Alvin A. Lee
Encyclopedia
Alvin A. Lee B.A.
, M.A.
, M.Div., Ph.D.
, is a literary critic. The majority of his academic career—some 39 years—was spent at McMaster University
in Hamilton
; he served as President and vice-chancellor
of that university from 1980 to 1990. The McMaster Museum of Art is housed in a building named in his honour because of his work acquiring art for McMaster University. He received honorary doctorates from Victoria University in the University of Toronto
, and from McMaster University, and was made an honorary professor at Beijing University, the University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Heilongjiang University.
His academic interests lie in the fields of Old English literature
, the Bible
and literature
, and literary theory
.
Lee currently serves as the General Editor of the 30-volume Collected Works of Northrop Frye
, being published by the University of Toronto Press (29 volumes in print as of 2011); he has edited two volumes himself, including an annotated edition of Frye's The Great Code. He also wrote the introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics editions of The Great Code and Words with Power. He is perhaps best known for his work on Beowulf
: Gold-Hall and Earth-Dragon: Beowulf as Metaphor (University of Toronto Press). He has written articles, reviews and another book on Old English poetry, The Guest Hall of Eden: Four Essays on the Design of Old English Poetry (Yale University Press), and one on the Canadian poet and playwright, James Reaney
.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, M.Div., Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, is a literary critic. The majority of his academic career—some 39 years—was spent at McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
; he served as President and vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of that university from 1980 to 1990. The McMaster Museum of Art is housed in a building named in his honour because of his work acquiring art for McMaster University. He received honorary doctorates from Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
, and from McMaster University, and was made an honorary professor at Beijing University, the University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Heilongjiang University.
His academic interests lie in the fields of Old English literature
Anglo-Saxon literature
Old English literature encompasses literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period from the 7th century to the Norman Conquest of 1066. These works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles, riddles, and others...
, the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and literary theory
Literary theory
Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of...
.
Lee currently serves as the General Editor of the 30-volume Collected Works of Northrop Frye
Collected Works of Northrop Frye
The project of producing a scholarly, uniform edition of the Collected Works of Northrop Frye grew from modest beginnings in 1993; the project has been funded by grants from the Michael G. DeGroote family through McMaster University, from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of...
, being published by the University of Toronto Press (29 volumes in print as of 2011); he has edited two volumes himself, including an annotated edition of Frye's The Great Code. He also wrote the introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics editions of The Great Code and Words with Power. He is perhaps best known for his work on Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
: Gold-Hall and Earth-Dragon: Beowulf as Metaphor (University of Toronto Press). He has written articles, reviews and another book on Old English poetry, The Guest Hall of Eden: Four Essays on the Design of Old English Poetry (Yale University Press), and one on the Canadian poet and playwright, James Reaney
James Reaney
James Crerar Reaney was an influential Canadian poet, playwright, librettist, and professor, "whose works transform small-town Ontario life into the realm of dream and symbol."...
.