Dear Dorothy -- Yes, the Colin Clout Award was surely
invented for the likes of Paul, and it could almost have
borne his name. Your grateful reminiscences fill in some
more of the picture. I once was with Paul when there was
a prolonged drought in California, and Berkeley's water
usage had been drastically restricted. When I said how
impossible this must be to cope with, he corrected me by
saying that no, it was actually rather instructive, and
showed one how possible and right it was to be less
wasteful. Sir Guyon, I believe. Yours, Jim
On Sun, 12 May 2013 07:29:40 +0000
Dorothy Anne Stephens <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Jim, thank you for your moving tribute, which captures
>Paul so well. I've never known any other scholar to
>match his combination of rigour, tact, and generosity,
>nor his deeply felt conviction that the study of
>literature is inextricable from the study of what we owe
>each other. He's neither an idealist nor a
>sentimentalist; rather, like Primo Levi, he has always
>been interested in how the sharing of poetry enables us
>to cope with the pain of being human. At the same time,
>in his own life he has been quick to seize joy--whether
>in studying piano, learning Greek, discovering that
>Amherst had a shop dedicated to gourmet dog biscuits, or
>exclaiming over how fortunate he was in his friends.
>
> I believe, by the way, that receiving the Colin Clout
>Lifetime Achievement Award from the Spenser Society a few
>years ago was really one of the great pleasures of his
>life. I'm glad we were able to do that for him.
>
> Dot
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>From: Sidney-Spenser Discussion List
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of James
>C. Nohrnberg
> Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2013 1:16 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Paul Alpers
>
> I've had my poor say to Carol Christ and Paul
>themselves, in more private communications, but for the
>sake of the record and the list and the choir or chorus,
>I'll add what I can of a personal tribute, while also
>letting our present sorrow only be implicit here.
>
> I first learned of Paul's work at table with Douglas
>Bush and Reuben Brower, ca. 1966, and my indebtedness
>grew exponentially from there--my sense of what a "new"
>(or even "new critical") and original Spenser book could
>aspire to look like, not to mention such things as my
>first job offer, my first reader's report, my last
>reader's report, and genuine encouragement, exchanges,
>recommendation after recommendation, and gigs over the
>years. About that first reader's report I dropped some
>hints to my editor, as to the identity of its unnamed
>author, and she wrote back, "you've obviously guessed who
>wrote it." Of course I had--its tact, generosity,
>intellectual and scholarly rigour, length, detail,
>queries, critical point of view and acumen regarding any
>structural poetics and/or structures when applied to
>imagery were unmistakable; they were Paul's signature,
>and that of a truly principled debater.
>
> And they were also exemplary: the work of a true
>professional, and a telling lesson in how to do it. Paul
>has surely been the making of many would-be Aeneases--or
>Arthurs--and/or civil servants who were determined to
>model their conduct on a sterling example (I can say
>civil servants in that we both spent much of our
>professional lives as educators in the employ of the
>State of California or Commonwealth of Virginia--like
>Harry, re Calif.). Paul's repeated support must have
>mattered to lots of folks, but
> perhaps to few, if any, more than myself. What an
>ally!
>
> Somewhat before it became a prize-winning book I was
>completely honored to introduce Paul's lecture "What is
>Pastoral?" at Virginia. And if pastoral is indeed at the
>start the representation of a Colin and a Hobbinol
>talking to one another and discoursing within their
>life-landscape, there is surely no one with whom I'd
>rather have taken up the homely shepherd's trade, nor
>anyone I'd have been more lucky to have found afield.
> And no one could be more loyal to those he'd joined with
>in the first place. He has helped his associates and
>followers define not only pastoral for its long duration,
>but also mensch.
>
> Like Judith--Prof. Anderson--I last saw Paul at Toronto,
>where I had begun to study Spenser more or less seriously
>forty-four years before. We'd heard each other speak at
>programs at Yale in 1996; we'd not had much time together
>at a memorial lecture I gave at Smith College for Prof.
> Harold Skulsky's retirement in 2004, though Paul honored
>the occasion not only by appearing but by kindly asking
>the first question. At Toronto, Paul said it was good we
>could actually get caught up with each other, in a
>bistro, not so unlike Tad's Steakhouse in NYC or Chicago,
>or Sproul Plaza back home in my native city, decades ago.
>But the present impasse tells me what I've always known,
>that there is no way I can ever hope to catch up with my
>lifelong indebtedness to this mentor, confidant,
>benefactor, and amicus curiae. His rich and
>authoritative voice has been a pleasure to hear
>throughout his life--but his generous smile, when turned
>one's way, has conferred a near-priceless benediction.
>
> I am most grateful to Paul's other students, colleagues,
>and devotees of poetry and the study of literary
>convention in general, who've here recognized in him a
>prince of the blood.
>
> -- Jim N.
>
> On Sat, 11 May 2013 17:46:27 -0400
> "Judith H. Anderson" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>For us all, Harry. Thank you for writing, and thank you
>>Andrew for the
>> post. I've written, too, since I first met Paul in the
>>early 1970s and
>> last saw him in Toronto in 2006 (the Spenser
>>Conference). His work,
>>with
>> your own, has meant much to me. --Judith
>>
>>
>>
>>From: Sidney-Spenser Discussion List
>>[mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> On Behalf Of Harry Berger Jr
>> Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2013 11:11 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Paul Alpers
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks so much for letting us know this, Andrew. I'm
>>finding it very
>>hard to take. As I wrote to Paul and Carol, Paul and I
>>have been
>>partners in Spenser for more than 50 years, ever since
>>his first book
>>changed the way I thought about Spenser and everything
>>else. And over
>>the years we've been very close for other reasons. So
>>for me this is
>>unutterably sad news.
>>
>>
>>
>> Be well, Andrew
>>
>>
>>
>> -Harry
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On May 8, 2013, at 7:32 PM, Escobedo, Andrew wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Spenserians,
>>
>>
>>
>> I write to you with sad news that some of you probably
>>already know.
>>Paul Alpers, one of the greatest Spenserians of his
>>generation, is
>>very ill with cancer and is now in hospice care. He is
>>too weak to
>>read messages himself through email, but I've written
>>him an email
>>through Carol Christ ([log in to unmask]), who is able to
>>read messages
>>to him. My impression is that Paul is pleased to be
>>contacted by
>>friends and colleagues from his past, and Carol (so far)
>>has been able
>>to communicate missives to him. If you know Paul and are
>>so inclined,
>>do write him a short note. If you don't know him, please
>>join me in
>>hoping for the best at a grim time.
>>
>>
>>
>> Andrew Escobedo
>>
>>
>>
>> Andrew Escobedo
>>
>> Associate Professor and Co-Editor of Spenser Studies
>>
>> Department of English
>>
>> Ohio University
>>
>> Athens, OH 45701
>>
>> (740) 593-2838
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> [log in to unmask]
> James Nohrnberg
> Dept. of English, Bryan Hall 219
> Univ. of Virginia
> P.O Box 400121
> Charlottesville, VA 22904-4121
[log in to unmask]
James Nohrnberg
Dept. of English, Bryan Hall 219
Univ. of Virginia
P.O Box 400121
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4121
|