Albert Stanburrough Cook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Albert Stanburrough Cook
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| Born | March 6, 1853 Montville, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | September 1, 1927 (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Professor at Yale University |
| Known for | Translation and criticism of Old English works |
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Notable work
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The Christ of Cynewulf Judith, an Old English Epic Fragment (crit. ed.) |
Albert Stanburrough Cook (March 6, 1853 – September 1, 1927) was an important American scholar. He was known for studying languages, especially Old English, and for his work as a literary critic. People have called him the most influential American expert on Anglo-Saxon studies during his time.
Contents
His Early Life and Studies
Albert Cook was born in Montville, New Jersey. He was very smart from a young age. At just sixteen, he was already teaching math! He even got an offer to be a chemistry professor in Japan before he went to college, but he said no.
He went to Rutgers College and earned his first degree in 1872. While teaching at Rutgers and Freehold Academy, he also earned his Master of Science degree.
Learning Many Languages
Albert Cook already knew German. From 1877 to 1878, he went to study in Germany. There, he started learning many more languages. These included Latin, Greek, Italian, and Old English.
He returned to the United States and worked at Johns Hopkins University. In 1881, he went to London to study old manuscripts. He looked at writings by a poet named Cynewulf and the Lindisfarne Gospels. This work helped him earn his PhD in 1882 from the University of Jena in Germany.
Becoming a Professor
In 1882, Cook became an English professor at the University of California. He made big changes to how English was taught there. He also made English a required subject for students to get into the university. He even helped prepare many texts for high school students to read.
In 1889, he became the head of English language and literature at Yale University. He stayed at Yale for 32 years until he passed away. During this time, he edited many important English books and wrote a lot of literary criticism.
Supporting Women in Academia
Albert Cook was ahead of his time in some ways. Many people back then had unfair ideas about women studying at university. But Cook supported many female PhD students. This was very rare at the time. Some of these students included Elizabeth Deering Hanscom and Mary Augusta Scott.
His Important Works
Albert Cook's most famous work was in Old English and poetics. Poetics is the study of how poetry is made. He wrote over 300 publications in these areas.
He translated and updated a book called Old English Grammar in 1885. He also edited many old texts. These included Judith (1888), The Christ of Cynewulf (1900), and The Dream of the Rood (1905). He also prepared a book called A First Book in Old English Grammar (1894).
He also edited and added notes to many other important works. These included:
- Philip Sidney's Defense of Poesie (1890)
- Percy Bysshe Shelley's Defense of Poetry (1891)
- Joseph Addison's Criticisms on Paradise Lost (1892)
He also published a book called Higher Study of English in 1906.
Personal Life
Albert Cook was married twice. First, he married Emily Chamberlain in 1886. Later, he married Elizabeth Merrill in 1911. He passed away on September 1, 1927, in New Haven, Connecticut.
