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Chapter Four. A Final Novel and Teaching 1953–1983
- University of New Mexico Press
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217 C h A P t e r F O U r A Final Novel and Teaching 1953–1983 Despite the release of a major film, an opera in San Francisco, and a musical play in Santa Barbara, Niggli gave up on California and once again returned to Chapel Hill. Now in her forties, she desired a permanent teaching job above all other possibilities. But it was a period of U.S. history, known as the McCarthy era, that was not favorable to writers. In 1953, the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings were in full swing. Some writers left the country (like Joy Davidman, who married C .S. Lewis); many others had to find different avenues of work. Congress was issuing subpoenas and targeting writers in Hollywood, such as the famous husband-and-wife team of Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman (the first served five months in jail for refusing to testify, while Hellman was forced to appear before the HUAC). While Niggli had not been associated with the pro-communist League of American Writers, her connection to Paul Green (who skirted the political witch hunt by leaving Hollywood, and even the United States), and a lack of work opportunities likely influenced Niggli’s decision to abandon the glamour of California. chapter four 218 She was “home” (as she would continue to refer to North Carolina), writing articles and seeking a full-time teaching post by fall of 1953. An article published in the January 1953 issue of The Writer magazine demonstrates Niggli’s continued talent for pedagogical writing. The biographical note with the article states that she is “now conducting courses in creative writing” at the University of North Carolina. In this concise piece, titled “Proportion in Writing,” Niggli’s comments provide a key to specific insights that made her an engaging instructor. She begins by discussing traditional rules and particular characteristics sought by editors evaluating creative writing. For “clarity,” she says, the traditional beginningmiddle -end concept could be conceived as “gestation, unfolding, and completion.” A story cannot be “grasped, as can a painting, a statue, or a building, in a single glance.” Niggli also explores her concept of the divisions of a story as past, present, and future, offering examples and reasons for varying lengths in each area, and concludes with the following: We might say, therefore, that while a story presents time past, timepresentandtimefutureinthethreesectionsofGermination (Cause), Unfolding (Transition) and Conclusion (Fulfillment of Cause), the contents of the story will determine which of the three is the most important, and how much space must be devoted to it for proper proportion. Niggli’s assessment provides direction and creative maneuverability for future writers who may not have understood why an editor rejects stories for lack of definable divisions. A Tenure-Track Job During the summer of 1954, Niggli was a featured speaker at the fourth annual North Carolina writer’s conference, held at Hatteras (according to the Greensboro Daily News). She had also landed a full-time teaching post in dramatic art at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina’s multi-campus system, located in the city of Greensboro. This campus is now known as UNC-Greensboro. Niggli’s job application form (retained in that campus’s archives, and permanently missing a page) indicates she has been hired to a tenure- [44.201.94.1] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 10:59 GMT) a final novel and teaching, 1953–1983 219 track position as assistant professor in the Department of Dramatic Art. She cites her recreational interest as “photography,” her religious affiliation as Catholic, and civil status as “unmarried.” Typical for the era, her employment history is indicated in the usual submissive female fashion: Secretary to Dr. Roehl at Incarnate Word College, 1929–31; Instructor at the private girl’s school St. Mary’s Hall, 1943–44; Script-writer, MGM, Culver City, June–December 1951; and Self-employed as a Writer, 1944–54. Niggli either forgets, or does not consider it significant to list her two-year administrative role in the radio and play division of the university ’s Department of Dramatic Art, or her first period in Hollywood. While Niggli seems to neglect citing some of her important publications or jobs, she also appears never to have created a curriculum vitae or factual list of all of her published works. In fact, when resorting to memory, she often gets dates mixed up or leaves out significant items. Onthisapplication,Nigglilistssixshortstoriesandnumerouspoems published in magazines between 1928...