C. A. Patrides
Encyclopedia
Constantinos Apostolos Patrides (1930 – 23 September 1986) was a Greek–American academic and writer, and “one of the greatest scholars of Renaissance literature of his generation”. His books list the name C. A. Patrides; his Christian name “Constantinos” was shortened to the familiar “Dinos” and “Dean” by friends.
Born in New York City
, he lived in Greece during World War II
. His childhood service with the Greek Resistance
against the Axis Occupation earned him a medal for heroism from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
. At Kenyon College
and at Oxford University, he began the research that was published as Milton and the Christian Tradition, a classic study of John Milton
's Christian theology
. Patrides was a professor at the University of California
and the University of York
and a distinguished professor at the University of Michigan
. He was a prolific writer on literature and intellectual history who gave elegant lectures around the world. He edited study editions of the prose of Milton and of the poems of John Donne
and George Herbert
. After his 1986 death, his works and alms and all his good endeavors were commemorated by the annual Patrides lectures at York and by both the Patrides Fellowships and the Patrides Professorship at Michigan.
against the German occupation and thereby earned the Order of Unknown Heroes medal from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
. The resistance was led by the Greek Communist Party, which he viewed as a danger to the freedom of post-War Greece; later he identified himself as “a firm anti-Communist”. His anti-Communism
was Christian and humanistic, the same traditions which nourished his criticisms of the Renaissance and the Twentieth Century:
He remained a faithful member of the Greek Orthodox Church
; in later years, he would come to forgive his students of the 1960s and 1970s for “their ignorance, their radical politics, and their atheism.”
He studied with John Crowe Ransom
and Charles M. Coffin at the English Department of Kenyon College
in Gambier, Ohio. Years later, Patrides dedicated his Lycidas: The Tradition and the Poem to the (Christian) religious memory of Ransom. At Kenyon, under the supervision of James Holly Hanford, he wrote his senior thesis on Milton's place in the Christian tradition, beginning the central research project of his next fifteen years. Graduating in 1952, he served in the U.S. Army between 1952 and 1954, earning decorations for his service.
He earned a D.Phil. from Oxford University in 1957 under the supervision of Ethel Seaton, continuing his work on Milton and the history of Christianity. On the day of his thesis defence,
Patrides posted 35 packages, each of which submitted an article to a scholarly journal.
's literature, until a young Middle English
specialist, Stanley Fish
, volunteered to cover Patrides's course. Fish's experience teaching the course was the start of his reader-response study
of Milton, Surprised by Sin.
In 1964, Patrides moved to the new University of York
in England where he was a founder member of the English Department and appointed "Professor
of English and Related Literature". In 1978, he moved to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, becoming in 1981 the G. B. Harrison Distinguished Professor of English.
. Scholar George Bornstein noted in 1986 that "Patrides produced numerous pioneering books and articles which remain standard texts."
and its relation to Trinitarian
and Arian
Christologies
, doing “more than the combined efforts
of all the rest of us to clarify and settle that issue with
full regard to its theological complexities and to the
subtleties of the poetic expression”, wrote Frye. Of his contemporaries, he was the best at explaining and analyzing philosophical and historical issues, according to Summers
and Pebworth.
discussed Milton's literary leadership in the English Reformation
and Civil War
. In this work, Patrides noted appreciations and misappropriations of Milton by later writers, particularly Romantic
s, who neglected the Christian discipline
of Milton's thought and practice. Patrides prepared two Everyman editions of the collected poems of Donne
and Herbert
, two leading Metaphysical poets
. Both prefaces noted his aim “to avoid the impertinence of mere paraphrases” while providing essential contextual information to aid the contemporary reader. Despite his prodigious knowledge of literature and of religious history, Patrides eschewed elaborate annotations that would distract readers from the text itself. Restrained annotation allowed readers to experience the semantic harmonics of Metaphysical poetry and of Milton, the most allusive
writer of the English Renaissance. For additional explanation, readers should consult first the Oxford English Dictionary
and second his selected bibiography. Patrides's editing and his commentaries were called reverential by Frye. In the judgment of Summers and Pebworth, “Patrides's Olympian style remains distinctive, characterized not only by its mannered elegance of phrasing, but preeminently by a kind of sophisticated wit that incorporates playfulness and amusement even in the most serious of observations and that prevents even the most magisterial pronouncements from ever sounding pompous or self-important.”
, who spoke the truth of Patrides on glorious themes. The Society's Milton Quarterly published the eulogy of and personal memorials by two dear friends, Professors and .
The University of Michigan established the C. A. Patrides graduate fellowship, with an award made in 1987, and established the C. A. Patrides Professorship of English in 1995. From 2005–2006, the C. A. Patrides Collegiate Professor of English was George Bornstein, a specialist in modernism
. The University of York hosts an annual Patrides Lecture. Patrides's former student, Gordon Campbell of the University of Leicester, was appointed the editor of the fourth Everyman edition of the selected works of John Milton at the suggestion of Patrides. Campbell dedicated his edition to Patrides's memory.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he lived in Greece during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His childhood service with the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
against the Axis Occupation earned him a medal for heroism from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
. At Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
and at Oxford University, he began the research that was published as Milton and the Christian Tradition, a classic study of John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's Christian theology
John Milton's religion
John Milton's religion was an important part of his life, and he wrote many of his works focusing on the nature of religion and of the divine.-Church government:...
. Patrides was a professor at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and a distinguished professor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He was a prolific writer on literature and intellectual history who gave elegant lectures around the world. He edited study editions of the prose of Milton and of the poems of John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
and George Herbert
George Herbert
George Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...
. After his 1986 death, his works and alms and all his good endeavors were commemorated by the annual Patrides lectures at York and by both the Patrides Fellowships and the Patrides Professorship at Michigan.
Early life
A U.S. citizen with Greek parents, Patrides was born in New York City in 1930 and raised there. With his parents, he was in Greece during World War II. While still a boy, he carried messages for the Greek resistanceGreek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
against the German occupation and thereby earned the Order of Unknown Heroes medal from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
. The resistance was led by the Greek Communist Party, which he viewed as a danger to the freedom of post-War Greece; later he identified himself as “a firm anti-Communist”. His anti-Communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
was Christian and humanistic, the same traditions which nourished his criticisms of the Renaissance and the Twentieth Century:
“The liberty of the individual, threatened in Milton's time as in ours by a society militantly bent on conformity, was further defended by Milton in his several expressly political works. [...] The fundamental principle of Milton's thought is lucidly stated: ‘No man who knows ought, can be so stupid as to deny that all men naturally are born free’. [The Tenure of Kings and MagistratesThe Tenure of Kings and MagistratesThe Tenure of Kings and Magistrates is a book by John Milton, in which he defends the right of people to execute a guilty sovereign, whether tyrannical or not....
, ]”
He remained a faithful member of the Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
; in later years, he would come to forgive his students of the 1960s and 1970s for “their ignorance, their radical politics, and their atheism.”
He studied with John Crowe Ransom
John Crowe Ransom
John Crowe Ransom was an American poet, essayist, magazine editor, and professor.-Life:...
and Charles M. Coffin at the English Department of Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
in Gambier, Ohio. Years later, Patrides dedicated his Lycidas: The Tradition and the Poem to the (Christian) religious memory of Ransom. At Kenyon, under the supervision of James Holly Hanford, he wrote his senior thesis on Milton's place in the Christian tradition, beginning the central research project of his next fifteen years. Graduating in 1952, he served in the U.S. Army between 1952 and 1954, earning decorations for his service.
He earned a D.Phil. from Oxford University in 1957 under the supervision of Ethel Seaton, continuing his work on Milton and the history of Christianity. On the day of his thesis defence,
Patrides posted 35 packages, each of which submitted an article to a scholarly journal.
Academic positions
After Oxford, Patrides taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he rose through the ranks as instructor, assistant professor and then associate professor. In 1960, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship to study English Literature. His 1963 absence left no teacher for the graduate course on John MiltonJohn Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's literature, until a young Middle English
Middle English literature
The term Middle English literature refers to the literature written in the form of the English language known as Middle English, from the 12th century until the 1470s, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, became widespread and the printing press regularized the language...
specialist, Stanley Fish
Stanley Fish
Stanley Eugene Fish is an American literary theorist and legal scholar. He was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island...
, volunteered to cover Patrides's course. Fish's experience teaching the course was the start of his reader-response study
Reader-response criticism
Reader-response criticism is a school of literary theory that focuses on the reader and his or her experience of a literary work, in contrast to other schools and theories that focus attention primarily on the author or the content and form of the work.Although literary theory has long paid some...
of Milton, Surprised by Sin.
In 1964, Patrides moved to the new University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
in England where he was a founder member of the English Department and appointed "Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English and Related Literature". In 1978, he moved to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, becoming in 1981 the G. B. Harrison Distinguished Professor of English.
Achievements
Patrides wrote or edited 23 books and more than 100 other scholarly publications. His publications were called “a monument to the highest and most enduring standards of our profession. ... In our time, certainly, no one has excelled his breadth and depth of learning, shaped throughout by superb critical judgment”, wrote Roland FryeRoland Frye
Professor Roland Mushat Frye was an American English literature scholar and theologian.Frye was born in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1943 he interrupted his studies to enlist in the United States Army and fought at the Battle of the Bulge, winning a Bronze Star...
. Scholar George Bornstein noted in 1986 that "Patrides produced numerous pioneering books and articles which remain standard texts."
Literary analysis and explication
His knowledge of languages and literatures enabled him to locate literary works in their historical contexts. In particular, Patrides clarified Milton’s theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and its relation to Trinitarian
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
and Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
Christologies
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
, doing “more than the combined efforts
of all the rest of us to clarify and settle that issue with
full regard to its theological complexities and to the
subtleties of the poetic expression”, wrote Frye. Of his contemporaries, he was the best at explaining and analyzing philosophical and historical issues, according to Summers
Claude J. Summers
Claude J. Summers is an American literary scholar, and the William E. Stirton Professor Emeritus in the Humanities and Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He has taught at the university since 1970, was promoted to associate professor in 1973 and professor in 1977....
and Pebworth.
Lectures
Invited to speak at universities around the world, Patrides gave lectures that were informative and elegant. For the Milton Society of America, he gave the annual address in 1974 and was named the Honored Scholar of 1978. At the University of Michigan, Patrides received the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in 1982.Editing of critical editions
Patrides wrote informative introductions and annotations as part of his preparation of critical editions of literary works. His edition of the English prose of MiltonJohn Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
discussed Milton's literary leadership in the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In this work, Patrides noted appreciations and misappropriations of Milton by later writers, particularly Romantic
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
s, who neglected the Christian discipline
Discipline
In its original sense, discipline is referred to systematic instruction given to disciples to train them as students in a craft or trade, or to follow a particular code of conduct or "order". Often, the phrase "to discipline" carries a negative connotation. This is because enforcement of order –...
of Milton's thought and practice. Patrides prepared two Everyman editions of the collected poems of Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
and Herbert
George Herbert
George Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...
, two leading Metaphysical poets
Metaphysical poets
The metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them, and whose work was characterized by inventiveness of metaphor...
. Both prefaces noted his aim “to avoid the impertinence of mere paraphrases” while providing essential contextual information to aid the contemporary reader. Despite his prodigious knowledge of literature and of religious history, Patrides eschewed elaborate annotations that would distract readers from the text itself. Restrained annotation allowed readers to experience the semantic harmonics of Metaphysical poetry and of Milton, the most allusive
Allusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. M. H...
writer of the English Renaissance. For additional explanation, readers should consult first the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
and second his selected bibiography. Patrides's editing and his commentaries were called reverential by Frye. In the judgment of Summers and Pebworth, “Patrides's Olympian style remains distinctive, characterized not only by its mannered elegance of phrasing, but preeminently by a kind of sophisticated wit that incorporates playfulness and amusement even in the most serious of observations and that prevents even the most magisterial pronouncements from ever sounding pompous or self-important.”
Death and legacy
On 23 September 1986, C. A. Patrides, called "Dean" and "Dinos" by his friends, died at the age of 56. Memorial services were held at the University of Michigan, Dearborn and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. At the next meeting of the Milton Society of America, 170 colleagues attended the eulogy by Roland FryeRoland Frye
Professor Roland Mushat Frye was an American English literature scholar and theologian.Frye was born in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1943 he interrupted his studies to enlist in the United States Army and fought at the Battle of the Bulge, winning a Bronze Star...
, who spoke the truth of Patrides on glorious themes. The Society's Milton Quarterly published the eulogy of and personal memorials by two dear friends, Professors and .
The University of Michigan established the C. A. Patrides graduate fellowship, with an award made in 1987, and established the C. A. Patrides Professorship of English in 1995. From 2005–2006, the C. A. Patrides Collegiate Professor of English was George Bornstein, a specialist in modernism
Modernist literature
Modernist literature is sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms...
. The University of York hosts an annual Patrides Lecture. Patrides's former student, Gordon Campbell of the University of Leicester, was appointed the editor of the fourth Everyman edition of the selected works of John Milton at the suggestion of Patrides. Campbell dedicated his edition to Patrides's memory.
Selected works
- Lycidas: The Tradition and the Poem (Holt, Rinehart, 1961) LCCN 61005930
- The Phoenix and the Ladder: The Rise and Decline of the Christian View of History (Berkeley, 1964) LCCN 64064250
- Milton and the Christian Tradition (Oxford, 1966) ISBN 0208018212
- Milton's Epic Poetry: Essays on "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained" (Harmondsworth, 1967) LCCN 68072604
- Approaches to Paradise Lost: The York Tercentenary Lectures (University of Toronto, 1968) ISBN 0802015778
- The Cambridge Platonists, London, 1969, (Cambridge, 1980) ISBN 052129942X
- Bright Essence: Studies in Milton's Theology (University of Utah, 1971) ISBN 0835743829
- The Grand Design of God: The Literary Form of the Christian View of History (Toronto, 1972) ISBN 0710074018
- Selected Prose by John Milton, Baltimore, 1974, (University of Missouri, 1985) ISBN 0826204848
- The English Poems of George Herbert (J.M. Dent, 1974) ISBN 0874715512
- The Major Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Penguin, 1977) ISBN 0140431098
- The Age of Milton: Backgrounds to Seventeenth-century Literature (Manchester University, 1980) ISBN 0719007704
- Premises and Motifs in Renaissance Thought and Literature (Princeton, 1982) ISBN 0691065055
- Milton's Lycidas: The Tradition and the Poem (revised edition, University of Missouri, 1983) ISBN 0826204120
- The Complete English Poems of John Donne (J.M. Dent, 1985) ISBN 0460100912
- Figures in a Renaissance Context (University of Michigan, 1989) ISBN 0472101196
- George Herbert: The Critical Heritage (Psychology Press, 1996) ISBN 0415134137
See also
- Angels, hierarchy of
- ApocatastasisApocatastasisApocatastasis is reconstitution, restitution, or restoration to the original or primordial condition.-Etymology and definition:The Liddell and Scott Lexicon entry, gives the following examples of usage:* “τοῦ ἐνδεοῦς” Aristotle MM, 1205a4; into its nature εἰς φύσιν id...
- Cambridge PlatonistsCambridge PlatonistsThe Cambridge Platonists were a group of philosophers at Cambridge University in the middle of the 17th century .- Programme :...
- John Milton and ChristianityJohn Milton's religionJohn Milton's religion was an important part of his life, and he wrote many of his works focusing on the nature of religion and of the divine.-Church government:...
- ArianismArianismArianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
- DisestablishmentarianismDisestablishmentarianismDisestablishmentarianism today relates to the Church of England in the United Kingdom and related views on its establishment as an established church....
- Non-trinitarianism
- Of ReformationOf ReformationOf Reformation is a 1641 pamphlet by John Milton, and his debut in the public arena. Its full title is Of Reformation of Church-Discipline in England.-Background:...
- Novus homoNovus homoHomo novus was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul...