David Greetham (textual scholar) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Greetham
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David Greetham
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| Born | October 21, 1941 |
| Died | March 24, 2020 (aged 78) |
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| Academic work | |
| School or tradition | Textual scholarship |
| Institutions | The Graduate Center, CUNY |
David Greetham (born October 21, 1941 – died March 24, 2020) was an American literary critic. He was also the person who started the Society for Textual Scholarship.
About David Greetham's Work
David Greetham studied literature and how texts are made. He earned his first degree from the University of Oxford in 1963. Later, he completed his Ph.D. in English at the City University of New York.
Greetham was very interested in texts that were not simple. He liked to study writings that existed in many different versions. He also looked at how texts connected to other stories or ideas. He believed that a text was not always "fixed" or unchanging.
He thought about how old documents and books should be prepared for new readers. Some people believe editors should find the author's exact original idea. Others think texts are shaped by society. Greetham tried to find a middle ground. He wanted to create a reliable version of a text. But he also understood that there could be more than one "correct" version.
In his later work, Greetham changed his ideas a bit. He moved away from thinking an editor could know the author's true intentions. Instead, he saw editing as a way to think about the ideas behind how scholars work.
David Greetham passed away on March 24, 2020, at the age of 78, after a long illness.
The Society for Textual Scholarship
David Greetham was one of the people who helped create the Society for Textual Scholarship. This group was started in 1979. He was also the President of the Society from 1999 to 2001.
The Society for Textual Scholarship is a place where people from different fields can share their research. They study texts from many different areas. Important past members include G. Thomas Tanselle and Jerome McGann.
Books by David Greetham
Here are some of the books David Greetham wrote:
- The Pleasures of Contamination (2010)
- Theories of the Text (1999)
- Textual Transgressions: Essays Toward the Construction of a Biobibliography (1998)
- The Margins of the Text: Editorial Theory and Literary Criticism (1997)
- Scholarly Editing: A Guide to Research (1995)
- Textual Scholarship: An Introduction (1992)
- TEXT: An Interdisciplinary Annual of Textual Studies (1984)
