M. C. Bradbrook
Encyclopedia
Muriel Clara Bradbrook was a British
literary scholar and authority on Shakespeare. She was Professor of English
at the University of Cambridge
, and Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge
.
Muriel Bradbrook was the eldest child of Samuel Bradbrook, superintendent of HM
water guard, and his wife, Annie Wilson, née Harvey. She was educated at Hutcheson’s Girls’ School, Glasgow
, and Oldershaw High School, Wallasey
. She went to Girton College and read English at University of Cambridge
between 1927 and 1930, achieving First Class honours in both parts of the Cambridge Tripos
. She remained at Girton College as a Carlisle Scholar and subsequently as an Ottilie Hancock Research Fellow between 1930 and 1935, obtaining her PhD
in 1933. She spent a year at University of Oxford
before returning to Girton College as Lecturer in English and Fellow in 1936. She remained in Cambridge
apart from a period working in London
for the Board of Trade during the Second World War. By that time she had already published five major works of literary criticism
and throughout the 1950s and 60s she continued to publish on Shakespeare and the Elizabethans. In all, she wrote some seventeen books, including works on Ibsen, Lowry
and Conrad
. She was appointed a University Lecturer by University of Cambridge in 1948, a Reader in 1962, and Professor of English in 1965 (the first female professor in the Faculty of English). She held visiting professorships at numerous universities, including Santa Cruz
, Tokyo
, and Rhodes
, South Africa
, and received honorary degrees from many more. During her period of office as Mistress, Girton College celebrated its centenary (for which she wrote a history, That Infidel Place ) and the decision was taken to admit men. She retired in 1976 and became a Life Fellow of Girton College.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
literary scholar and authority on Shakespeare. She was Professor of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
.
Muriel Bradbrook was the eldest child of Samuel Bradbrook, superintendent of HM
Majesty
Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin maiestas, meaning "greatness".- Origin :Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas was the legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state, to be respected above everything else...
water guard, and his wife, Annie Wilson, née Harvey. She was educated at Hutcheson’s Girls’ School, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and Oldershaw High School, Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
. She went to Girton College and read English at University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
between 1927 and 1930, achieving First Class honours in both parts of the Cambridge Tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
. She remained at Girton College as a Carlisle Scholar and subsequently as an Ottilie Hancock Research Fellow between 1930 and 1935, obtaining her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1933. She spent a year at 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...
before returning to Girton College as Lecturer in English and Fellow in 1936. She remained in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
apart from a period working in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the Board of Trade during the Second World War. By that time she had already published five major works of literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
and throughout the 1950s and 60s she continued to publish on Shakespeare and the Elizabethans. In all, she wrote some seventeen books, including works on Ibsen, Lowry
Malcolm Lowry
Clarence Malcolm Lowry was an English poet and novelist who was best known for his novel Under the Volcano, which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.-Biography:...
and Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
. She was appointed a University Lecturer by University of Cambridge in 1948, a Reader in 1962, and Professor of English in 1965 (the first female professor in the Faculty of English). She held visiting professorships at numerous universities, including Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
, Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
, and Rhodes
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and received honorary degrees from many more. During her period of office as Mistress, Girton College celebrated its centenary (for which she wrote a history, That Infidel Place ) and the decision was taken to admit men. She retired in 1976 and became a Life Fellow of Girton College.
Works
- Elizabethan Stage Conditions: A Study of Their Place in the Interpretation of Shakespeare's Plays (1932)
- Themes and Conventions of Elizabethan Tragedy (1935)
- The School of Night: A Study in the Literature Relationships of Sir Walter Raleigh (1936)
- Andrew Marvell (1940) with M. G. Lloyd Thomas
- Joseph Conrad: Poland's English Genius (1941)
- Ibsen - The Norwegian : A Revaluation (1946)
- T. S. Eliot (1950)
- Shakespeare and Elizabethan Poetry: A Study of His Earlier Work in Relation to the Poetry of the Time (1951)
- Themes & Convention of Elizabethan Tragedy (1952)
- The Queen's Garland : Tudor Poems Now Collected in Honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1953) editor
- The Growth and Structure of Elizabethan Comedy (1955)
- Sir Thomas Malory (1958)
- The Rise of the Common Player: A Study of Actor and Society in Shakespeare's England (1962)
- English Dramatic Form: A History of Its Development (1965)
- Shakespeare's Primitive Art (1965)
- The Tragic Pageant of 'Timon of Athens' (1966)
- That Infidel Place - a Short History of Girton College 1869 – 1969 (1969)
- Shakespeare the Craftsman (1969) Clark Lectures 1968
- Literature in Action: Studies in Continental and Commonwealth Society (1972)
- T.S. Eliot: the Making of 'The Waste Land' (1972)
- Malcolm Lowry: His art and Early Life - a study in transformation (1974)
- The Living Monument : Shakespeare and the Theatre of His Time (1976)
- George Chapman (1977)
- Shakespeare : The Poet in His World (1978)
- In defence of Plato's love in modern literature (1979)
- John Webster, Citizen and Dramatist (1980)
- The Artist and Society in Shakespeare's England (1982) Collected Papers I
- Women and Literature 1779-1982 (1982) Collected Papers II
- Aspects of Dramatic Form in the English and Irish Renaissance (1983) Collected Papers III
- Muriel Bradbrook on Shakespeare (1984)
- Shakespeare in His Context : The Constellated Globe. (1989) Collected Papers IV
Portraits of Muriel Bradbrook
- Portrait by Bassano, 9 January 1969, National Portrait Gallery, London.
- Portrait by Bassano, 9 January 1969, National Portrait Gallery, London.
- Portrait by Mayotte MagnusMayotte MagnusMayotte Magnus is a French-born photographer and Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. She has exhibited at the Fonds national d'art contemporain , the National Portrait Gallery and the Institute of Contemporary Arts ....
, August 1976, National Portrait Gallery, London.
External links
- M. C. Bradbrook, 84, Shakespeare Scholar, Obituary, The New York Times, June 21, 1993. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE4D91731F932A15755C0A965958260
- Official website of Girton College, University of Cambridge. http://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/