Gerald Willoughby-Meade
Encyclopedia
Gerald Willoughby-Meade (September 25, 1875 - June 24, 1958) was a British
author
who wrote on the subject of the supernatural in Chinese folklore
.
He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society
and a member of council of the China Society in London.
He was a friend of Lionel Giles
to whom he dedicated his book Chinese Ghouls and Goblins
.
His publications include:
Willoughby-Meade learned to read and write Chinese at the School of Oriental Studies (as a
part-time hobby). He also learned from Chinese friends he met and knew at the China
Society. He also had "conversational" French and Spanish, and on retirement
studied Greek.
Despite his interest in Asian studies, he never visited China or Japan. All his information was gained from study reading, especially from the libraries of the School of Oriental Studies,
British Museum
and the Victoria and Albert Museum
.
During the First World War he was (due to age) a Reserve in the Artist's Rifles; reporting for weekend camps in Essex
; keeping uniform and rifle at home.
Professionally he was an actuary
, working in the City of London
for a major
insurance group on the statistical side of life assurance.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who wrote on the subject of the supernatural in Chinese folklore
Chinese folklore
Chinese folklore includes songs, dances, puppetry, and tales. It often tells stories of human nature, historical or legendary events, love, and the supernatural, or stories explaining natural phenomena and distinctive landmarks.-Folktales:...
.
He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
and a member of council of the China Society in London.
He was a friend of Lionel Giles
Lionel Giles
Lionel Giles was a Victorian scholar, translator and the son of British diplomat and sinologist, Herbert Giles. Lionel Giles served as assistant curator at the British Museum and Keeper of the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books...
to whom he dedicated his book Chinese Ghouls and Goblins
Chinese Ghouls and Goblins
Chinese Ghouls and Goblins is a book on the supernatural in Chinese folklore written by British author Gerald Willoughby-Meade and published in London in 1928...
.
His publications include:
- The Grotesque in Chinese Art (1918, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
)- which was presented as a paper and read before the China Society.
- Ghost and Vampire Tales of China (1925, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
)- which was presented as a paper and read before the China Society, May 28, 1925.
- Chinese Ghouls and GoblinsChinese Ghouls and GoblinsChinese Ghouls and Goblins is a book on the supernatural in Chinese folklore written by British author Gerald Willoughby-Meade and published in London in 1928...
(1928, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
)- which was cited extensively in Montague SummersMontague SummersAugustus Montague Summers was an eccentric English author and clergyman. He is known primarily for his scholarly work on the English drama of the 17th century, as well as for his idiosyncratic studies on witches, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe...
' book The Vampire, His Kith and Kin (1928, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) - which had two stories, The Celestial Stag and Saved by the Book, reprinted in the anthology The Book of Fantasy (originally published in 1940 as Antologia de la literatura fantastica, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
) edited by Jorge Luis BorgesJorge Luis BorgesJorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, Adolfo Bioy CasaresAdolfo Bioy CasaresAdolfo Bioy Casares was an Argentine fiction writer, journalist, and translator. He was a friend and collaborator with his fellow countryman Jorge Luis Borges, and wrote what many consider one of the best pieces of fantastic fiction, the novella The Invention of Morel.-Biography:Adolfo Bioy...
and Silvina OcampoSilvina OcampoSilvina Ocampo Aguirre was an Argentine poet and short-fiction writer.Ocampo was born in Buenos Aires, the youngest of the six children of Manuel Ocampo and Ramona Aguirre. She was educated at home by tutors. One of her sisters was Victoria Ocampo, the publisher of the literarily important...
.
- which was cited extensively in Montague Summers
Willoughby-Meade learned to read and write Chinese at the School of Oriental Studies (as a
part-time hobby). He also learned from Chinese friends he met and knew at the China
Society. He also had "conversational" French and Spanish, and on retirement
studied Greek.
Despite his interest in Asian studies, he never visited China or Japan. All his information was gained from study reading, especially from the libraries of the School of Oriental Studies,
British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
.
During the First World War he was (due to age) a Reserve in the Artist's Rifles; reporting for weekend camps in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
; keeping uniform and rifle at home.
Professionally he was an actuary
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
, working in the City of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for a major
insurance group on the statistical side of life assurance.