J. Douglas Bruce Collection
This collection consists of 44 individual notebooks which collectively comprise a good representative sample of Dr. Bruce's work over the period of approximately three decades from 1888-1920. Among the topics included in the notebooks are the following: research and class notes, including preliminary doctoral material; notes on German language; notes on English language and phonology (including origins); notes on original literary works from Anglo-Saxon period through the 18th century and notes on various scholarly articles pertaining to such works; miscellaneous scholarly material; notes on English and German prosody, inflections, syntax, dialects, diphthongs, alliteration, and parts of speech; literary references and quotations (including citations from original works); and notes on literary characters. A good portion of the material is related to the following works: Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and other works of Chaucer; works of Spenser; and Arthurian romantic literature. The material includes notebooks from the following periods: Strassburg, 1888; Baltimore, 1889-1890; Bryn Mawr, 1891-1900; London, 1892, 1911; Cambridge, Mass. (Colonial Club), 1918, 1920; University of Tennessee, 1916, 1917; and Harvard University, 1917, 1918, and 1920. Approximately 50% of the material is from the Bryn Mawr period.
Dates
- 1888-1920
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite, and a minimum of 2 business days are needed to retrieve these items for use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the collections are advised to contact Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (2 record boxes)
Abstract
This collection consists of 44 individual notebooks containing Bruce's research and class notes, including preliminary doctoral material; notes on German language; notes on English language and phonology (including origins); and notes on original literary works from Anglo-Saxon period through the 18th century.
Biographical/Historical Note
J. Douglas Bruce, renowned UT English professor and noted authority on Anglo-Saxon literature, held the chair in English at UT from 1900 until his death in 1923.
A native of Staunton Hill, Va., Dr. Bruce was born on December 9, 1862, into one of the leading families of the state. His basic education was received in the local schools of his native area, where he demonstrated early his life-long love for learning.
After receiving his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Virginia (the latter in 1883), he studied at the Universities of Berlin (1886-1888) and Strassburg (1888). He returned to the U. S. in 1888, where he continued his studies at Johns Hopkins (1889-1890). He was subsequently awarded his PhD from this institution in 1894. Dr. Bruce came to UT in 1900, after having taught Modern Languages at Centre College in Daville, Ky. (1890-1891), and Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania (1891-1900), where he served as Associate Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English and English Philology. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Bruce served as head of the English Department throughout his entire tenure at UT.
Dr. Bruce was known for many years throughout the scholarly world as an eminent authority on Arthurian legends and literature. He published widely in the field of Anglo-Saxon literature, including his crowning achievement The Evolution of Arthurian Romance, a monumental two-volume work, which was published posthumously. His numerous other publications included both books and reviews for leading publications, as well as scholarly articles appearing in both American and foreign periodicals, including Modern Philology. Some of them are: The Anglo-Saxon Version of the Psalms; Le Morte Arthur; and De Ortu Waluanii Mort Artu.
Dr. Bruce enjoyed membership in a number of scholarly organizations. At the time of his death, he was President of the International Chaucerian Society, a rare honor for a non-Englishman. In addition, Bruce was elected President of the American Dialect Society in 1916. He was also a member of the Keats-Shelly Society of New York and a member of Delta Kappa Delta.
Dr. Bruce was fatally striken was a severe paralytic stroke while delivering a lecture in Ayres Hall during the second week of the second semester in 1923. He died several days later on February 19, 1923, in Fort Sanders Hospital in Knoxville, and was buried in the family plot in Richmond, Va. At the time of his death, Dr. Bruce was preparing to do scholarly research on the works of Spenser.
Arrangement
This collection is in two boxes.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository