature’ is a false one: there is no final point of maturity; the thing is that one should be maturing all the time, right up to the end; and the people who mature to a point and then stop remain immature. On the other hand, I hope you won’t allow yourself to be cowed by Margaret’s hectoring ways and her bustling assurance about social problems – but be amused by it. And on the other one can frequently learn from the criticisms of people who do not know enough about one’s circumstances of life to be quite fair. The more intimately one knows a person the harder it is to pass any judgement; and one can turn the comments of people like Margaret – who has certainly the virtue of candour – to account. Because of course there is something in what she says; only, as I know you, I am always apprehensive that such criticism may have the opposite effect from what it should, and weaken your already inadequate confidence in your true independent self, rather than strengthen it. She is intelligent, and I [am] sure a good friend, though rather limited and complacent.
Dearest love, I agree with you that sometimes short letters, written only to express one’s love and dependence, are the sweetest and most intimate; for the long ones contain necessary information about our current lives, and are apt to be concerned also with the deeper and more perplexing problems. I should [?missing word] this once to convey a sense of the closest clinging affection, and of my arms about you in silence and peace.
Mrs. Deane died of pneumonia on Tuesday; I shall go in to her funeral service tomorrow morning. I shall not be able to write again until Tuesday, asMorleys, the;g5 I am going to the Morleys tomorrow night (Friday) until Tuesday. It is not a very convenient moment, but they urged me to come, as they can’t have any guests during April, when Donald will be home from school.
1.‘amazingly beautiful performance to packed house critics acclaim = hinkley hale’ (21 Mar. 1936) (EVE).
4.M. BrookeGwynne, M. Brooke Gwynne, University of London Institute of Education – ‘a Training College for Graduate students’ – invited TSE on 19 Jan. to participate in their Weds.-morning seminar: ‘Emily Hale suggested that you might possibly consent to come to the Institute to talk to our students; otherwise I should have not felt justified in asking you … The teaching of poetry is the subject most hotly discussed & the subject we should like you to choose if possible.’
5.EleanorHinkley, Eleanor Holmes (TSE's first cousin) Holmes Hinkley (1891–1971), playwright; TSE’s first cousin; daughter of Susan Heywood Stearns – TSE’s maternal aunt – and Holmes Hinkley: see Biographical Register.
16.MargaretThorp, Margaret (née Farrand) Farrand (1891–1970), author and journalist – see Margaret Thorp in Biographical Register.