Gilbert Highet
Gilbert Highet: A Life of Scholarship and Wisdom
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Gilbert Keith Highet was a Scottish-American scholar, poet, literary critic, and classicist. He is commonly known as G.K. Highet.
Birth and Death Dates
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Highet was born on November 18, 1906, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and passed away on April 6, 1978.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Highet held dual nationality, being both Scottish and American. His profession spanned academia, literature, and criticism, with a primary focus on classical studies.
Early Life and Background
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Growing up in Edinburgh, Highet developed a passion for Latin and Greek, which laid the foundation for his future career. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied Classics. After completing his education, Highet moved to the United States, settling in New York City, where he spent most of his life.
Major Accomplishments
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Highet's academic achievements are numerous and impressive:
Editorial work: He served as editor-in-chief of _The Classical Weekly_ (1935-1941) and was a member of the editorial board for the _American Journal of Philology_.
Literary criticism: Highet wrote extensively on classical literature, publishing works such as _The Anatomy of Metaphor_ (1950), which examines the use of metaphor in poetry.
Educational contributions: He taught at several institutions, including Columbia University and Princeton University, where he was a professor of classics.Notable Works or Actions
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Highet's notable works include:
1. _The Anatomy of Metaphor_ (1950): A study on the use of metaphor in poetry.
2. _Pope: A Study of His Life and Writings_ (1968): A critical examination of Alexander Pope's life and work.
3. _The Classical Tradition_ (1949): An exploration of the influence of classical literature on Western culture.
Impact and Legacy
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Highet's contributions to classical scholarship, literary criticism, and education have had a lasting impact:
Influence on scholars: His works continue to inspire and inform scholars in their studies.
Classical education: Highet played a significant role in promoting the study of classical languages and literature.Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Highet's legacy can be attributed to his:
Comprehensive knowledge: He was an expert in multiple areas, from classical literature to literary criticism.
* Engaging writing style: His works are known for their clarity and accessibility, making complex concepts more understandable to a broader audience.
Quotes by Gilbert Highet
A very wise old teacher once said: I consider a day’s teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.
The mind never need stop growing. Indeed, one of the few experiences which never pall is the experience of watching one’s own mind and how it produces new interests, responds to new stimuli, and develops new thoughts, apparently without effort and almost independently of one’s own conscious control.
Nobody has ever thought himself to death. The chief danger confronting us is not age. It is laziness, sloth, routine, stupidity, – forcing their way in like wind through the shutters, seeping into the cellar like swamp water.
Wherever there are beginners and experts, old and young, there is some kind of learning going on, some kind of teaching. We are all pupils and we are all teachers.
If you do not actually like boys and girls, or young men and young women, give up teaching.
A very wise old teacher once said: I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.
The chief aim of education is to show you, after you make a livelihood, how to enjoy living; and you can live longest and best and most rewardingly by attaining and preserving the happiness of learning.
He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single group of human beings enjoying its existence.