John Sutherland
Encyclopedia
John Andrew Sutherland is an English
academic, emeritus professor, newspaper columnist and author.
John Sutherland is now Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London
. After graduating from the University of Leicester
in 1964, he began his academic career as an assistant lecturer in Edinburgh
. He specialises in Victorian
fiction
, 20th century literature, and the history of publishing. One of his most serious works of scholarship is the 1989 Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction (in the US as Stanford Companion), a comprehensive encyclopedia of Victorian fiction. A second edition was published in 2009 with 900 biographical entries, synopses of over 600 novels, and extensive background material on publishers, reviewers and readers.
Apart from writing regularly in The Guardian
newspaper, Sutherland has published eighteen books and is editing the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Popular Fiction. The series of books which starts with Is Heathcliff a murderer? has brought him a wide readership. The books in the series are collections of essays. Each essay takes a piece of classic fiction, almost always from the Victorian period. Carefully going over every word of the text, Sutherland highlights apparent inconsistencies, anachronisms and oversights, and explains references which the modern reader is likely to overlook. In some cases he demonstrates the likelihood that the author simply forgot a minor detail. In others, apparent slips on the part of the author are presented as evidence that something is going on beyond the surface of the book which is not explicitly described (such as his explanation for why Sherlock Holmes
should mis-address Miss Stoner as Miss Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band
").
In 2001, he published Last Drink to LA, a moving chronicle of his alcoholism
and his return to sobriety.
In 2005, he was involved in Dot Mobile
's project to translate summaries and quotes of classic literature into text messaging shorthand. In the same year he was also Chair of Judges for the Booker Prize.
In 2007 he published an autobiography: The Boy Who Loved Books: A Memoir and his annotated edition of Robert Louis Stevenson
's The Black Arrow was released by Penguin Books
.
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....
academic, emeritus professor, newspaper columnist and author.
John Sutherland is now Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. After graduating from the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
in 1964, he began his academic career as an assistant lecturer in 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...
. He specialises in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, 20th century literature, and the history of publishing. One of his most serious works of scholarship is the 1989 Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction (in the US as Stanford Companion), a comprehensive encyclopedia of Victorian fiction. A second edition was published in 2009 with 900 biographical entries, synopses of over 600 novels, and extensive background material on publishers, reviewers and readers.
Apart from writing regularly in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper, Sutherland has published eighteen books and is editing the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Popular Fiction. The series of books which starts with Is Heathcliff a murderer? has brought him a wide readership. The books in the series are collections of essays. Each essay takes a piece of classic fiction, almost always from the Victorian period. Carefully going over every word of the text, Sutherland highlights apparent inconsistencies, anachronisms and oversights, and explains references which the modern reader is likely to overlook. In some cases he demonstrates the likelihood that the author simply forgot a minor detail. In others, apparent slips on the part of the author are presented as evidence that something is going on beyond the surface of the book which is not explicitly described (such as his explanation for why Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
should mis-address Miss Stoner as Miss Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the eighth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It is one of four Sherlock Holmes stories that can be classified as a locked...
").
In 2001, he published Last Drink to LA, a moving chronicle of his alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and his return to sobriety.
In 2005, he was involved in Dot Mobile
Dot Mobile
Dot Mobile Limited was a mobile virtual network operator in the UK, founded in 2005, which used the Vodafone network. The business was aimed at students. It entered administration on 18 March 2008....
's project to translate summaries and quotes of classic literature into text messaging shorthand. In the same year he was also Chair of Judges for the Booker Prize.
In 2007 he published an autobiography: The Boy Who Loved Books: A Memoir and his annotated edition of Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's The Black Arrow was released by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
.
Partial bibliography
- The Boy Who Loved Books: A Memoir, ISBN 978-0-7195-64314, 2007, John Murray.
- Is Heathcliff a Murderer? Puzzles in nineteenth-century fiction, ISBN 0-19-282516-X 1996, OUP
- Can Jane EyreJane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
be happy? More Puzzles in Classic Fiction, ISBN 0-19-283309-X, 1997, OUP - Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? Further puzzles in Classic Fiction 1999, OUP
- (With Cedric Watts) Henry V, War Criminal? & Other Shakespeare Puzzles, ISBN 0-19-283879-2, 2000 OUP
- Last Drink to LA, ISBN 978-0571208555, 2001, Faber & Faber
- The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction, 2nd Edition, 2009, ISBN 978-1408203903