Finding Connection in the Nomadic Life of Scholarship: John Matthews Manly’s Letters and Unpublished Essays

Abstract

This biographical chapter introduces Manly’s familial, educational, and philosophical background, tracing his sustained commitment to collaboration across his career. Struggling to come to terms with his family’s Confederate politics and Baptist beliefs, Manly turned to education to seek spiritual and personal transformation. As documented in his personal correspondence, Manly held to high standards of intellectual honesty and scholarly rigor. Private writings reveal, too, a personal philosophy of care; in fact, caregiving became a collaborative framework for Manly as he watched over family, friends, students, and colleagues. Service as the editor of multiple journals, in organizational leadership positions, and in the Military Intelligence Division also allowed him to exercise his vision of networking across the humanities and other fields. In all of these relationships and collaborations, he valued the inclusive emotional and moral nurturance of creativity. His experiences also taught him that new technologies demanded new practices of reading and listening.