Frank Kermode

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Frank Kermode

Kermode (Amsterdam, 1988)
Born
John Frank Kermode

(1919-11-29)29 November 1919
Died17 August 2010(2010-08-17) (aged 90)
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
NationalityBritish
TitleKing Edward VII Professor of English Literature (1974–1982)
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Liverpool
Academic work
DisciplineLiterary criticism
InstitutionsKing's College, Durham University
University of Reading
University of Manchester
University of Bristol
University College London
University of Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
Harvard University
Columbia University
Notable worksThe Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction (1967)

Sir John Frank Kermode,

literary critic best known for his 1967 work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction
and for his extensive book-reviewing and editing.

He was the Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at

Cambridge University
.

Kermode was known for many works of criticism, and also as editor of the popular Fontana Modern Masters series of introductions to modern thinkers. He was a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and The New York Review of Books.

Early life and education

Kermode was born on the

Second World War, for six years in total, much of it in Iceland.[citation needed
]

Career

He began his academic career as a lecturer at King's College, Durham University, in 1947. He later taught at the University of Reading from 1949, where he produced the Arden edition of Shakespeare's The Tempest. He held professorships at the University of Manchester (1958) and the University of Bristol (1965), before being appointed to the Lord Northcliffe chair at University College London (UCL) in 1967. Under Kermode, the UCL English Department chaired a series of graduate seminars which broke new ground by introducing for the first time contemporary French critical theory to Britain.[1]

Kermode was a contributor for several years to the literary and political magazine

CIA.[1]

In 1974, Kermode took the position of King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at Cambridge University. He resigned the post in 1982, at least in part because of the acrimonious

Awards and recognitions

He was knighted in 1991.[citation needed] A few months before Kermode's death, the scholar James Shapiro described him as "the best living reader of Shakespeare anywhere, hands down".[7]

Kermode died in Cambridge on 17 August 2010.

Personal life

Kermode was married twice. He was married to Maureen Eccles from 1947 to 1970. The couple had twins. His second marriage was to the American scholar Anita Van Vactor. The couple co-edited The Oxford Book of Letters (1995).[1]

In September 1996, he had boxes containing valuable books and manuscripts removed and destroyed in a dustcart by a Cambridge City Council refuse collection team (instead of the removal company employed to move them to another house). He sued CCC for £20,000; the Council denied responsibility.[8][9][10]

Academic positions

Works

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mullan, John (18 August 2010). "Sir Frank Kermode obituary: Pre-eminent critic who with easy erudition explored how ideas work in literature". The Observer.
  2. ^ "Frank Kermode". LRB Blog. London Review of Books. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Sir Frank Kermode". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. ^ required.)
  5. ^ Creative Lives and Works- Frank Kermode, George Steiner, Gillian Beer and Christopher Ricks in conversation with Alan Macfarlane, ed. Radha Béteille, Routledge, 2021, pp. 5- 6
  6. ^ Mullan, John (18 August 2010). "Sir Frank Kermode obituary". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Alexanian, Zoia; Eltringham, Dan (28 May 2010). "An Interview with James Shapiro". The Literateur. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  8. ^ Young, Robin (26 September 1996). "Dustmen in bad books after first editions are lost". The Times.
  9. ^ "A Man without his Books; A small solace for Sir Frank amongst his wreckage". The Times. 27 September 1996.
  10. ^ Aaronovitch, David (28 September 1996). "Literary garbage; Are dons so far removed from everyday life that one working-class bloke looks like another?". The Independent.

Further reading

  • Margaret Tudeau-Clayton and Martin Warner, editors (1991), Addressing Frank Kermode. Essays in Criticism and Interpretation
  • Christopher J. Knight (2003), Uncommon Readers: Denis Donoghue, Frank Kermode, George Steiner, and the Tradition of the Common Reader

External links