John Jack Winkler (11 August 1943 in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

– 26 April 1990 in

Stanford, California Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University, after which it was named. The CDP's population was 21,150 at the United States Census, ...

) was an American

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

and

Benedictine monk The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

. Winkler studied classical studies at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

from 1960 to 1963 and then went to England, where he joined a Benedictine order. In 1966 he returned to the United States and taught at Saint Louis Priory School until 1970. In 1970, he left the Benedictines and participated in a graduate program in Ancient Philology at the University of Texas, Austin. In 1974 he graduated with the thesis ''In Pursuit of Nymphs: Comedy and Sex in Nonnos' "Tales of Dionysos"''. He then served as assistant professor at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. In 1979 Winkler was appointed to a professorship 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 ...

. He taught there until his death from

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

at the age of 46. In his research, Winkler dealt with the social functions of Attic dramas and the portrayal of sexual conventions and gender roles in ancient Greece. His book ''The Constraints of Desire'' reached many readers outside the academic world. He donated half of the book's income to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. At his behest, a gay and lesbian working group was established at the US Association of Ancient Philologists. After his death, the John J. Winkler Memorial Trust was founded in his memory, which awards the John J. Winkler Memorial Prize. Winkler's last book,''Rehearsals of Manhood: Athenian Drama as Social Practice'' (2023) was edited by David Halperin and Kirk Ormand and published posthumously. He was criticised by

Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia ( ; born April 2, 1947) is an American academic, social critic and Feminism, feminist. Paglia was a professor at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia), University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1984 until ...

in her essay "Junk Bonds and Corporate Raiders: Academe in the Hour of the Wolf".

Books

Single-authored books * ''Rehearsals of Manhood: Athenian Drama as Social Practice'' (2023) *''The Constraints of Desire: The Anthropology of Sex and Gender in Ancient Greece'' (1990) *''Auctor and Actor: A Narratological Reading of Apuleius's 'The Golden Ass'' (1985) Co-edited volumes * ''Nothing to do with Dionysos? Athenian Drama in Its Social Context''. (1990)

Awards

* Goodwin Award of Merit (1989) from the

American Philological Association The Society for Classical Studies (SCS), formerly known as the American Philological Association (APA), is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization founded in 1869. It is the pree ...

References

External links

Entry for John J. Winkler in the Database of Classical ScholarsObituary by Mark Edwards, Marsh McCall and Susan Stephens, Stanford University (PDF file, 79 kB)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winkler, John J. 1943 births 1990 deaths American philologists Benedictine monks AIDS-related deaths in California