Eugene Goodheart | |
---|---|
Born |
Brooklyn, New York, United States | June 26, 1931
Died | April 9, 2020
Watertown, Massachusetts, United States | (aged 88)
Education |
Columbia University (BA, PhD) University of Virginia (MA) |
Occupation(s) | Literary critic, professor |
Employer | Brandeis University |
Known for | Literary criticism |
Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship (1970) |
Eugene Goodheart (June 26, 1931 – April 9, 2020) was an American literary scholar. He was Edytha Macy Gross Professor of Humanities at Brandeis University from 1983 to 2001. [1]
Goodheart was born on June 26, 1931, in Brooklyn. [2] He received his B.A. from Columbia College, M.A. from the University of Virginia, and Ph.D. from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature in 1953. [1] [3] At Columbia, Goodheart studied under Lionel Trilling. [1]
Goodheart served on the faculty of Bard College, University Chicago, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University, where he was the chairman of the English department. [1]
He joined the Brandeis faculty in 1983 as Edytha Macy Gross Professor of Humanities and served as the chair of its English department. [1] He also directed the Brandeis Center for the Humanities. [2] He authored a number of books on literary theory and criticism as well as political and social commentary. [4] [5] Among his students at Brandeis University was Chinese American writer Ha Jin. [6]
Goodheart received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1970 in literary criticism. [7] He was also a National Humanities Center fellow in 1987–1988. [8] He received an honorary doctorate from the City University of New York in 2014, for his “brilliant and provocative contributions to humanist criticism and scholarship.” [9]
Goodheart died on April 9, 2020, at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts. [2] He was a close friend of Saul Bellow, who also taught at Bard College. [10] According to biographer Zachary Leader, Bellow asked Goodheart on his deathbed, "Was I a man or was I a jerk?" To which Goodheart replied, "You were a good man." [11] [12]
He was married to Wellesley College anthropologist Joan Bamberger until his death. [2] [13]
Eugene Goodheart | |
---|---|
Born |
Brooklyn, New York, United States | June 26, 1931
Died | April 9, 2020
Watertown, Massachusetts, United States | (aged 88)
Education |
Columbia University (BA, PhD) University of Virginia (MA) |
Occupation(s) | Literary critic, professor |
Employer | Brandeis University |
Known for | Literary criticism |
Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship (1970) |
Eugene Goodheart (June 26, 1931 – April 9, 2020) was an American literary scholar. He was Edytha Macy Gross Professor of Humanities at Brandeis University from 1983 to 2001. [1]
Goodheart was born on June 26, 1931, in Brooklyn. [2] He received his B.A. from Columbia College, M.A. from the University of Virginia, and Ph.D. from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature in 1953. [1] [3] At Columbia, Goodheart studied under Lionel Trilling. [1]
Goodheart served on the faculty of Bard College, University Chicago, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University, where he was the chairman of the English department. [1]
He joined the Brandeis faculty in 1983 as Edytha Macy Gross Professor of Humanities and served as the chair of its English department. [1] He also directed the Brandeis Center for the Humanities. [2] He authored a number of books on literary theory and criticism as well as political and social commentary. [4] [5] Among his students at Brandeis University was Chinese American writer Ha Jin. [6]
Goodheart received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1970 in literary criticism. [7] He was also a National Humanities Center fellow in 1987–1988. [8] He received an honorary doctorate from the City University of New York in 2014, for his “brilliant and provocative contributions to humanist criticism and scholarship.” [9]
Goodheart died on April 9, 2020, at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts. [2] He was a close friend of Saul Bellow, who also taught at Bard College. [10] According to biographer Zachary Leader, Bellow asked Goodheart on his deathbed, "Was I a man or was I a jerk?" To which Goodheart replied, "You were a good man." [11] [12]
He was married to Wellesley College anthropologist Joan Bamberger until his death. [2] [13]