Janis P. Stout papers
Collection
0058-LIT
Janis Pitts Stout (1939-) was an English professor and administrator at a number of research universities, most notably Rice University, Texas A & M, and Auburn University, from 1973 until her retirement in 2002. She produced three novels, compiled and edited a calendar based on the works of Willa Cather, and published six scholarly works, including Katherine Anne Porter: A Sense of the Times (1995). Dr. Stout's papers consist almost exclusively of material related to the research and publication of her 1995 book on Katherine Anne Porter. Included is correspondence regarding permissions from her book, a copy of the book proposal evaluation, other scholarly work on Katherine Anne Porter by Dr. Stout, and a portion of Dr. Stout's research notes. Some general correspondence related to Dr. Stout's book is also included.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
0.50 Linear Feet
The Papers of Janis P. Stout include materials dating from 1988 to 1997. The collection consists of correspondence, a book proposal evaluation, a scholarly paper, and research materials. The bulk of the material consists of correspondence related to the research and publication of Stout's Katherine Anne Porter: A Sense of the Times (1995). There are also research notes on acquaintances of Katherine Anne Porter and photocopies of primary research materials.
Janis Pitts Stout was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1939. She graduated from Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth, married soon afterward, and became the mother of three sons before completing a B.A. (1966) and an M.A. (1968) in English at Lamar State University in Beaumont, Texas. After the birth of her fourth son, she entered the graduate program in English at Rice University, completing her doctoral degree there in 1973. She taught at Bryn Mawr College; Haverford College; Pennsylvania State University, Delaware County; Lamar State University; Rice University; and Texas A & M University before her retirement on January 31, 2002. Much of her career, however, was given to administration. She served at Rice University as Administrator of Graduate Programs, then Director of Graduate Programs, for ten years; as Associate Dean of Liberal Arts at Texas A & M from 1987 to 1992 and 1993 to 1994; as Interim Associate Dean of Liberal Arts at Auburn University from 1992 to 1993; and as Dean of Faculties and Associate Provost at Texas A & M from 1998 to 2002. In addition to numerous scholarly articles, Dr. Stout's publications include three novels: A Family Likeness (1982), Eighteen Holes (1984), Home Truth (1992) and six scholarly books: Sodoms in Eden (1976), The Journal Narrative in American Literature (1984), Strategies of Reticence (1990), Katherine Anne Porter: A Sense of the Times (1995), Through the Window, Out the Door: Women's Narratives of Departure (1998), and Willa Cather: The Writer and Her World (2000). She compiled and edited A Calendar of the Letters of Willa Cather (2002). She and her husband, Dr. Loren D. Lutes, now reside in Edgewood, New Mexico.
These materials have been divided into four series.
Janis P. Stout's papers from her work Katherine Anne Porter: A Sense of the Times (1995) came to the University of Maryland Libraries in January 2002 through purchase and donation.
Paper clips and staples were removed from the materials, and letters were removed from envelopes and flattened. All correspondence was placed in alphabetical order by correspondent or institution. A book proposal evaluation, scholarly work, and research materials were moved to separate series. All materials were re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives