John Victor Luce (21 May 1920 – 11 February 2011) was an
Irish classicist, former professor and emeritus
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Classics at
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. He was also the College's
Public Orator between 1971 and 2005.
Luce entered Trinity in 1938 to read Classics, and was
elected a Scholar in his first year, a highly unusual achievement. He took a double Moderatorship in Classics and
Philosophy and was awarded Gold Medals for both subjects. He was Auditor of the
College Classical Society
A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
in 1942–43. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity in 1948 and served as
Erasmus Smith's Professor of Oratory until 1989.
John Luce was the son of
Arthur Aston Luce, the longest serving fellow of TCD, nephew of Gordon Hannington Luce, the noted scholar of Burmese and Asian History and Bloomsbury group member, first cousin of Rex Warner, classicist and author of novels such as the Airodrome.
An avid sportsman in his youth represented Ireland in Hockey in the 1940s, and also played Squash and Cricket. He was a keen Chess player and played for Rathmines Chess Club in the Leinster Leagues.
Partial bibliography
*''The End of
Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus'' and ''Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that bes ...
: New Light on an Old Legend'', London 1969
*''The Quest for
Ulysses'' (with
William Bedell Stanford), London 1974
*''
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...
and the Heroic Age'', London 1975
*''Trinity College Dublin: The First 400 Years'', Dublin 1991
*''An Introduction to Greek Philosophy'', London 1992
*''Orationes Dublinienses Selectae (1971-1990)'', Dublin 1991
*''Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited'', New Haven 1999
*''Orationes Dublinienses Selectae II (1990-2002)'', Dublin 2004
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luce, John Victor
1920 births
2011 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Classical scholars of Trinity College Dublin
Fellows of Trinity College Dublin
Irish classical scholars
20th-century Irish historians
21st-century Irish historians
Public orators
Scholars of ancient Greek literature
Scholars of Trinity College Dublin