Jack Arthur Walter Bennett (28 February 1911 – 29 January 1981) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

–born literary scholar.

Early life and education

Jack Arthur Walter Bennett was born at

Mount Eden Mount Eden is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Z ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand, the eldest son of Ernest Bennett, a foreman for a shoe manufacturer, where he was a " shoe clicker and pattern cutter", and Alexandra, née Corrall, both born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, England. The Bennetts lived in a "suburban bungalow" called "Rocky Nook". Bennett attended

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

. He notably wrote the Mount Albert Grammar School hymn, which is sung at school assemblies to this day. Bennett studied at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, where he is described by biographer James McNeish as "poor and deserving" before going on to

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, where, still indigent, he survived on a diet of

Cornish pasties A pasty () or Cornish pasty is a British baked turnover pastry, a variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, but has spread all over the British Isles, and elsewhere through the Cornish diaspora. It consists of a filling, ty ...

Career

In McNeish's book ''Dance of the Peacocks'', he is noted as a member of what was to be described in British academe as the Oxford "New Zealand Mafia", McNeish, James (2003). ''Dance of the Peacocks: New Zealanders in Exile in the Time of Hitler and Mao Tse-tung''. Random House New Zealand. p. 356-364 a loose-knit group of extraordinarily gifted young men from New Zealand who studied at Oxford University, many as

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

, before the Second World War. The link between them was to endure for the rest of their lives. The group included

John Mulgan John Alan Edward Mulgan (31 December 1911 – 26 April 1945) was a New Zealand writer, journalist and editor, and the elder son of journalist and writer Alan Mulgan. His influence on New Zealand literature and identity grew in the years aft ...

Dan Davin Daniel Marcus Davin (1 September 1913 – 28 September 1990), generally known as Dan Davin, was an author who wrote about New Zealand, although for most of his career he lived in Oxford, England, working for Oxford University Press. The themes o ...

, James Munro Bertram,

Desmond Patrick Costello Desmond Patrick Costello (31 January 1912 – 23 February 1964) was a New Zealand-born linguist, soldier, diplomat and university lecturer and professor who has been accused of being a KGB agent. Early life Costello was born in Auckland, the secon ...

Charles Brasch Charles Orwell Brasch (27 July 1909 – 20 May 1973) was a New Zealand poet, literary editor and arts patron. He was the founding editor of the literary journal ''Landfall'', and through his 20 years of editing the journal, had a significant i ...

, Norman Davis and

Ian Milner Ian Frank George Milner (6 June 1911 – 31 May 1991) was a New Zealand Rhodes Scholar at New College, Oxford who had attended Waitaki Boys' High School. He was then a political scientist, a civil servant with the Australian Department of Extern ...

. McNeish describes Bennett as "at an angle, separated by the exuberance of his scholarship, his saintliness, and his forgetfulness ... he considered himself lucky to have received the Scholarship o Oxford since he forgot to include any testimonials with his application". McNeish also mentions Bennett's work with the British Information Service in America during

World War II 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 ...

: asked to help out for a few weeks, he remained for the duration, returning to Oxford in 1943 and at the end of the war. He became best known as a scholar of

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

literature. He was editor of the journal '' Medium Aevum'' from 1957 to 1981, having earlier assisted his predecessor,

Charles Talbut Onions Charles Talbut Onions (10 September 1873 – 8 January 1965) was an English grammarian and lexicographer and the fourth editor of the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Life C. T. Onions was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, the eldest son of Ralph ...

, and was a colleague of

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. In 1964 he succeeded Lewis as Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1976. His most substantial work was the volume ''Middle English Literature'' for the Oxford History of English Literature series, which was completed after his death by Douglas Gray and published in 1986. Other works include ''The Parlement of Foules: An Interpretation'' (1957); ''Chaucer's Book of Fame: An Exposition of "The House of Fame"'' (1960); and ''Chaucer at Oxford and at Cambridge'' (1974). Bennett also edited several volumes, including ''The Knight's Tale'' by Chaucer, ''Early Middle English Verse and Prose'' (1966, with G. V. Smithers), and the collection ''Essays on Malory'' (1963). He was one of the

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literature, literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusia ...

, an informal literary group that included two of the most important writers of the twentieth century,

and

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

, the authors of ''

The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...

'' and ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' respectively. He is buried at the

Ascension Parish Burial Ground The Ascension Parish Burial Ground, formerly known as the burial ground for the parish of St Giles and St Peter's, is a cemetery off Huntingdon Road in Cambridge, England. Many notable University of Cambridge academics are buried there, includ ...

in Cambridge with his wife, Gwyneth (1916–1980).

Notes

References

* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Jack Arthur Walter 1911 births 1981 deaths Fellows of Magdalene College, Cambridge Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences University of Auckland alumni Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom Professors of Medieval and Renaissance English (Cambridge) People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School

Early life and education

Career

Notes

References

Further reading

External links