Denham Sutcliffe
Encyclopedia
W. Denham Sutcliffe was an American author, editor, and professor of English who spent most of his professional life at Kenyon College
.
and took his B.A.
, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
in 1938, he attended Hertford College, Oxford
, where he took a second B.A.
, earning first-class honours. The Rhodes Trust allowed him to extend his scholarship for a third year at Oxford to work on his doctorate. In 1940-41, he held a Carnegie Fellowship to complete his thesis while working independently. He completed his D.Phil. degree at Oxford University in 1943 with his thesis on "English book-reviewing, 1749-1800". He taught at Bates College
and Harvard University
. He was serving as president of Education for Freedom, Inc., in New York City
, when he was invited to join the Kenyon English Department in 1946. He became the James H. Dempsey Professor of English at Kenyon in 1956, and in 1957 he was named Chairman of the English Department; he held both positions until his death in 1964.
and wrote introductions to books, such as to Thoreau's A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers.
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...
.
Career
Sutcliffe attended Bates CollegeBates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
and took his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
in 1938, he attended Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is located in Catte Street, directly opposite the main entrance of the original Bodleian Library. As of 2006, the college had a financial endowment of £52m. There are 612 students , plus various visiting...
, where he took a second B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, earning first-class honours. The Rhodes Trust allowed him to extend his scholarship for a third year at Oxford to work on his doctorate. In 1940-41, he held a Carnegie Fellowship to complete his thesis while working independently. He completed his D.Phil. degree at Oxford University in 1943 with his thesis on "English book-reviewing, 1749-1800". He taught at Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He was serving as president of Education for Freedom, Inc., 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...
, when he was invited to join the Kenyon English Department in 1946. He became the James H. Dempsey Professor of English at Kenyon in 1956, and in 1957 he was named Chairman of the English Department; he held both positions until his death in 1964.
Published works
Among many other activities, he edited the letters of Edwin Arlington RobinsonEdwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson was an American poet who won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work.- Biography :Robinson was born in Head Tide, Lincoln County, Maine, but his family moved to Gardiner, Maine, in 1870...
and wrote introductions to books, such as to Thoreau's A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers.
- Untriangulated stars : letters of Edwin Arlington Robinson to Harry de Forest Smith, 1890-1905, Ed. by Denham Sutcliffe. Cambridge : Harvard Univ. Press, 1947; Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press, 1971.
- A week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Henry David ThoreauHenry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
with a foreword by Denham Sutcliffe. New York : New American Library, 1961.
- What shall we defend?: Essays and addresses. Edited and with an introduction by Harley Henry. [Gambier, Ohio] : Kenyon College, 1973.
External links
- http://www.kenyon.edu/x14448.xml - Kenyon College webpage on Sutcliffe