Shakespearean Tragedy, published in 1904, established Andrew Cecil Bradley as a defining figure in 20th-century literary analysis. A career academic and philologist, he served as the Regius Professor of English Language and Literature in Glasgow and later as the professor of poetry at the University of Oxford, significantly shaping how students encountered dramatic texts for several decades.
Academic Career
Born in 1851 at Clapham, Bradley attended Cheltenham College before moving to Balliol College. He secured a fellowship at Balliol in 1874, where he provided instruction in both English and philosophy until 1881. His professional life continued with a permanent teaching role at the University of Liverpool, followed by his appointment as Regius Professor in Glasgow in 1889. By 1901, he returned to Oxford to take up the chair of poetry, a position he held for five years.
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Bradley’s output primarily consisted of lectures, which he later refined into published volumes. Beyond his seminal 1904 work on tragedy, he produced Oxford Lectures on Poetry in 1909. His broader bibliographical contributions include A Commentary on Tennyson's In Memoriam, Poetry for Poetry's Sake, and his 1929 collection, A Miscellany. He also contributed the essay "Aristotle's Conception of the State" to the 1880 volume Hellenica. Additionally, he delivered the 1909 Adamson Lecture at the Victoria University of Manchester and the 1912 British Academy Shakespeare Lecture.
Critical Reception and Legacy
While his interpretations influenced generations of scholars, Bradley’s focus on character analysis faced scrutiny by the mid-20th century. Critics argued that his approach applied Victorian psychological and moral frameworks to 17th-century texts, a perspective challenged by scholars such as L. C. Knights and Kenneth Burke. Despite these critiques, his work remained a standard reference, appearing in numerous reprints. Bradley was elected a Fellow of the British Academy and received honorary doctorates from Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Durham.
Fast facts
- Born: 1851, Clapham
- Died: 1935, London
- Education: Balliol College, Cheltenham College
- Key Publication: Shakespearean Tragedy (1904)
- Positions Held: Regius Professor of English Language and Literature, Glasgow
- Honours: Fellow of the British Academy
- Honorary Doctorates: Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Durham
Questions readers ask
Did Bradley hold a position at Cambridge?
He was offered the King Edward VII chair at Cambridge, but he declined the appointment.
How did Bradley impact literary scholarship after his death?
His will established a research fellowship specifically for young scholars dedicated to the study of English Letters.
Achievements
- Fellow of the British Academy
- Held posts at University of Oxford
- Fields: literary studies and higher education institution
