John Erskine (educator)
Encyclopedia
John Erskine was a U.S.
educator and author, born in New York City and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey
. He graduated from Columbia University
(A.M., 1901; Ph. D., 1903).
Professor Erskine was an English professor at Columbia from 1909 and 1937, and Amherst
. He instituted Columbia College
's General Honors Course, a two-year undergraduate seminar that would later help inspire "Masterworks of Western Literature," now known commonly as "Literature Humanities," the second component of Columbia College's Core Curriculum. This course taught the classics in translation instead of the original Latin or Greek. This course would later go on to inspire the Great Books movement, centered around the Great Books of the Western World.
In 1946 he served as the first chairman of the American Writers Association
.
Erskine co-wrote the 1900 Varsity Show, The Governor's Vrouw, with poet Melville Cane. He won the Butler Medal in 1919.
Erskine Place, a street in the New York City
borough
of The Bronx
, was named after him.
Erskine was also the author of numerous publications, including several humourous novels retelling
myths and legends. These included The Private Life of Helen of Troy, Penelope's
Man and
Adam and Eve, Though He Knew Better.
Erskine also wrote the libretto
for George Antheil
's opera Helen Retires
, which was based on The Private Life of Helen of Troy.
To commemorate the seven hundredth anniversary of Roger Bacon
, Erskine wroteA Pageant of the Thirteenth Century, a biographical play which was produced at Columbia University and published as a book by Columbia University Press
in 1914. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and author, born in New York City and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey
Weehawken, New Jersey
Weehawken is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 12,554.-Geography:Weehawken is part of the New York metropolitan area...
. He graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(A.M., 1901; Ph. D., 1903).
Professor Erskine was an English professor at Columbia from 1909 and 1937, and Amherst
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. He instituted Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
's General Honors Course, a two-year undergraduate seminar that would later help inspire "Masterworks of Western Literature," now known commonly as "Literature Humanities," the second component of Columbia College's Core Curriculum. This course taught the classics in translation instead of the original Latin or Greek. This course would later go on to inspire the Great Books movement, centered around the Great Books of the Western World.
In 1946 he served as the first chairman of the American Writers Association
American Writers Association
The American Writers Association was an organization of writers. Formed in 1946, its members included Bruce Barton, John Dos Passos, John Erskine, James T. Farrell, John T...
.
Erskine co-wrote the 1900 Varsity Show, The Governor's Vrouw, with poet Melville Cane. He won the Butler Medal in 1919.
Erskine Place, a street in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, was named after him.
Erskine was also the author of numerous publications, including several humourous novels retelling
myths and legends. These included The Private Life of Helen of Troy, Penelope's
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
Man and
Adam and Eve, Though He Knew Better.
Erskine also wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for George Antheil
George Antheil
George Antheil was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author and inventor. A self-described "Bad Boy of Music", his modernist compositions amazed and appalled listeners in Europe and the US during the 1920s with their cacophonous celebration of mechanical devices.Returning permanently to...
's opera Helen Retires
Helen Retires
Helen Retires is the second opera by George Antheil. The libretto was written by John Erskine based on his novel The Private Life of Helen of Troy...
, which was based on The Private Life of Helen of Troy.
To commemorate the seven hundredth anniversary of Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
, Erskine wroteA Pageant of the Thirteenth Century, a biographical play which was produced at Columbia University and published as a book by Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
in 1914. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers.