Gustave Rudler
Encyclopedia
Gustave Rudler was a French scholar and academic, who served as the first Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
at the University of Oxford
from 1920 until 1949.
, France; his father taught at the local lycée. Rudler studied in Paris at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand
and the École Normale Supérieure
and, after graduating, taught rhetoric at various lycées including Louis-le-Grand. For his doctoral thesis of 1908, for which he was directed by the scholar Gustave Lanson
, he studied the French-born writer and academic Benjamin Constant
, and the result was regarded as a major contribution to scholarship relating to Constant. After a period teaching at the Sorbonne, Rudler moved to Bedford College (now part of Royal Holloway, University of London
) in 1913 as professor of French. Apart from military service during the First World War, he spent the remainder of his academic life in England. In 1920, he was appointed as the first Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
at the University of Oxford
, and was also made a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
. He was regarded as a devoted teacher, lecturing in French and asking questions of his audience that had to be answered in French. Retiring in 1949, he returned to Paris, where he died on 17 October 1957.
, with editions of works by Jean Racine
and Molière
. He was the co-founder and first editor of the French Quarterly, a periodical that ran from 1919 to 1932 which was the first English-language periodical covering French literature.
Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
The Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature in the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford was founded in 1918. Basil Zaharoff, a Greek-born French arms trader and financier, gave £25,000 to the university to establish the chair and to support French studies in...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
from 1920 until 1949.
Life
Gustave Rudler was born in BesançonBesançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, France; his father taught at the local lycée. Rudler studied in Paris at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
and the École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
and, after graduating, taught rhetoric at various lycées including Louis-le-Grand. For his doctoral thesis of 1908, for which he was directed by the scholar Gustave Lanson
Gustave Lanson
Gustave Lanson was a French historian and literary critic. He taught at the Sorbonne in Paris.-Biography:...
, he studied the French-born writer and academic Benjamin Constant
Benjamin Constant
Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque was a Swiss-born French nobleman, thinker, writer and politician.-Biography:...
, and the result was regarded as a major contribution to scholarship relating to Constant. After a period teaching at the Sorbonne, Rudler moved to Bedford College (now part of Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
) in 1913 as professor of French. Apart from military service during the First World War, he spent the remainder of his academic life in England. In 1920, he was appointed as the first Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
The Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature in the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford was founded in 1918. Basil Zaharoff, a Greek-born French arms trader and financier, gave £25,000 to the university to establish the chair and to support French studies in...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and was also made a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
. He was regarded as a devoted teacher, lecturing in French and asking questions of his audience that had to be answered in French. Retiring in 1949, he returned to Paris, where he died on 17 October 1957.
Scholarship
Rudler was heavily influenced by Lanson's work and approach to literary criticism, and this was displayed in some of his work such as books on textual criticism published in 1902 and 1923. This approach was not to all tastes, and his influence in Britain led to a "scientific" approach to the study of French that was not appreciated by all. Rudler published extensively on the life and work of Constant, but also on the historian Jules MicheletJules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
, with editions of works by Jean Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
and Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
. He was the co-founder and first editor of the French Quarterly, a periodical that ran from 1919 to 1932 which was the first English-language periodical covering French literature.