Local talent was brought to light recently as Dr. Judith Bailey Slagle, chair of the English department, released a biography entitled Joanna Baillie: A Literary Life, published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.Slagle’s research began in 1994 at the National Endowment for the Humani-ties seminar in London. “The focus of the seminar was on conducting research and writing biographies,” Slagle said. “[Baillie] was my topic.”

Shortly thereafter, Slagle was awarded research grants from the American Philosophical Society, the University of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University and ETSU to complete her work.

“Before this biography, I published two volumes entitled The Collected Letters of Joanna Baillie” said Slagle. “In doing my research I enjoyed getting to know Baillie the most. I learned so much about her through her personal letters.”

For her research on her biography, Slagle visited over 30 repositories in England and Scotland as well as Harvard’s Houghton Library in Boston.

“It’s like a puzzle,” Slagle said. “You find a piece here and there in different libraries. It’s also like detective work. It’s really fun.”

For someone looking to do similar research, Slagle offered the following piece of advice: “Never assume that you won’t find something in a library. When doing archival research, turn over every corner. You have to link the research to everyone that your subject knew. Then you start finding out things, and you connect everyone.”

Baillie was a Scottish playwright and theatre theorist remembered for her 27 plays, eight metrical legends and numerous poems.

According to Slagle, Baillie lived during a time of social, political and intellectual change that saw major shifts in literary style. Though Baillie was popular during her time, following her death she was remembered more for her relation to her uncles William and John Hunter, both notable anatomists; her brother, Dr. Matthew Baillie, a physician to King George III; and to writer Sir Walter Scott.

Slagle added that she enjoyed both the research and the writing for her book alike.

“You get so wrapped up [in the biography] that it’s hard to be objective. I think that Baillie was wonderful. She was a cool person.”

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