Thomas Lounsbury facts for kids
Thomas Raynesford Lounsbury (born January 1, 1838 – died April 9, 1915) was an American expert in literature and a critic. He was born in Ovid, New York.
He went to Yale College and graduated in 1859. Later, he received special honorary degrees from many famous universities like Yale, Harvard, Lafayette, Princeton, and Aberdeen. In 1862, he joined the 126th New York Volunteers and fought as a first lieutenant in the Civil War.
What Did Thomas Lounsbury Do?
From 1871 until he retired in 1906, Thomas Lounsbury was a professor of English language and literature at Yale University. He also worked as a librarian at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale for 33 years. His important work was recognized when he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1898 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1896.
His Important Studies and Books
Lounsbury was known for his excellent research and sharp understanding of literature. He was especially famous for studying the works of two very important writers: Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare. He also studied how the English language developed over time.
He helped edit several books, including:
- Chaucer's Parliament of Foules (1877)
- The Complete Works of Charles Dudley Warner (1904)
- The Yale Book of American Verse (1912)
Professor Lounsbury also wrote many other important books. Here are some of them:
- A History of the English Language (1879, updated in 1894)
- Life of James Fenimore Cooper (1882)
- Studies in Chaucer (three books, 1891)
- Shakespeare as a Dramatic Artist (1901 and 1912)
- Shakespeare and Voltaire (1902)
- The Standard of Pronunciation in English (1904)
- The Text of Shakespeare (1906)
- The Standard of Usage in English (1908)
- English Spelling and Spelling Reform (1909)
What Did Mark Twain Say About Him?
Interestingly, Thomas Lounsbury was mentioned by the famous writer Mark Twain. Twain wrote a well-known essay called "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses" in 1895. In this essay, Twain made fun of Lounsbury because Lounsbury had written good things about the author James Fenimore Cooper. Twain joked that Lounsbury must not have actually read Cooper's books to have such a positive opinion!
