Norman Blake (academic) facts for kids

Norman Francis Blake (born April 19, 1934 – died July 29, 2012) was a British professor and expert. He studied and wrote many books about the English language and literature from the Middle Ages and early modern times. This means he focused on how English was spoken and written hundreds of years ago.

Norman Blake's Life Story

Norman Blake was born in Ceará, Brazil. His father was a banker from England. His mother had both Brazilian and German family.

When Norman was just four years old, in 1938, he was sent to a boarding school in England. This was because World War II started, and it was a very difficult time. He couldn't see his parents for eight years because of the war. Later, he went to Magdalen College School in Brackley. Sadly, two years after the war ended, his older brother, who was at the same school, died in an accident.

Studying at Oxford

In 1953, Norman went to Magdalen College at Oxford University. He studied Medieval English there. Some of his teachers were famous writers like C. S. Lewis (who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia) and J. A. W. Bennett. He also learned about Old Icelandic, which is an old language from Iceland.

From 1956 to 1957, he studied old Icelandic manuscripts (handwritten books) in Denmark. He finished his studies at Oxford in 1959 with a special degree called a Bachelor of Letters.

His Career as a Professor

After Oxford, Norman Blake became a teacher at the University of Liverpool. He worked there until 1973. For a short time, he was also a visiting professor in Canada.

In 1973, he became a top professor of English Language at the University of Sheffield. He led the English Language and Linguistics department until 1998. Later, he moved to De Montfort University in Leicester to continue his research.

Family Life and Hobbies

Norman Blake married Susan Valery Miles in 1965. They adopted a daughter named Dorinda, who was born in 1973. Norman loved using public transport. He also enjoyed hiking, especially in the beautiful Peak District area of England.

In May 2004, Norman Blake had a serious stroke. This made it hard for him to move and speak. He spent his last years at home or in the hospital. Norman Blake passed away on July 29, 2012. His wife and daughter survived him.

Norman Blake's Important Work

Norman Blake was a very important expert in old English languages. He wrote many books and articles.

Studying Old Stories

His first big project in 1959 was editing the Jómsvíkinga saga, an old Norse story. He also edited an Old English poem called The Phoenix in 1964. In 1970, he edited a version of The History of Reynard the Fox, which was translated by William Caxton.

Focus on William Caxton and Chaucer

In the 1960s and 1970s, Norman Blake became very interested in two main areas:

• The history of the English language, especially from the late Middle Ages and early modern times.
• The Canterbury Tales, a famous collection of stories by Geoffrey Chaucer.

This led him to study William Caxton and William Shakespeare a lot. William Caxton was the first person to print books in England. In 1969, Blake published a book called Caxton and His World. This book made him one of the top experts on Caxton. He showed that Caxton was more of a business person and merchant than just a printer. Norman Blake ended up writing over 40 books and essays about Caxton!

In 1980, Blake published his own version of The Canterbury Tales. He based it on the Hengwrt manuscript, which is the oldest copy of the tales. At the time, this was a new idea because most other versions used a different manuscript. Blake spent the next 15 years writing more books and articles to explain why the Hengwrt manuscript was so important.

The Canterbury Tales Project

From 1994 to 2000, Norman Blake led the Canterbury Tales Project. This project aimed to put all the old handwritten copies and early printed versions of The Canterbury Tales online. There were about 80 different copies! The goal was to help people understand how the text changed over time and how the English language developed.

By the end of the project, many parts of the tales were put online. This included the Wife of Bath's Prologue and The General Prologue. Later, in 2011, the University of Sheffield created online versions of eight of the manuscripts. These are now called the Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales.

Remembering Norman Blake

After Norman Blake passed away, the School of English at the University of Sheffield started a special lecture series. It's called the Norman Blake Lecture and happens every two years. The first lecture was held in 2013 to honor his memory.

See also

• The Canterbury Tales
• Old English literature
• Middle English literature
• Old Norse literature
• William Shakespeare
• Elizabethan literature
• William Caxton