Lionel Charles Knights
Encyclopedia
Lionel Charles Knights was an English literary critic, an authority on Shakespeare and his period. His essay How many children had Lady Macbeth? (1933) is a classic of modern criticism. He became King Edward VII Professor of English Literature
at the University of Cambridge
in 1965.
. He was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge
, where he read History and English, graduating in 1928.
, the literary journal of F. R. Leavis
's school, from May 15 1932 to 1953 when it ceased publication.
He was an English lecturer at the University of Manchester
in 1933, then Professor of English Literature at the University of Sheffield
in 1947 and the Winterstoke Professor of English at University of Bristol
in 1953. From 1965-73, he was King Edward VII Professor of English Literature
at the University of Cambridge
.
.
King Edward VII Professor of English Literature
The King Edward VII Professorship of English Literature is one of the senior professorships in literature at the University of Cambridge, and was founded by a donation from Sir Harold Harmsworth in 1910 in memory of King Edward VII who had died earlier that year.-King Edward VII Professors:* Arthur...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1965.
Early life
He was born and went to school in GranthamGrantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
. He was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
, where he read History and English, graduating in 1928.
Literary career
He was a co-editor of ScrutinyScrutiny (journal)
Scrutiny: A Quarterly Review was a literature periodical founded in 1932 by F. R. Leavis, who remained its principal editor until the final issue in 1953...
, the literary journal of F. R. Leavis
F. R. Leavis
Frank Raymond "F. R." Leavis CH was an influential British literary critic of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. He taught for nearly his entire career at Downing College, Cambridge.-Early life:...
's school, from May 15 1932 to 1953 when it ceased publication.
He was an English lecturer at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
in 1933, then Professor of English Literature at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
in 1947 and the Winterstoke Professor of English at University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
in 1953. From 1965-73, he was King Edward VII Professor of English Literature
King Edward VII Professor of English Literature
The King Edward VII Professorship of English Literature is one of the senior professorships in literature at the University of Cambridge, and was founded by a donation from Sir Harold Harmsworth in 1910 in memory of King Edward VII who had died earlier that year.-King Edward VII Professors:* Arthur...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Personal life
He married Elizabeth Barnes in 1936. They had a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Frances. Knights died in DurhamDurham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
.
Works
- How Many Children Had Lady Macbeth. An Essay in the Theory and Practice of Shakespeare Criticism (1933) http://www.clicknotes.com/macbeth/KnightsLC.html
- Drama & Society in the Age of Jonson (1937)
- Explorations: Essays in Criticism Mainly On the Literature of the Seventeenth Century (1946)
- Poetry, Politics and the English Tradition (1954)
- Some Shakespearean Themes (1959)
- An Approach to 'Hamlet' (1960)
- Shakespeare: The Histories (1962)
- Further Explorations (1965)
- Public Voices: Literature and Politics With Special Reference to the Seventeenth Century (1971)
- Coleridge's Variety: Bicentennial Studies (1974) editor with John BeerJohn BeerJohn Bernard Beer, FBA is a British literary critic. He is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Best known as a scholar and critic of Romantic poets – especially William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and William Wordsworth...
- Explorations 3: Essays in Criticism (1976)
- Selected Essays in Criticism (1981)
- Regulated Hatred and Other Essays on Jane Austen, with D. W. Harding and Monica Lawlor