William Hardie
Encyclopedia
William Ross Hardie was a Scottish
classical scholar, Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University from 1895 until his death.
in 1862 and educated there at Circus Place School and Edinburgh University, where he graduated MA in 1880, and then at Balliol College, Oxford
, where he graduated BA and later MA. In 1882 he was awarded the Gaisford Prize
for Greek verse, among other distinctions, and was considered the most brilliant undergraduate classicist of his generation.
At Balliol, he taught a form of Greek
that was "simple, pronounceable, and intelligible to the ear", writing to John Stuart Blackie
"I always endeavour to make the accent audible in pronouncing Greek. I quote, read, or recite Greek as much as possible, and I frequently teach composition orally, by... choosing by chance a piece of English and working out a version of it by common suggestion and discussion".
In 1895, he was appointed Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University.
He died on 3 May 1916 after suffering a severe attack of influenza
in January 1916.
, from 1950 to 1969.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
classical scholar, Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University from 1895 until his death.
Early life
Hardie was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1862 and educated there at Circus Place School and Edinburgh University, where he graduated MA in 1880, and then at 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....
, where he graduated BA and later MA. In 1882 he was awarded the Gaisford Prize
Gaisford Prize
The Gaisford Prize is a prize in the University of Oxford, founded in 1855 in memory of Dr Thomas Gaisford . For most of its history, the prize was awarded for Classical Greek Verse and Prose...
for Greek verse, among other distinctions, and was considered the most brilliant undergraduate classicist of his generation.
Career
Elected to a fellowship at Balliol in 1884, he spent a year abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy, and returned to his college, staying there as Fellow and Tutor at Balliol from 1884 to 1895 and also serving as the University's Junior Proctor in 1893-1894.At Balliol, he taught a form of Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
that was "simple, pronounceable, and intelligible to the ear", writing to John Stuart Blackie
John Stuart Blackie
John Stuart Blackie was a Scottish scholar and man of letters. He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the New Academy and afterwards at the Marischal College, in Aberdeen, where his father was manager of the Commercial Bank.After attending classes at Edinburgh University , Blackie spent three...
"I always endeavour to make the accent audible in pronouncing Greek. I quote, read, or recite Greek as much as possible, and I frequently teach composition orally, by... choosing by chance a piece of English and working out a version of it by common suggestion and discussion".
In 1895, he was appointed Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University.
He died on 3 May 1916 after suffering a severe attack of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
in January 1916.
Sons
Hardie was the father of William Francis Ross Hardie (1902–1990) and Colin Graham Hardie (1906–1998), both also classical scholars. His elder son, W. F. R. (Frank) Hardie, was President of Corpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, from 1950 to 1969.
Selected publications
- Gaisford prize for Greek verse: Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, act II, scene 5, translated into comic iambics (Oxford : B. H. Blackwell, 1882)
- Vetera recentia: Being hints towards advanced composition in prose and verse in the form of renderings of modern words (1890)
- The Character and Genius of the Roman People: an inaugural address delivered at Edinburgh on the 15th October, 1895 (W. Blackwood and Sons, 1895, 29 pp.)
- The supernatural in ancient poetry and story: a lecture delivered to the Aberdeen university classical society on 15 February 1901 (J. Thin, 1901, 20 pp.)
- Lectures on classical subjects (1903)
- Latin prose composition: Comprising part I, Notes on Grammar, Style, and Idiom, part II, English passages for translation into Latin (1908)
- Silvulae academicae: Verses and Verse Translations (Oxford University Press, 1912)
- Res metrica: An introduction to the study of Greek & Roman versification (Oxford University Press, 1920, reprinted by Garland Publ., ISBN 0-8240-2970-4)