Herbert John Clifford Grierson
Encyclopedia
Sir Herbert John Clifford Grierson (1866–1960; often referred to as Herbert J. C. Grierson) was a Scottish literary scholar editor and literary critic.
, Shetland, on January 16, 1866; d. Feb. 19, 1960, Cambridge, the son of Andrew John Grierson and his wife, Alice Geraldine De (née Clifford) Grierson. In 1896 he married Mary Letitia (née Ogston) Grierson, dau. of Sir Alexander Ogston, Professor of Surgery at Aberdeen.
He was educated at King's College
, University of Aberdeen
and Christ Church, Oxford
. On graduating from the latter he was appointed Professor of English Literature
at his Aberdeen alma mater
, where he taught from 1894 to 1915, and subsequently became Knight Professor of English Literature at the University of Edinburgh
(1915–1935).
He is credited with promoting interest in the Metaphysical Poets
, especially John Donne
, a revival more commonly attributed to T. S. Eliot
. His special field of research was English
poetry of the 17th century, but he was also interested in Walter Scott
.
He lived at 12 Regent Terrace
, Edinburgh from 1913 to 1953.
Life and work
He was born in LerwickLerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, Shetland, on January 16, 1866; d. Feb. 19, 1960, Cambridge, the son of Andrew John Grierson and his wife, Alice Geraldine De (née Clifford) Grierson. In 1896 he married Mary Letitia (née Ogston) Grierson, dau. of Sir Alexander Ogston, Professor of Surgery at Aberdeen.
He was educated at King's College
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...
, University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. On graduating from the latter he was appointed Professor of English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at his Aberdeen alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, where he taught from 1894 to 1915, and subsequently became Knight Professor of English Literature at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
(1915–1935).
He is credited with promoting interest in the 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...
, especially 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,...
, a revival more commonly attributed to T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
. His special field of research was English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poetry of the 17th century, but he was also interested in Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
.
He lived at 12 Regent Terrace
Regent Terrace
Regent Terrace is a residential street of 34 classical 3-bay townhouses built on the tail of Calton Hill in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Regent Terrace is within the Edinburgh New and Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1995.- Houses :...
, Edinburgh from 1913 to 1953.
Works
- The First Half of the Seventeenth Century (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906); author. Vol. VII of series called, Periods of European Literature, ed. Professor Saintsbury
- The English Parnassus (1909) anthology of longer poems, editor with W. MacNeile Dixon
- Poems of TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
(1910) - The Poems of John DonneJohn DonneJohn 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,...
2 vols. (Oxford UP, 1912) editor - Metaphysical Lyrics & Poems of the Seventeenth Century: Donne to Butler (1921)
- Don Quixote: Some War-time Reflections on Its Character and Influence (1921) pamphlet
- William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
's Designs for Gray's Poems (1922) - Poems of Lord Byron (1923)
- The Background Of English Literature and Other Collected Essays & Addresses (1925)
- Lyrical Poetry from Blake to Hardy (1928, Hogarth PressHogarth PressThe Hogarth Press was founded in 1917 by Leonard Woolf and Virginia Woolf. It was named after their house in Richmond, in which they began hand-printing books....
) - Cross-Currents in 17th Century English Literature (1929)
- The Flute, with Other Translations and a Poem (Samson Press, 1931)
- Sir Walter ScottWalter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
: Broadcast Lectures to the Young (1932) - Sir Walter Scott To-Day: Some Retrospective Essays and Studie s (1932) editor
- The Letters of Sir Walter Scott (from 1932) editor
- CarlyleThomas CarlyleThomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
and Hitler (1933) Adamson Lecture in the University of ManchesterUniversity of ManchesterThe University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
(1930) - Oxford Book of Seventeenth Century Verse (1934) editor with G. Bullough (1934)
- MiltonJohn MiltonJohn Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
and WordsworthWilliam WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
(1937) - The English Bible (1943)
- A Critical History of English Poetry (1944) with J. C. Smith
- The Personal Note, an Anthology of First and Last Words (1946) editor with Sandys Watson
- Criticism and Creation With Some other Essays (1949)
- SwinburneSwinburneSwinburne may refer to:* A place:**Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia**Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus in Kuching, Malaysia**Swinburne Senior Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia...
(1953)