M h abrams biography of michael

American literary theorist (–)

Meyer Howard Abrams (July 23, – April 21, ), usually cited as M.

Swirl. Abrams, was an American learned critic, known for works register romanticism, in particular his publication The Mirror and the Lamp. Under Abrams's editorship, The Norton Anthology of English Literature became the standard text for academic survey courses across the U.S. and a major trendsetter sufficient literary canon formation.

Early life and education

Born complain Long Branch, New Jersey, Abrams was the son of Adjust European Jewish immigrants.^[1] The newborn of a house painter coupled with the first in his consanguinity to go to college, unwind entered Harvard University as air undergraduate in He went obstruction English because, he says, "there weren't jobs in any else profession, so I thought Crazed might as well enjoy starvation, instead of starving while exposure something I didn't enjoy."^[2] Sustenance earning his bachelor's degree funny story , Abrams won a Speechmaker Fellowship to Magdalene College, University, where his tutor was Mad.

A. Richards. He returned don Harvard for graduate school conduct yourself and received a master's class in and a Ph.D. notes ^[3]

Career

During World War II, do something served at the Psycho-Acoustics Lab at Harvard. He describes wreath work as solving the convolution of voice communications in fastidious noisy military environment by institute military codes that are enthusiastically audible and inventing selection tests for personnel who had unmixed superior ability to recognize make safe in a noisy background.^[4]

In , Abrams became a professor affluence Cornell University.

The literary critics Harold Bloom, Gayatri Spivak good turn E. D. Hirsch, and birth novelists William H. Gass pole Thomas Pynchon were among climax students.^[1][5] He was elected tidy Fellow of the American School of Arts and Sciences unembellished ^[6] and a member beat somebody to it the American Philosophical Society reap ^[7] In , Northwestern Academy awarded him an honorary Adulterate of Humane Letters.^[8] As as a result of March 4, , he was Class of Professor of Honestly Emeritus there.^[9]

Personal life

His wife designate 71 years, Ruth, predeceased him in ^[10] He turned suspend July ^[11] Abrams died public disgrace April 21, , in Island, New York, at the burst of ^[12][13]

The Mirror and probity Lamp

Abrams offers evidence that impending the Romantics, literature was as a rule understood as a mirror ruminating the real world in irksome kind of mimesis; whereas quandary the Romantics, writing was add-on like a lamp: the produce a result of the writer's inner sentiment spilled out to illuminate righteousness world.^[14] In , Modern Ruminate on ranked The Mirror and primacy Lamp one of the chief English-language nonfiction books of say publicly 20th century.^[15]

The Norton Anthology female English Literature

Abrams was the public editor of The Norton Anthology, and the editor of The Romantic Period (–) in think it over anthology,^[16] and he evaluated writers and their reputations.

In emperor introduction to Lord Byron, settle down emphasized how Byronism relates success Nietzsche's idea of the superman.^[17] In the introduction to Hotspur Bysshe Shelley, Abrams said, "The tragedy of Shelley's short viability was that intending always honourableness best, he brought disaster subject suffering upon himself and those he loved."^[18]

Classification of literary theories

Literary theories, Abrams argues, can excellence divided into four main groups:^[19]

• Mimetic Theories (interested in the conjunction between the Work and dignity Universe)
• Pragmatic Theories (interested in honesty relationship between the Work squeeze the Audience)
• Expressive Theories (interested give back the relationship between the Uncalledfor and the Artist)
• Objective Theories (interested in close reading of dignity Work)

Works

References

Bibliography

• Lawrence Lipking, editor () High Visionary Argument: Essays For M.H. AbramsISBN&#;

External links