Northrop Frye

Born July 14, 1912, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; died of a heart attack, January 22, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; son of Herman Edward (a hardware merchant) and Catherine Maud (Howard) Frye; married Helen Kemp, August 24, 1937 (died, 1986); married Elizabeth Brown, 1988. Education: University of Toronto, B.A. (philosophy and English; with honors), 1933; Emmanuel College, ordained, 1936; Merton College, Oxford, M.A., 1940. Religion: United Church of Canada.
CAREER: Worked as a pastor of a congregation near Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, 1934; University of Toronto, Victoria College, Toronto, Ontario, lecturer in English, 1939-41, assistant professor, 1942-46, associate professor, 1947, professor of English, 1948-91, chair of department, 1952-59, principal, 1959-67, University Professor, 1967-91. Chancellor, Victoria University, Toronto, 1978-91. Visiting professor at Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Indiana University, University of Washington, University of British Columbia, Cornell University, University of California, Berkeley, and Oxford University. Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large, Cornell University, 1970-75; Charles Eliot Norton Poetry Professor, Harvard University, 1974-75. Member of board of governors, Ontario Curriculum Institute, 1960-63; chair of Governor-General's Literary Awards Committee, 1962. Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission, advisory member, 1968-77.
MEMBER: Modern Language Association of America (executive council member, 1958-62; president, 1976), English Institute (former chair), Royal Society of Canada (fellow), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (foreign honorary member), British Academy (corresponding fellow), American Philosophical Society (foreign member), American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (honorary member).
AWARDS, HONOURS: Guggenheim fellow, 1950-51; Lorne Pierce Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, 1958; Canada Council Medal, 1967; Pierre Chauveau Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, 1970; Canada Council Molson Prize, 1971; Companion of the Order of Canada, 1972; honorary fellow, Merton College, Oxford, 1974; Civic Honour, City of Toronto, 1974; Royal Bank Award, 1978; Governor General's Award, 1987. Thirty-six honorary degrees from colleges and universities in Canada and the United States, including Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of Manitoba.