Samuel Foster Damon (February 12, 1893 – December 25, 1971) was an American academic, a specialist in
William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...
, a
critic
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...
and a
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
. When remembered as a Blake scholar, he is often compared in importance to
Northrop Frye
Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century.
Frye gained international fame with his first book, ''Fearful Symmetr ...
and
David V. Erdman.
[
]
Early life
He was born in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...
. He graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1914, returning there after World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
as an instructor in the English Department. He was one of the Harvard Aesthetes, and married Louise Wheelwright, sister of John Brooks Wheelwright, another active Harvard Aesthete.
Scholarly career
His book ''William Blake, His Philosophy and Symbols'' from 1924 was later followed by ''A Blake Dictionary'' (1965), the work for which he is perhaps best known. Their encyclopedic scope expanded Blake studies into the examination of the mystical and occult elements of Blake's work.[Bentley 19] In the foreword to a revised edition of the ''Dictionary'', Morris Eaves says that when Damon's first book on Blake came out, he was the "Young Turk" of Blake studies, and when the ''Dictionary'' appeared, he was the "patriarch" of the field.Brown University
Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
, where he had positions from 1927. His other writings include a biography of Amy Lowell
Amy Lawrence Lowell (February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the imagist school. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926.
Life
Amy Lowell was born on February 9, 1874, in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughte ...
, and the long poem ''The Moulton Tragedy, a heroic poem with lyrics'' (1971). He also published poetry under the pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Samuel Nomad.
References
Works cited
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External links
His Biography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Damon, S. Foster
1893 births
1971 deaths
American male poets
Harvard University alumni
Harvard University faculty
Brown University faculty
William Blake scholars