Kenneth G. T. Webster
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Grant Tremayne Webster (1871 – 1942) was a Canadian-born American
literary scholar. He was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
, and was educated at Dalhousie University
, graduating in 1892. He then took another undergraduate degree at Harvard University
, followed by a master's and doctorate
there, after which he was immediately offered a faculty
position at the institution. Influenced by Archibald MacMechan
he became a medievalist and Arthurian
scholar, with an interest in castle
s.
Webster was also a restore
r of historic houses. They include the Barnard Capen House from the early seventeenth century in Dorchester, Massachusetts
, which he moved to its current site in Milton, Massachusetts
in 1913, and the eighteenth century Ross-Thompson House in Shelburne, Nova Scotia
, which he bought in 1932 to save it from demolition, and is now a museum.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
literary scholar. He was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
, and was educated at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, graduating in 1892. He then took another undergraduate degree at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, followed by a master's and doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
there, after which he was immediately offered a faculty
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
position at the institution. Influenced by Archibald MacMechan
Archibald MacMechan
Archibald McKellar MacMechan FRSC was a Canadian academic at Dalhousie University and writer. His works deal mainly with Nova Scotia and its history. The Halifax Disaster was an official history of the Halifax Explosion.Born in Kitchener, Ontario, he is credited with reviving Hermann Melville's...
he became a medievalist and Arthurian
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
scholar, with an interest in castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s.
Webster was also a restore
Restore
Restore may refer to:*Restoration *ReStore - Retail building supply stores run by local Habitat for Humanity affiliates...
r of historic houses. They include the Barnard Capen House from the early seventeenth century in Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
, which he moved to its current site in Milton, Massachusetts
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...
in 1913, and the eighteenth century Ross-Thompson House in Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Shelburne is a town located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Shelburne County.-History:-Settlers:...
, which he bought in 1932 to save it from demolition, and is now a museum.
Works
- Chief British poets of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries (1916) editor with William Allan NeilsonWilliam Allan NeilsonWilliam Allan Neilson was a Scottish-American educator, writer and lexicographer. He was president of Smith College between 1917 and 1939....
- Sir Gawain & The Green Knight: Piers the Ploughman (1917) translator with William Alan Nielson
- LanzeletLanzeletLanzelet is a medieval romance written by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven after 1194. It is the first treatment of the Lancelot tradition in German, and contains the earliest known account of the hero's childhood with the Lady of the Lake in any language. The poem consists of about 9,400 lines arranged in...
: A Romance of Lancelot by Ulrich Von ZatzikhovenUlrich von ZatzikhovenUlrich von Zatzikhoven was the author of the Middle High German Arthurian romance Lanzelet.Ulrich's name and his place of origin are only known definitively from the work itself...
(1951) - GuinevereGuinevereGuinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
: A Study of Her Abductions (1951)