Tony Tanner
Encyclopedia
Paul Antony Tanner known as Tony Tanner, was a British
literary critic of the mid-twentieth century, and a pioneering figure in the study of American literature. He was a fellow of King's College, Cambridge
where he taught and studied for 38 years, from 1960 until his death in 1998.
where he read English. His teachers included two great Shakespearean scholars, A. P. Rossiter and Philip Brockbank, both of whom were to be lasting influences on Tanner.
In 1958 he won a Harkness Fellowship
to Berkeley, California where he first encountered post-war American literature and culture.
He went on to make a comprehensive study of contemporary American fiction from the period 1950-1970 in City of Words, published in 1971. Tanner briefly took up a position at Johns Hopkins University, but, after a severe bout of depression, reapplied to his former position at Cambridge.
His next work, Adultery and the Novel (1979), attempted to reconcile close readings of Goethe, Flaubert and Rousseau with a more contemporary theoretical approach. The depression that had first afflicted Tanner in Baltimore
resurfaced, coupled with damaging drinking problems. However, Tanner was able to make a recovery after a period of psychoanalysis and the support of his wife Nadia Fusini, and went on to return to the canonical writers Henry James
and Jane Austen
, on whom he published in 1985 and 1986 respectively.
Tanner's last book, Venice Desired, was an exploration of portrayals of Venice
through the eyes of literary figures such as Byron, Thomas Mann
, John Ruskin
and Marcel Proust
. His final work was to write prefaces to each of Shakespeare's plays for the new Everyman library, which he completed before succumbing to the illness that eventually caused his death in 1998.
A collection of twelve essays on writers including Herman Melville
, Ralph Waldo Emerson
, Don Delillo
, and Thomas Pynchon
entitled The American Mystery was published posthumously in 2000.
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...
literary critic of the mid-twentieth century, and a pioneering figure in the study of American literature. He was a fellow of King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
where he taught and studied for 38 years, from 1960 until his death in 1998.
Early life
Paul Antony Tanner was brought up in South London, and grew up during the Second World War and its aftermath. His father was a civil servant and his mother had trained as a teacher. He attended Raynes Park County Grammar School and, after National Service, matriculated at Jesus College, CambridgeJesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
where he read English. His teachers included two great Shakespearean scholars, A. P. Rossiter and Philip Brockbank, both of whom were to be lasting influences on Tanner.
In 1958 he won a Harkness Fellowship
Harkness Fellowship
The Harkness Fellowships are a programme run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. They were established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several countries to spend time studying in the United States...
to Berkeley, California where he first encountered post-war American literature and culture.
Later life and career
In 1960 Tanner took up a fellowship at King's College, Cambridge to begin a doctoral study of the Transcendentalists at a time when American literature was not taught at English universities, and its study was considered radical and novel. Tanner's thesis was published in 1965 as the book Reign of Wonder, and, on the strength of its merits, he was appointed to a post in the English faculty. From then on, Tanner took an active role in promoting the inclusion of American literature in the English syllabus, lecturing, examining and advising widely on his chosen field.He went on to make a comprehensive study of contemporary American fiction from the period 1950-1970 in City of Words, published in 1971. Tanner briefly took up a position at Johns Hopkins University, but, after a severe bout of depression, reapplied to his former position at Cambridge.
His next work, Adultery and the Novel (1979), attempted to reconcile close readings of Goethe, Flaubert and Rousseau with a more contemporary theoretical approach. The depression that had first afflicted Tanner in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
resurfaced, coupled with damaging drinking problems. However, Tanner was able to make a recovery after a period of psychoanalysis and the support of his wife Nadia Fusini, and went on to return to the canonical writers Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
and Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, on whom he published in 1985 and 1986 respectively.
Tanner's last book, Venice Desired, was an exploration of portrayals of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
through the eyes of literary figures such as Byron, Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
, John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
and Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
. His final work was to write prefaces to each of Shakespeare's plays for the new Everyman library, which he completed before succumbing to the illness that eventually caused his death in 1998.
A collection of twelve essays on writers including Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
, Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, Don Delillo
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
, and Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
entitled The American Mystery was published posthumously in 2000.