John Frederick Pfeil (1949–2005) was an American

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

. Pfeil (pronounced "file") was born September 21 in

Port Allegany, Pennsylvania Port Allegany is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,116 at the 2020 census. The town's tree-lined streets lie in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...

. He earned an undergraduate degree at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in 1971 and an M.A. at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1973. He taught at Stanford,

Stephens College Stephens College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, the second-oldest women's educa ...

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

, and

Trinity College (Connecticut) Trinity College is a private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Founded as Washington College in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut. Coeducational since 1969, the college enrolls 2,2 ...

. Pfeil was diagnosed with

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

in February 2005 and died in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

on 29 November 2005.

Works

* ''Goodman 2020'', novel (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986) * ''Shine On and Other Stories'', short stories (Amherst: Lynx House Press, 1987) * ''Another Tale to Tell: Politics and Narrative in Post-Modern Culture'', nonfiction (New York: Verso, 1990) * ''What They Tell You to Forget'', a novella and short stories (Wainscott: Pushcart Press, 1996) * ''White Guys: Studies in Postmodern Domination and Difference'', nonfiction (New York: Verso, 1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeil, Fred 1949 births 2005 deaths Amherst College alumni Oregon State University faculty Deaths from melanoma in the United States Deaths from cancer in Connecticut