English Evolves--and Reverts

Speaking on behalf of the department he chairs, James Engell moved that it shed its current title (English and American literature and language) in favor of a streamlined one (English).

At the Faculty of Arts and Sciences meeting on April 8, Gurney professor of English literature and professor of comparative literature James Engell, speaking on behalf of the department he chairs, moved that it shed its current title (English and American literature and language) in favor of a streamlined one (English). The change, Engell explained, represented a reversion to earlier practice, before the department adopted the current, longer name to reflect a daring scholarly advance: American literature would be elevated to “worth-reading” status, alongside British works.

Engell did not read aloud an accompanying written statement explaining the rationale for the name change in much greater detail. Lest it be lost to the historical record, we quote it at length:

There are several reasons why this proposed change is at once timely and important, but the key reason has to do with the evolution of our field. The current name, by using the two terms English and American, necessarily imples that “English” refers to the literature and language of England. That is somewhat awkward, of course, in relation to Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, but the real problem lies in the explosion of English as a world literature and a world language. To cite a single example, the influential Norton Anthology of English Literature (8th edition, 2006) includes works by Claude McKay (b. Jamaica), Louise Bennett (b. Jamaica), Kamau Brathwaite (b. Barbados), Wole Soyinka (b. Nigeria), Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (b. Kenya), Salman Rushdie (b. India), Nadine Gordimer (b. South Africa), A.K. Ramanujan (b. India), Derek Walcott (b. Santa Lucia), Chinua Achebe (b. Nigeria), Alice Munro (b. Canada), V.S. Naipaul (b. Trinidad), Les Murray (b. Australia), J.M. Coetzee (b. South Africa), Anne Carson (b. Canada), and many other distinguished writers who do not by any means fit into the national boundaries suggested by “English and American” literature. But they all very much belong in a Department of English—indeed they are among the most exciting figures in such a department.…

The proposed change simplifies our department’s name, brings it in line with comparable departments at other universities, and avoids misleading parallels. But above all it accurately reflects the state of our field and brings us into the 21st century.

Indeed, Engell noted, the department’s sole junior-faculty search for the coming academic year seeks to attract a scholar of “transnational anglophone” works.

The measure passed unanimously. A separate proposal, to reduce the quorum necessary to conduct faculty business, also passed. But as the April 8 meeting itself lacked a quorum, both pieces of legislation had to be presented to the subsequent meeting on May 6 to secure formal adoption.

You might also like

Harvard Football: Harvard 59, Holy Cross 24

Another week, another blowout, this one against an in-state rival

Trump Says a Deal with Harvard Is Close

Administration squeezes Harvard finances, and a federal judge blasts deportation efforts as unconstitutional.

Harvard Football: Harvard 41, Brown 7

The Crimson assertively avenge last year’s loss to their Ivy rival.

Most popular

Profile of Novelist Yangsze Choo

Malaysian-born Yangsze Choo writes novels infused with the tropical mysteries of her childhood.

Rashida Jones Speaks at Harvard College Class Day 2016

At Harvard College Class Day, the actress urges students to create their own lives, and always choose love.

Danielle Allen Debates Far-Right Blogger Curtis Yarvin

Popular monarchist debates Allen on democracy.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two women in traditional kimonos, one lighting a cigarette, in a scene from Apart from You.

Harvard Film Archive Spotlights Japanese Director Mikio Naruse

A retrospective of the filmmaker’s works, from Floating Clouds to Flowing

Johnston Gate

Your Views On Harvard’s Standoff, Antisemitism, and More

Readers comment on the controversial July-August cover, authoritarianism, and scientific research.

Two people moving large abstract painting with blue V-shaped design in museum courtyard.

A Harvard Art Museums Painting Gets a Bath

Water and sunlight help restore a modern American classic.