H. J. Rose
Encyclopedia
Herbert Jennings Rose is remembered as the author of A Handbook of Greek Mythology, originally published in 1928, which for many years became the standard student reference book on the subject, reaching a sixth edition by 1958. Rose's Handbook was brought up-to-date along the same framework by Robin Hard, in The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology (Routledge 2004), a project that began as a mere revision.

Early life

Rose was born in Orillia, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada, to a family of Scottish descent. He attended McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

, where he was awarded a Rhodes scholarship, with which he went on to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....

. He was said to be the first Oxford undergraduate to wear a soft hat on Sundays. For four years he was a fellow and tutor of Exeter College
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...

. In 1911 he married Eliza Plimsoll, elder daughter of Samuel Plimsoll
Samuel Plimsoll
Samuel Plimsoll was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line .-Early life:Plimsoll was born in Bristol and soon moved to Whiteley Wood...

, the British social reformer who advocated improved safety standards
Safety standards
Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory...

 at sea.

From 1919 - 1927 Rose was Professor of Latin at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...

 and from 1927 - 1953 he was Professor of Greek at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...

. Also during this time in 1934 he became a fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...

.

Works

Rose is best remembered as the author of A Handbook of Greek Mythology, 1928. This was his most successful work and is still widely used as a student reference book.

Upon his death it was written in the Glasgow Herald:
"The Scottish Universities have lost one of their most learned personalities by the death of Emeritus Professor H. J. Rose . . . as a lecturer he was much liked by both learned and popular audiences, while as teacher and colleague he was greatly beloved by generations of pupils and colleagues".


Although there are many great things to say about this writer, his works were extremely bias painting a picture of Ancient religion as savagely and sluggishly imaginative. The bias comes from the Judeo-Christian upbringing he was given.

Works

  • Modern Methods in Classical Mythology, (St. Andrews) 1930;
  • A Handbook of Greek Literature from Homer to Lucian, 1934;
  • Hygini Fabulae, 1934;
  • A Handbook of Latin Literature (1954)
  • Primitive Culture in Greece (London, 1925)
  • Primitive Culture in Italy (London, 1926; reprint 1971)
  • A Handbook of Greek Mythology (1929; sixth reprint 1958)
  • Ancient Greek Religion (London, 1948)
  • Ancient Roman Religion (London, 1949)
  • Gods and Heroes of the Greeks (London, 1957; many reprints)
  • A Commentary on the surviving plays of Aeschylus, 1957-8
  • Outline of Classical Literature for Students of English (London, 1959; reprint 1961)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK