Susan D. Gubar (born November 30, 1944) is an American author and
distinguished Professor
Distinguished Professor is an academic title given to some top tenured professors in a university, school, or department. Some distinguished professors may have endowed chairs.
In the United States
Often specific to one institution, titles such ...
Emerita of English and Women's Studies at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
* Indiana Univers ...
.
She is best known for co-authoring the landmark feminist literary study ''
The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination'' (1979) with
Sandra Gilbert. She has also written a trilogy on women's writing in the 20th century. Her honours include the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award.
Education
Gubar received an BA from the
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
, an MA from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, and a PhD from the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...
.
Career
Gubar joined the faculty of
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
* Indiana Univers ...
in 1973, at a time when there were three female professors among the 70 in its English department.
Gubar and Gilbert edited the ''
Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English'', published in 1985 (); its publication resulted in both of them being included among ''
Ms.''s women of the year in 1986.
Her book ''Judas: A Biography'', was published in 2009 by W.W. Norton (). Her other writings include essays on the relationship between Judaism and feminism, and the role of poetry in Holocaust remembrance.
In December 2009, Gubar retired from Indiana University at age 65, due to complications following a November 2008 diagnosis of advanced
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
.
The "wrenching story" of her subsequent medical treatment (in which she underwent a "debulking" surgery which included the removal of her appendix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and part of her intestines) led her to write ''Memoir of a Debulked Woman'' (2012, ).
She continues her story as a blogger in "Living with Cancer" for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. A chaired appointment at Indiana is now named for Gubar.
Gubar was elected to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communi ...
in 2011.
In 2012, she and her longtime collaborator Sandra M. Gilbert were awarded the
Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award of the
National Book Critics Circle
The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American nonprofit organization ( 501(c)(3)) with more than 700 members. It is the professional association of American book review editors and critics, known primarily for the National Book Critics C ...
.
Bibliography
With Sandra M. Gilbert
* ''The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the 19th-Century Literary Imagination''
* ''Shakespeare’s Sisters: Feminist Essays on Women Poets''
* ''A Guide to "The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Tradition in English"
* ''The War of the Words, Volume I of No Man's Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the Twentieth Century''
* ''Sexchanges, Volume II of No Man's Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the Twentieth Century''
* ''Letters from the Front, Volume III of No Man's Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the Twentieth Century''
* ''Masterpiece Theatre: An Academic Melodrama''
They also edited:
* ''Women Poets, Special Double Issue of Women's Studies''
* ''The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Tradition in English ''
* ''The Female Imagination and the Modernist Aesthetic '', also published as a Special Double Issue of Women’s Studies (Vol. 13, no. 1 & 2 (1986))
* ''MotherSongs: Poetry by, for, and about Mothers'' also with Diana O’Hehir
With others
Edited:
* ''For Adult Users Only: The Dilemma of Violent Pornography'' with Joan Hoff
* ''English Inside and Out: The Places of Literary Criticism, Papers from the 50th Meeting of the English Institute, with Jonathan Kamholtz ''
References
External links
Official Home Pageat
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
* Indiana Univers ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gubar, Susan
1944 births
American academics of English literature
American literary critics
Women literary critics
Literary critics of English
Indiana University faculty
Living people
Jewish women writers
American women non-fiction writers
American women academics
21st-century American women
American women critics