Amy Marjorie Dale, (15 January 1901 – 4 February 1967), published as A. M. Dale, was a British

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and academic.

Life

Dale was born in 1901. She studied

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

as an undergraduate at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

. She subsequently studied under

Ludwig Radermacher Ludwig Radermacher (31 October 1867 – 28 June 1952) was a German-Austrian classical philologist born in Siegburg. In 1891 he earned his doctorate at the University of Bonn, where he was a student of Hermann Usener (1834–1905). Following gradu ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, and at the

University of Lund Lund University () is a public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially founded in 1666 on the ...

under Albert Wifstrand. Her first academic post, from 1927 to 1929, was at

Westfield College Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...

in the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, followed by a further post at

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Dale worked in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

, and worked in her spare time on translating

Eduard Fraenkel Eduard David Mortier Fraenkel FBA () was a German classical scholar who served as the Corpus Christi Professor of Latin at the University of Oxford from 1935 until 1953. Born to a family of assimilated Jews in the German Empire, he studied Cl ...

's edition of

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

's ''

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...

'' into English. In 1944 she married

T. B. L. Webster Thomas Bertram Lonsdale Webster (3 July 1905 – 31 May 1974) was a British archaeologist and Classicist, known for his studies of Greek comedy. Background He was the son of Sir Thomas Lonsdale Webster. During World War I he attended Chart ...

, who was employed in the same department of the Foreign Office. After the war, she moved with him to

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, where he was Professor of Greek. When he was appointed Professor of Greek at

University College, London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, she was offered and accepted a lectureship at

Birkbeck College, London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' ...

. In 1952 she was appointed Reader in Classics, and in 1957 a Fellow of the British Academy. In 1959, she received the honour of a Personal Chair in Greek. In 1962 she was made an Honorary Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford. She retired in 1963, becoming Professor Emeritus in Greek at the University of London. She died in London in 1967. The focus of Dale's research was on Greek Tragedy, especially on

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

and the

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

of Greek tragedy's choral songs and lyric parts, an area in which her work remains influential.

Selected publications

* ''The Lyric Metres of Greek Drama.'' Cambridge 1948; second edition 1968. * Euripides, ''Alcestis.'' Edited with introduction and commentary. Oxford 1954. * ''Words, Music, and Dance.'' Inaugural Lecture at Birkbeck College. London 1960. * Euripides, ''Helen.'' Edited with introduction and commentary. Oxford 1967. * ''Collected Papers.'' Edited by T. B. L. Webster and E. G. Turner. Cambridge 1969
(Available online)
– Published posthumously, including some previously unpublished work. * ''Metrical Analyses of tragic choruses I–III.'' London 1971–1983 (vol. 1, BICS Suppl. XXI,1, London 1971; vol. 2 BICS Suppl. XXI,2, London 1981; vol. 3 BICS Suppl. XXI,3, London 1983) – Published posthumously. A full list may be found in the Bibliography in Dale's ''Collected Papers'' (listed above).

References

Sources

* R. P. Winnington-Ingram: ''Amy Marjorie Dale 1902–1967'', in: Proceedings of the British Academy 53, 1967, 423–436
(online)
– A detailed assessment of her life and work. *

Eric Gardner Turner Sir Eric Gardner Turner Order of the British Empire, CBE (26 February 1911 – 20 April 1983) was an English papyrologist and classics, classicist. Turner was born in Broomhill, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Broomhill, Sheffield. He was educated ...

: ''Miss A. M. Dale (Obituary notice from The Times, 7 February 1967)'', in: Collected Papers. Edited by T. B. L. Webster and E. G. Turner. Cambridge 1969 (siehe unten), IX-X
(online)
* William M. Calder III, D. J. Kramer: ''An Introductory Bibliography of Classical Scholarship Chiefly in the XIXth and XXth Centuries.'' Hildesheim-Zürich-New York 1992, 142 Anm. 1109; 336 Anm. 2567.

External links

Entry
in Aristarchus: Catalogus Philologorum Classicorum (Project by

Franco Montanari Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

, Universität Genua)
Entry
at the website of the British Academy
Roll of Honour

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dale, A. M. Scholars of ancient Greek literature Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Academics of Westfield College Academics of Birkbeck, University of London 1901 births 1967 deaths Fellows of the British Academy