Ralph Leigh
Encyclopedia
Ralph Alexander Leigh CBE
FBA (6 January 1915 – 22 December 1987) was a modern languages scholar, Fellow
of Trinity College, Cambridge
, and Professor of French in the University of Cambridge
from 1973 to 1982, later Sandars Reader in Bibliography, in 1986–87. He specialized in the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
.
Educated at Raine's School for Boys
in Bethnal Green
, Queen Mary College, London, and the University of Paris
(Sorbonne
), he served in the British Army
during the Second World War
from 1941, was commissioned as a Lieutenant
in 1942, promoted Major, 1944, and returned to civilian life in 1946, when he was appointed a lecturer in the Department of French at the University of Edinburgh
. In 1967 he took up a Fulbright Scholarship at Princeton
. From 1969 to 1973 he was a Reader
and Senior Research Fellow in the University of Cambridge
, and in 1973 a Visiting Professor at the Sorbonne.
Between 1965 and 1987 he edited more than forty volumes of the correspondance of Jean Jacques Rousseau, a work still in progress at his death.
Leigh was a Leverhulme Fellow
in 1959–1960, 1970, and 1982–1983. In 1978 he gave a Taylorian Lecture
on 'Rousseau and the Problem of Tolerance in the Eighteenth Century'.
In 1945, Leigh married Edith Helen Kern, who died in 1972. They had one son and one daughter.
Contributor to Modern Language Review
, French Studies,
Revue de littérature comparée, Annales Rousseau, Revue d'Histoire littéraire, Studies on Voltaire and other journals.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FBA (6 January 1915 – 22 December 1987) was a modern languages scholar, Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and Professor of French in 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...
from 1973 to 1982, later Sandars Reader in Bibliography, in 1986–87. He specialized in the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
.
Educated at Raine's School for Boys
Raine's Foundation School
Raine's Foundation School is a Church of England Voluntary Aided school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.Henry Raine, a very rich man who lived in Wapping, decided to create a school where poor children could get an education for free, so that they could go into skilled labour when they left....
in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, Queen Mary College, London, and the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
(Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
), he served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 1941, was commissioned as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1942, promoted Major, 1944, and returned to civilian life in 1946, when he was appointed a lecturer in the Department of French at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1967 he took up a Fulbright Scholarship at Princeton
Princeton
-Princeton, New Jersey:*Borough of Princeton, New Jersey*Princeton Township, New Jersey*Princeton, New Jersey -Other places in New Jersey:*Princeton Junction, New Jersey*Princeton Meadows, New Jersey...
. From 1969 to 1973 he was a Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
and Senior Research Fellow in 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...
, and in 1973 a Visiting Professor at the Sorbonne.
Between 1965 and 1987 he edited more than forty volumes of the correspondance of Jean Jacques Rousseau, a work still in progress at his death.
Leigh was a Leverhulme Fellow
Leverhulme Trust
The Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the will of the First Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, with the instruction that its resources should be used to support "scholarships for the purposes of research and education."...
in 1959–1960, 1970, and 1982–1983. In 1978 he gave a Taylorian Lecture
Taylorian Lecture
The Taylorian Lecture, sometimes referred to as the "Special Taylorian Lecture" or "Taylorian Special Lecture", is a prestigious annual lecture on Modern European Literature, delivered at the Taylor Institution in the University of Oxford since 1889....
on 'Rousseau and the Problem of Tolerance in the Eighteenth Century'.
In 1945, Leigh married Edith Helen Kern, who died in 1972. They had one son and one daughter.
Honours
- Litt. D. (Cambridge) 1968
- Fellow of the British Academy,1969
- Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 1977 - Hon. Doctor, University of NeuchâtelUniversity of NeuchâtelThe University of Neuchâtel is a French-speaking university in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The University has five faculties and more than a dozen institutes, including arts and human sciences, natural sciences, law, economics and theology. The Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences is the largest...
, 1978 - Médaille d'argent de la Ville de Paris, 1978
- Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, 1979
- Hon. Doctor, University of GenevaUniversity of GenevaThe University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
, 1983 - D. Univ. Edinburgh, 1986
Major publications
- Correspondance Complète de Jean Jacques Rousseau, vols. I-XLVI, 1965 to 1987
- Rousseau and the Problem of Tolerance in the XVIIIth Century, (Taylorian LectureTaylorian LectureThe Taylorian Lecture, sometimes referred to as the "Special Taylorian Lecture" or "Taylorian Special Lecture", is a prestigious annual lecture on Modern European Literature, delivered at the Taylor Institution in the University of Oxford since 1889....
for 1978), 1979 - Rousseau after 200 years (ed.), 1982
Contributor to Modern Language Review
Modern Language Review
Modern Language Review is the journal of the Modern Humanities Research Association . It is one of the oldest journals in the field of modern languages. Founded in 1905, it has published more than 3,000 articles and 20,000 book reviews....
, French Studies,
Revue de littérature comparée, Annales Rousseau, Revue d'Histoire littéraire, Studies on Voltaire and other journals.