Roger Sale
Encyclopedia
Roger Sale is an American
literary critic and author. He spent most of his career as a professor
of English at the University of Washington
. He is now retired from professional teaching.
is most evident in his work on children's literature
. Prior to his work in the 1960s and 1970s, few professional critics chose to take children's literature seriously, but Sale argued that it could and ought to be given the same respect and scrutiny as adult fiction. In 1978, he published a book entitled Fairy Tales and After, which is essentially a collection of essays defending the literary value of children's literature, and then offering his critical perspective on authors from A. A. Milne
to Rudyard Kipling
to Beatrix Potter
.
Sale is also credited with being among the first literary critics to seriously discuss the work of J. R. R. Tolkien
(which had been largely dismissed as "juvenile" and unworthy of analysis by most prominent critics, most notably Lionel Trilling
). His essay "Tolkien and Frodo Baggins
" appeared in Tolkien and the Critics (ed. by Neal Isaacs and Rose Zimbardo) in 1968.
by E. L. Doctorow
and Dispatches
by Michael Herr
.
In an entirely different field, Sale served as an occasional columnist for the Seattle Weekly
, an alternative newspaper, covering the Seattle SuperSonics
' season and playoff performance.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
literary critic and author. He spent most of his career as a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. He is now retired from professional teaching.
Children's literature
Sale's influence on literary criticismLiterary 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...
is most evident in his work on children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. Prior to his work in the 1960s and 1970s, few professional critics chose to take children's literature seriously, but Sale argued that it could and ought to be given the same respect and scrutiny as adult fiction. In 1978, he published a book entitled Fairy Tales and After, which is essentially a collection of essays defending the literary value of children's literature, and then offering his critical perspective on authors from A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
to Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
to Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
.
Sale is also credited with being among the first literary critics to seriously discuss the work of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
(which had been largely dismissed as "juvenile" and unworthy of analysis by most prominent critics, most notably Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling was an American literary critic, author, and teacher. With wife Diana Trilling, he was a member of the New York Intellectuals and contributor to the Partisan Review. Although he did not establish a school of literary criticism, he is one of the leading U.S...
). His essay "Tolkien and Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
" appeared in Tolkien and the Critics (ed. by Neal Isaacs and Rose Zimbardo) in 1968.
Work as a journalist
Sale contributed frequently to the New York Review of Books in the 1970s -- he wrote 39 reviews and articles for that publication from 1971 to 1983, and offered his critical opinion of such now-notable books as RagtimeRagtime (novel)
Ragtime is a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. This work of historical fiction is primarily set in the New York City area from about 1900 until the United States entry into World War I in 1917...
by E. L. Doctorow
E. L. Doctorow
Edgar Lawrence Doctorow is an American author.- Biography :Edgar Lawrence Doctorow was born in the Bronx, New York City, the son of second-generation Americans of Russian Jewish descent...
and Dispatches
Dispatches (book)
Dispatches is a New Journalism book by Michael Herr that describes the author's experiences in Vietnam as a war correspondent for Esquire magazine. First published in 1977, Dispatches was one of the first pieces of American literature that allowed Americans to understand the experiences of soldiers...
by Michael Herr
Michael Herr
Michael Herr is a writer and former war correspondent, best known as the author of Dispatches , a memoir of his time as a correspondent for Esquire magazine during the Vietnam War...
.
In an entirely different field, Sale served as an occasional columnist for the Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
, an alternative newspaper, covering the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
' season and playoff performance.
Work as a historian
Surprisingly, although Sale's training and life's work focused on English literature, he is today perhaps best known as the author of a book of history -- specifically Seattle: Past and Present.Works
- Modern Heroism: Essays on D. H. Lawrence, William Empson and J.R.R. Tolkien, 1973
- On Not Being Good Enough: Writings of a Working Critic, 1979
- Closer to Home: Writers and Places in England, 1780-1830, 1986