LibGuides: Doris B. Saunders fonds: MSS 173, PC 168 (A2003-26).

Doris Boyce Saunders was born in Winnipeg on November 16th, 1901. In 1917 she graduated from Kelvin High School. Saunders then enrolled at the University of Manitoba. In 1921 she graduated with Gold Medals in both Philosophy and English. Upon graduation, she began teaching at a rural elementary school before heading to Oxford. After graduating from Oxford with a Diploma of Education in 1923 she taught at both Machray Junior High and Kelvin High School. In 1925, while still teaching, she completed a Master of Arts degree at the University of Manitoba.

The next year, Saunders headed to Oxford on a Canadian Federation of University Women Traveling Fellowship, intending to enroll in a PhD program. At the time, however, Oxford did not permit women to enter doctorate programs. Undaunted, she enrolled in the Bachelor of Letters program, completing a thesis entitled “Dr. Johnson’s Knowledge of the English of the English Writers Before 1600, Excluding Shakespeare.”

In 1928, Saunders became the first female appointed to the Department of English at the University of Manitoba. In 1941, she was promoted to Assistant Professor and in 1959 became the first female full professor in the Faculty of Arts.

Professor Saunders involvement in University life did not end in the classroom. From 1933 to 1945 she was the Dean of Junior Women and was the Registrar of University College from 1964 to 1968, when she retired. She was also the guest editor of the 1970 Manitoba Centennial Issue of Mosaic, the interdisciplinary journal published by the University.

Saunders was a long time member of the University Women’s Club and served as its president from 1943 to 1945. In 1957, she received an honourary LL.D from the University of British Columbia. The University of Manitoba also conferred an honourary LL.D upon Professor Saunders in 1994.Doris Saunders passed away in Winnipeg on May 3, 2001.

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Scope and Contents of the Papers

The fonds is divided into six series. The first series, personal, contains biographical information, including a letter diary, as well as records pertaining to her honourary degrees. The second series, Correspondence, is divided into two sub-series. The first contains general correspondence. The second sub-series consists of material related to the 1970 Manitoba Centennial issue of Mosaic.

The third series pertains to the Acquisition of the Frederick Philip Grove Collection. It consists of a variety of textual records, including correspondence, research. The fourth series, Papers, Letters and Publications, is divided into two sub-series. The first sub-series consists of papers, lectures and publications written by Professor Saunders while the second sub-series is comprised of writings and publications by other people. The fifth series is comprised of research done by Saunders on a variety of books and authors. The sixth series is Photograph Collection 168. It consists of 2 class photos, one from 1917-1918 and one from 1918-1919.

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Organization of the Papers

This collection is organized into six series

Personal, 1935-1994
Correspondence, 1934-2001
Acquisition of the Frederick Philip Grove Collection, 1959-1981
Papers, Lectures and Publications, 1930-1988
Research, [ca.193-]- 1993
Photograph Collection (PC 168)

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Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on the material.

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Custodial History

Doris Saunders donated the records to the Archives & Special Collections in 2003.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Personal, 1935-1994

Box	Folder
1	1	Various Biographical Information
	2	University of Manitoba Honourary Degree, 1994
	3	University of British Columbia Honourary Degree, 1957
	4	Letter Diary, [ca. 1940-1950]
	5	Bachelor of Letters Degree from St. Hugh's College, Oxford, 1935

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Correspondence, 1934-2001

Box	Folder
		a) General Correspondence

Box	Folder
1	6	General Correspondence, 1934-1959
	7	General Correspondence, 1968-2001
	8	Correspondence with Anne Cunningham, 1947-1984
	9	Correspondence with A. Hugh Fisher, 1934-1942 (includes poetry)
	10	Correspondence with Betty Jean Wylie, 1976-1984 (includes poetry)
	11	Third Party Correspondence, 1940-1949

Box	Folder
		b) 1970 Manitoba Centennial Issue of Mosaic,

Box	Folder
1	12	General Correspondence re: Manitoba Centennial Issue, 1969-1970
	13	Correspondence with Gabrielle Roy re: Manitoba Centennial Issue of Mosaic, 1969-1970
	14	Correspondence with A.L. Phelps re: Manitoba Centennial Issue of Mosaic, 1969
	15	Correspondence with Dorothy Livesay re: Manitoba Centennial Issue of Mosaic, 1969-1970
	16	Miscellaneous Notes re: Manitoba Centennial Issue of Mosaic, 1969-1970

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Acquisition of the Frederick Philip Grove Collection, 1959-1981

Box	Table
1	17	Correspondence re: Acquisition of the Frederick Philip Grove Collection, 1959-1961
	18	Correspondence re: Acquisition of the Frederick Philip Grove Collection, 1962-1964
	19	Correspondence re: Acquisition of the Frederick Philip Grove Collection, 1970-1981
	20	Correspondence with Mrs. Catherine Grove, 1961-1971
	21	Lecture on the Frederick Philip Grove Collection, [196-]
	22	Rough Drafts of "In Search of the Grove Papers", 1971
	23	Handwritten Draft of "In Search of the Grove Papers", [197-]
	24	Spettigue, Douglas, O. "Frederick Philip Grove in Manitoba", [197-] Transcript of the Radio Broadcast "Grove/Greve: Two Men of Mystery", 1976 Spettigue, Douglas O. "The Grove Enigma Resolved", 1972

Box	Folder
1	1	Typed Manuscript, "One of Ours - Frederick Philip Grove", [196-]
	2	Saunders, Doris B. "He chronicled the colossal struggle between man and nature" The Winnipeg Tribune, 1962
	3	Simms, K. "Frederick Philip Grove: A Canadian Naturalist", 1960
	4	Text of a play about Grove, [196-]
	5	Notes on F.P. Grove's The Master of the Mill, [196-]
	6	Notes on Grove's Work, [196-]
	7	Notes on Grove's Work, [196-]
	8	Notes on Grove and his Work, [196-]
	9	Description and File List of the F.P. Grove Collection, [196-]
	10	Description and File List of the F.P. Grove Collection, [196-]
	11	Description and File List of the F.P. Grove Collection, [196-]
	12	Description and File List of the F.P. Grove Collection, [196-]
	13	Newspaper Clippings re: Frederick Philip Grove, 1962-1976

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Papers, Lectures and Publications, 1896-1981

Box	Folder
		a) Papers, Lectures and Publications by Doris Saunders

Box	Folder
2	14	"Dr. Johnson's Knowledge of the English Writers before 1600, Excluding Shakespeare", [193-] (Thesis from Oxford)
	15	"Review of W.B.C Watkins' Johnson and English Poetry Before 1660", 1937
	16	University of Manitoba Radio Series - Poets Past and Present "A.J.M. Smith", 1947 (talk given by Doris Saunders)
	17	Radio Series: Canadian Literature Today "The State of Our Fiction", 1949 (talk given by Doris Saunders)
	18	Review of C.P. Snow's The New Men, [195-]
	19	"The Use of Music in Shakespeare", [195-]
	20	"Irish Poetry and Music", 1954 (talk given to the Wednesday Morning Musicale)
	21	Paper on C.P. Snow, 1961 (includes two newspaper articles about Snow from 1968)
	22	Speech about Sinclair Ross, [196-]
	23	"Tradition and Experiment in English Canadian Universities and Colleges", [196-]
	24	"From Reticules to Rivets or Women in a Changing World" [196-]
	25	"Continuing Education for Women in Canada", [196-]

Box	Folder
		Convocation Speech, [196-]

Box	Folder
2	26	"Robert Frost: a Biography with Poems", [196-] (includes 3 clippings about Robert Frost)

Box	Folder
3	1	"Alvin Toffler", [196-]
	2	"Canada as Interpreted by her Poets and Novelists", 1966
	3	"Why C&P [Crime and Punishment] on the Curriculum?", 1968
	4	"The Modern Element in Recent Manitoba Novels", 1970
	5	Introductory Speech from a Conference, 1978

Box	Folder
		Prayer from a Conference, [196-?]

Box	Folder
		Speech for Reunion of the Class of 1942, 1962

Box	Folder
3	6	Research paper and clippings re: ... And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer, 1984
	7	Paper on A Woman of Egypt by Jehan Sedat, [198-] (includes correspondence with Mrs. Sedat, 1988)

Box	Folder
		b) Writings and Publications by others

Box	Folder
3	8	A Postscript to Dr. Goldsmith's Retaliation, being an Epitaph on Samuel Johnson, LL.D., 1896
	9	David Nichol Smith, Warton's History of English Poetry, 1929
	10	Texts of Various Radio Broadcasts, 1942-1962
	11	John Peter, "Joyce and the Novel", 1956

Box	Folder
		E.K. Brown, "Causeries", 1956

Box	Folder
		Edward Duncan, "Unsubstantial Father: A Study of the Hamlet Symbolism in Joyce's Ulysses, [195-]

Box	Folder
3	12	Isaac Deutscher, Abstract of Dafoe Foundation Address, 1959
	13	Letter by Sylvia Pratt, 1961
	14	Article on Elizabeth Dafoe by W.L. Morton, 1961
	15	David Blewett, "Time and Form in Tristam Shandy", 1962 (student essay)
	16	W.L. Morton, "Two Young Men , 1869 Charles Mair and Louis Riel", [196-]

Box	Folder
		Sidney Warhaft, "The Mystery of Hamlet, 1963

Box	Folder
3	17	Elsie Morningstar, "Irving Layton: Canadian Poet", 1966 (student essay)

Box	Folder
		Unknown author, untitled text, [196-]

Box	Folder
3	19	Gerald Morgan, "A Length of Rope", 1969

Box	Folder
		Marion Smith "Existential Morality? A Book review of Brian Moore's The Emperor of Ice Cream", 1965

Box	Folder
3	20	Various Poetry, 1968
	21	Work by Gordon McLeod, 1968-1970
	22	Pamela Leboldus, "The Women's Canadian Club of Winnipeg: A Brief History", [198-]
	23	Article by K. Fulton on Margaret Laurence, 1988 (Includes correspondence as well as magazine and newspaper articles)
	24	Poetry by Mary Liz Bayer, [199-]
	25	Judith Flynn, "William Morris and News from Nowhere", 1994

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Research [193-] - 1993

Box	Folder
4	1	Notes on Virginia Woolf, [193-?]
	2	Notes on Jacques Barzon, [194-]
	3	Notes and two articles about Henry James, [194-]
	4	Notes and Clippings re: W.H. Auden, 1941
	5	Notes on Various Authors, [194-] - [195-]
	6	Notes on Tolstoy, [195-]
	7	Notes on Yeats, [195-] (includes newspaper articles)
	8	Notes on Sir Walter Scott, [195-]
	9	Notes on several books on women in France, [19-]
	10	Notes on Books about Thakeray, [195-]

Box	Folder
		George Ford, Book Review of Gordon Ray's Thakeray: The Uses of Adversity, 1811-1846, 1957

Box	Folder
4	11	Various Exam Questions, 1957-1962
	12	Notes on Various Poets and Authors, [196-]
	13	Notes on A Candle to Light the Sun by Patricia Blondal, 1961
	14	Notes on Kafka, [196-]

Box	Folder
		"Isolation and Alienation in Kafka's World", 1966 (student essay)

Box	Folder
4	17	Notes on A. Lloyd Wheeler, [1970]
	18	Notes on books by Salman Rushdie, [198-]
	19	Notes on My Son's Story by Nadine Gorimer, [198-]

Box	Folder
		Notes on The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, [198-]
		Notes on Various Nobel Prize Winners, [198-]

Box	Folder
4	20	Notes on Friend of my Youth by Alice Munro, [198-?]

Box	Folder
		Notes on The Remains of the Day by Kazu Ishiguro, [198-?]

Box	Folder
4	21	Notes on John Hirsch, 1987
	22	Notes on Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood, 1988

Box	Folder
		Notes on two books about the theatre, [198-]

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Photographs (PC 168)

Box	Folder
5	1	University of Manitoba Class Photo, 1917-1918
	2	University of Manitoba Second Year Arts Class Executive Photo, 1918-1919

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Doris B. Saunders fonds: MSS 173, PC 168 (A2003-26).

Doris Saunders:

An Inventory of Her Papers at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections

Doris Saunders Cont.: