Herman Northrop Frye,
CC,
MA (Oxon),
DD,
D.Litt.,
FRSC (
July 14,
1912 –
January 23,
1991), a
Canadian, was one of the most distinguished
literary critics and literary theorists of the twentieth century.
Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec but raised in Moncton, New Brunswick, Frye studied for his undergraduate degree at Victoria College, University of Toronto. He then studied theology at Emmanuel College (part of Victoria University). After a brief stint as a student minister in Saskatchewan, he was ordained to the ministry of the United Church of Canada. He then studied at Merton College, Oxford[1], before returning to Victoria College for his entire professional career. Frye rose to international prominence as a result of his first book, Fearful Symmetry, published in 1947. Until that point, the prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been poorly understood, considered by some to be delusional ramblings. Frye found in it a system of metaphor derived from Paradise Lost and from the Bible. Not only was his study of Blake's poetry a major contribution, but in his book, Frye outlined an innovative manner of studying literature that deeply influenced the study of literature in general. Frye was a major influence on, amongst others, Harold Bloom and Margaret Atwood.
His lasting reputation rests principally on the theory of literary criticism that he developed in Anatomy of Criticism, one of the most important works of literary theory published in the twentieth century.
Frye engaged in cultural and social criticism and was the recipient of some 39 honorary degrees.
