James Morwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Morwood
James Morwood at the Ashmolean Museum in February 2017
Born	(1943-11-25)25 November 1943 Belfast, United Kingdom
Died	10 September 2017(2017-09-10) (aged 73) Ouranoupoli, Greece
Occupation	Classicist, author
Years active	1966–2017

James Henry Weldon Morwood (born November 25, 1943 – died September 10, 2017) was an English expert in ancient Greek and Roman studies, also known as a classicist, and an author. He taught at Harrow School, where he led the Classics department. He also taught at Oxford University, where he was a Fellow and Dean at Wadham College.

James Morwood wrote nearly 30 books. These included biographies, translations of ancient texts, and studies about Classical literature. His most famous work is The Oxford Latin Course, which he wrote with Maurice Balme. This course became very popular, especially in the USA, and helped keep the study of ancient Greek and Roman culture alive in schools.

James Morwood's Early Life and School

James Henry Weldon Morwood was born in 1943 in Belfast. He was the second son of James and Kathleen Morwood. His father was a doctor from Belfast, and his mother was from California. They met in New York in 1939 and moved to the UK when World War II began.

James spent his first few years in Ulster. After the war, his family moved to Oxshott in Surrey. He went to Danes Hill preparatory school, where he started learning ancient Greek at age 11. He then won a scholarship to St John's School, Leatherhead. Later, he earned a special scholarship to Peterhouse, Cambridge University. There, he studied Classics and English. He then went to Merton College, Oxford to get his teaching degree.

His Teaching Career

Teaching at Harrow School

James Morwood taught Classics and English at Harrow School from 1966 to 1996. From 1979, he was the Head of Classics. He was also the school librarian. This role helped him find material for his first book, which was about the writer Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Sheridan had attended Harrow School, and some of his old papers were kept there.

Morwood also directed many school plays at Harrow. He inspired many students who later became famous actors. For example, he cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Eliza Doolittle in the play Pygmalion. Cumberbatch was said to have "acted everyone else off the stage." Morwood also supported Richard Curtis in directing a play called The Erpingham Camp. Curtis later said that Morwood's support helped him learn to "push boundaries and to be funny."

Teaching at Oxford University

In 1996, James Morwood moved to Oxford University. He became the Grocyn Lecturer, in charge of teaching languages for the Classics department. He retired from this role in 2003. Also in 1996, he became a Fellow at Wadham College. He taught there and held other important roles. From 2000 to 2006, he was the Dean of Wadham College. He continued to teach students about Greek tragedy, Homer, and writing in ancient Greek.

Morwood was also the president of important groups for Classics teachers. He led the London Association of Classical Teachers from 1995 to 1996. Then, he was president of the Joint Association of Classical Teachers (JACT) from 1999 to 2001.

Greek Summer School

James Morwood was closely involved with the Joint Association of Classical Teachers and their Greek Summer School. This school started in London in 1968 and is now held every year at Bryanston School in Dorset. The JACT Summer School has been very important in keeping ancient Greek a popular subject in the UK. Morwood taught at the school regularly from 1970. He taught all levels, from beginners to advanced students. He also served as the Director of Studies and was the Director of the school seven times.

He also taught adult courses on Classics and English Literature at the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education.

His Work on Classical Literature

James Morwood's many translations and notes on ancient texts show how much he loved Latin poetry and Greek tragedy. One expert, Robin Mitchell-Boyask, said about Morwood's book The Plays of Euripides: "It is rare to find a guide to Greek drama that stems from the author's unabashed ardor for its subject." This means Morwood's strong passion for the subject made his book special.

When reviewing Morwood's translation of the play Medea, Adrial Poole noted how well Morwood's words flowed. He quoted a part where the chorus sings:

The Oxford World's Classics Euripides Series

Morwood worked on a big project with Oxford University Press. They wanted to create new translations of all 19 plays by the ancient Greek writer Euripides. This collection was published in five books as the Oxford World's Classics Euripides series.

Morwood translated and wrote notes for three of these books: Medea and other plays, Bacchae and other plays, and The Trojan Women and other plays. He also wrote notes for the other two books, which were translated by Robin Waterfield.

These Oxford translations are in prose (like regular writing) rather than verse (like poetry). One reviewer, Otto Steinmayer, noted that Morwood was not trying to make the translations "striking, fanciful, poetic." Instead, they were clear and accurate.

The Oxford Latin Course

James Morwood was the co-author of The Oxford Latin Course with Maurice Balme. This course was published in three parts from 1987 to 1992. It was designed for high school students in the UK. It teaches Latin by having students read stories and figure out the language as they go. This method was very popular and was quickly used in America too.

The Oxford Latin Course has three parts:

• Part One is set in ancient Rome during the late Republic. It tells the story of Quintus, the son of a freed slave. Quintus studies with a local teacher and learns about the Trojan War. He travels to Rome, continues his studies, and meets people from different parts of society. He is in Rome when Caesar is assassinated.
• Part Two takes Quintus to Athens, where he finishes his education. He travels to famous places like Mycenae and Delphi. He joins the army but is defeated in a battle. He then returns to Italy and starts writing poetry. He becomes a good friend of Octavian, who later becomes the first Roman Emperor, Augustus.
• Part Three is a collection of readings. It includes passages of poetry and prose from famous Roman writers like Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, and Horace.

Because the course was so popular in the USA, a special American Edition was published in 1996. A new College Edition was also created in 2012 for university students.

His Last Works

James Morwood published almost 30 books during his life. These included The Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary and The Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek. Towards the end of his life, he worked on two more important books with other experts.

The first was a translation and notes for Iphigenia at Aulis, a Greek tragedy. This book, published in 2017, was called "required reading for anyone interested in this Greek tragedy." It helped complete a project to create new editions of all of Euripides' plays.

Morwood's final book was A Commentary on Vergil Aeneid 3, also published in 2017. He worked on this with Stephen Heyworth, a colleague from Wadham College. Some people thought Book 3 of the Aeneid was "dull," but Morwood and Heyworth disagreed. They focused on Vergil's writing style and the other works that influenced him.

His Death and Legacy

James Morwood died suddenly on September 10, 2017, while swimming in Greece. His funeral in Oxford celebrated his warm personality, his love for fun, and how he inspired his students. Many people wrote tributes to him.

Ed Gorman in The Times newspaper quoted the famous comedy writer Richard Curtis. Curtis said, "It's no exaggeration to say that everything I do now started with James."

Christopher Tyerman wrote in The Guardian that Morwood was "A cultural omnivore." This means he loved all kinds of culture. He impressed students with his love for drama, music, film, and new ideas. He inspired them by his example.

Stephen Heyworth, who worked with James on academic books, said it was one of the best things he had done. He learned a lot and had "enormous fun."

On February 4, 2018, Wadham College, Oxford held a memorial service for James Morwood. About 400 people attended, including Richard Curtis. Many friends, colleagues, and former students spoke about him.

Edmund Stewart, who attended the Greek Summer School many years ago, shared a powerful thought. He recalled Morwood saying, "When I die, Classics will long since have ceased to be taught in this country." But Stewart noted that the opposite has happened, and Morwood's own efforts greatly helped make sure Classics continued to be taught.

Books Published

• Cupid and Psyche, An adaptation from the Golden Ass of Apuleius (with Maurice Balme, Oxford University Press, 1976) ISBN: 0-19-912047-1
• The Life and Works of Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Scottish Academic Press, 1985) ISBN: 0-70-730428-8
• The Oxford Latin Course (with Maurice Balme, Oxford University Press, 1987–92, second edition 1996) ISBN: 0-19-912226-1
• Our Greek and Latin Roots (with Mark Warman, Cambridge University Press, 1990, second edition 2008) ISBN: 9780521699990
• The Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1994, revised edition 2005); (also formatted as The Oxford Latin Mini Dictionary, and retitled as The Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary) ISBN: 0-19-860283-9
• Sheridan Studies (co-edited with David Crane, chapter by Morwood included, Cambridge University Press, 1995) ISBN: 0-52-146466-8
• A Dictionary of Latin Words and Phrases (Oxford University Press, 1998) ISBN: 0-19-860109-3
• Medea and other plays by Euripides, translation and notes by Morwood, introduction by Edith Hall (Oxford University Press, 1998) ISBN: 0-19-282442-2
• Bacchae and other plays by Euripides, translation and notes by Morwood, introduction by Edith Hall (Oxford University Press, 2000) ISBN: 9780199540525
• The Trojan Women and other plays by Euripides, translation and notes by Morwood, introduction by Edith Hall (Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN: 0-19-953881-6
• A Latin Grammar (Oxford University Press, 1999) ISBN: 0-19-860199-9
• Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek (Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN: 0-19-860456-4
• The Plays of Euripides (Duckworth Overlook, 2002, 2nd edition Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016) ISBN: 9781474233613
• A Greek Anthology (with Carol Handley and John Taylor, Cambridge University Press, 2002) ISBN: 0-52-100026-2
• The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Classical Greek (with John Taylor, Oxford University Press, 2002) ISBN: 9780198605126
• On the Margin (with Maurice Balme, Oxford University Press, 2003) ISBN: 9780199124008
• The Teaching of Classics edited Morwood with contributions (Cambridge University Press, 2003) ISBN: 9780521527637
• Suppliant Women by Euripides, translation and notes by Morwood (Oxbow Books, 2007) ISBN: 9780856687792
• Writing Latin (with Richard Ashdowne, Duckworth Overlook, 2007) ISBN: 9781853997013
• Virgil, a poet in Augustan Rome (Cambridge University Press, 2008) ISBN: 9780521689441
• The Tragedies of Sophocles (Bristol Phoenix Press, 2008) ISBN: 9781904675716
• Key to Advanced Latin (with Katharine Radice and Stephen Anderson, Duckworth Overlook, 2009) ISBN: 9781853997303
• A Commentary on Propertius, Book 3 (with Stephen Heyworth Oxford University Press, 2011) ISBN: 9780199571482
• The Oxford Latin Course College Edition (with Maurice Balme, Oxford University Press, 2012) ISBN: 9780199862962
• Hadrian (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013) ISBN: 9781849668866
• A Little Greek Reader (with Stephen Anderson, Oxford University Press, 2014) ISBN: 9780199311729
• Athenaze by Maurice Balme and Gilbert Lawall, revised Morwood, (third edition, Oxford University Press, 2014) ISBN: 9780190607661
• Iphigenia at Aulis (with Christopher Collard, Liverpool University Press, 2017) ISBN: 978-1-911226-46-8 (Hardback), ISBN: 978-1-911226-47-5 (Paperback)
• A Commentary on Vergil Aeneid 3 (with Stephen Heyworth, Oxford University Press, 2017) ISBN: 978-0-19-872781-1 (Hardback), ISBN: 978-0-19-872782-8 (Paperback)