Morton N. Cohen
Encyclopedia
Morton Norton Cohen is an American author and scholar, and Professor Emeritus of the City University of New York
, best known for his extensive studies of children's author Lewis Carroll
, including his 1995 biography Lewis Carroll: A Biography
.
Cohen was born in Calgary, Canada, and grew on the North Shore of Boston. He has taught English at West Virginia University
, Syracuse University
, Rutgers University
and the City College and the Graduate Center
of the City University of New York. Among his dedicated work on Charles Dodgson, he has also produced studies on Henry Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling
and other Victorian
subjects, as well as children's
literature, travel articles and fiction. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of Literature
in 1996. The Modern Language Association
set up the biennially Morton N. Cohen Award for a Distinguished Edition of Letters in his name in 1989. The first award was given in 1991. Under the terms of the award, the "winning collection will be one that provides readers with a clear, accurate, and readable text; necessary background information; and succinct and eloquent introductory material and annotations. The edited collection should be in itself a work of literature."
Cohen is a prominent and vocal opponent of the "Carroll Myth", the idea advanced by some scholars that Carroll was not, as is popularly thought, a paedophile
. Karoline Leach
in In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
(1999) wrote that Cohen and previous biographers misunderstood the norms and customs of the Victorian era
, and that Carroll's adulation of children was not sexual but a reflection of the romanticisation
of the child prevalent in that era. Contrariwise, a website setup by opponents of the tradition Carroll image, writes that he "was honest enough to see that the received image of 'Carroll' was indeed pedophilic, and to say so more bluntly than was comfortable to many", but notes "Inexplicably he lists the numbers of intimate woman-friends that Dodgson had through his life, yet still concludes that his existence revolved exclusively around friendships with small girls!"
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, best known for his extensive studies of children's author Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, including his 1995 biography Lewis Carroll: A Biography
Lewis Carroll: A Biography
Lewis Carroll: A Biography is a 1995 biography of author Lewis Carroll by Morton N. Cohen, first published by Knopf, later by Macmillan. It is generally considered to be the definitive scholarly work on Carroll's life...
.
Cohen was born in Calgary, Canada, and grew on the North Shore of Boston. He has taught English at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and the City College and the Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
of the City University of New York. Among his dedicated work on Charles Dodgson, he has also produced studies on Henry Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
and other Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
subjects, as well as children's
literature, travel articles and fiction. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
in 1996. The Modern Language Association
Modern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
set up the biennially Morton N. Cohen Award for a Distinguished Edition of Letters in his name in 1989. The first award was given in 1991. Under the terms of the award, the "winning collection will be one that provides readers with a clear, accurate, and readable text; necessary background information; and succinct and eloquent introductory material and annotations. The edited collection should be in itself a work of literature."
Cohen is a prominent and vocal opponent of the "Carroll Myth", the idea advanced by some scholars that Carroll was not, as is popularly thought, a paedophile
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
. Karoline Leach
Karoline Leach
Karoline Leach is a British playwright and author, best known for her book In the Shadow of the Dreamchild , which re-examines the life of Lewis Carroll , the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
in In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: A New Understanding of Lewis Carroll is a 1999 book by British author Karoline Leach that posited the concept of the "Carroll Myth": the idea that many of the most famous aspects of Lewis Carroll's biography, including his supposed adoration of Alice Liddell, are...
(1999) wrote that Cohen and previous biographers misunderstood the norms and customs of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, and that Carroll's adulation of children was not sexual but a reflection of the romanticisation
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
of the child prevalent in that era. Contrariwise, a website setup by opponents of the tradition Carroll image, writes that he "was honest enough to see that the received image of 'Carroll' was indeed pedophilic, and to say so more bluntly than was comfortable to many", but notes "Inexplicably he lists the numbers of intimate woman-friends that Dodgson had through his life, yet still concludes that his existence revolved exclusively around friendships with small girls!"
Further reading
- Cohen, Morton N. Reflections in a Looking Glass: A Centennial Celebration of Lewis Carroll, Photographer, New York: Aperture, 1998. Print.
- Cohen, Morton N. Lewis Carroll: A Biography, London: Macmillan, 1995. Print.
- Cohen, Morton N., ed. Lewis Carroll: Interviews and Recollections, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1989. Print.
- Cohen, Morton N., and Anita Gandolfo, eds. Lewis Carroll and the House of Macmillan, Cambridge, London, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Print.