Gerald Eades Bentley

Gerald Eades Bentley

Gerald Eades Bentley (September 15, 1901 – July 25, 1994) was an American academic and literary scholar, best remembered for his "The Jacobean and Caroline Stage," published by Oxford University Press in seven volumes between 1941 and 1968. That work, modeled on the classic four-volume work "The Elizabethan Stage" by Edmund Kerchever Chambers, has itself become a standard and essential reference work on English Renaissance theatre.

Bentley was born in Brazil, Indiana, the son of a Methodist clergyman. Originally intending to be a creative writer, he changed his career to literary scholarship during his graduate studies. He earned his B.A. at DePauw University (1923), his M.A. in English at the University of Illinois (1926), and his Ph.D. at the University of London (1929), studying under Allardyce Nicoll. Bentley taught at the University of Chicago from 1929-1945 before serving as Murray Professor of English at Princeton University from 1945 until his retirement in 1970.

In addition to his "Jacobean and Caroline Stage," Bentley wrote a wide range of works on Shakepeare and other figures of the English Renaissance. His essay "Shakespeare and the Blackfriars Theatre," originally published in the inaugural issue of the "Shakespeare Survey" in 1948, has been widely reprinted. Bentley edited several works for modern editions, including "Othello," "The Alchemist," and the 1577 text "The Art of Angling."

Bentley was married to Esther Felt, a significant colleague in his scholarly work, from 1927 until her death in 1961. In 1965, he married Ellen Voigt Stern, who died in 1990. Bentley's son and namesake, Gerald Eades Bentley Jr., became a noted literary scholar in his own right, specializing in the career and works of William Blake.

G. E. Bentley: selected works

* "Shakespeare and Jonson: Their Reputations in the Seventeenth Century Compared" (1945)
* "Shakespeare: A Biographical Handbook" (1961)
* "Shakespeare and His Theatre" (1964)
* "The Profession of Dramatist in Shakespeare's Time, 1590–1642" (1971)

ee also

* Joseph Quincy Adams
* E. K. Chambers
* R. W. Chambers
* W. W. Greg
* Andrew Gurr
* Alfred Harbage
* Cyrus Hoy
* Kenneth Muir
* T. M. Parrott
* Alfred W. Pollard
* Samuel Schoenbaum
* E. M. Thompson
* Charles William Wallace
* John Dover Wilson

References

* Frye, Roland Mushat. "Gerald Eades Bentley" (obituary). "Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society," Vol. 140, No. 1 (March 1996), pp. 78-85.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Blake — Infobox Writer name = William Blake caption = William Blake in an 1807 portrait by Thomas Phillips. birthdate = birth date|df=yes|1757|11|28 birthplace = London, England deathdate = death date and age|df=yes|1827|08|12|1757|11|28 deathplace =… …   Wikipedia

  • Fortune Playhouse — The Fortune Playhouse is the name of an historic theatre in London. It was located between Whitecross Street and the modern Golden Lane, just outside the City of London. It was founded about 1600, and suppressed by the Puritan Parliament in… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Glapthorne — (baptised July 28, 1610 ndash; died in or after 1643) was a Caroline era dramatist.Glapthorne was baptized in Cambridgeshire, the son of Thomas Glapthorne and Faith nee Hatcliff. His father was a bailiff of Lady Hatton, the wife of Sir Edward… …   Wikipedia

  • Collaborative fiction — This article is about collaborative writing of fiction. For collaborative writing in a technical or academic sense, see collaborative editing. Collaborative fiction is a form of writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a story …   Wikipedia

  • Love's Cure — Love s Cure, or The Martial Maid is an early seventeenth century stage play, a comedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. First published in the Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647, it is the subject of broad dispute and… …   Wikipedia

  • theatre, Western — ▪ art Introduction       history of the Western theatre from its origins in pre Classical antiquity to the present.       For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature and the articles on individual national literatures.… …   Universalium

  • The Fairy Knight — The Fairy Knight, or Oberon the Second is an early Stuart era stage play, a comedy of uncertain and problematic authorship. Never published in its historical period, the play existed only in a manuscript, which is now MS. 46.1 in the collection… …   Wikipedia

  • D. W. Robertson, Jr. — External images Photo of D.W. Robertson, Jr. from Princeton Alumni Weekly October 21 1998 Durant Waite Robertson, Jr., (Washington, D …   Wikipedia

  • William Beeston — (1606? ndash; 1682) was a 17th century actor and theatre manager, the son and successor to the more famous Christopher Beeston.Early phaseWilliam was raised in the theatrical world of his father; he became an actor, and also his father s… …   Wikipedia

  • Queen Henrietta's Men — was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta s Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King s Men.BeginningsThe company was formed in 1625, at the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”