John Vyvyan (1908 – 12 February 1975) was a British writer known for his study of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and his histories of the

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

movement.

Biography

Vyvyan was born in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. He originally trained as an archaeologist, he worked with Sir

Flinders Petrie Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie ( – ), commonly known as simply Flinders Petrie, was a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egypt ...

in the Middle East. He was the author of three books on Shakespeare, including ''The Shakespearean Ethic'' (1959), and two on the origins of anti-vivisection activism, ''In Pity and in Anger: A Study of the Use of Animals in Science'' (1969) – which documents the disputes between

Frances Power Cobbe Frances Power Cobbe (4 December 1822 – 5 April 1904) was an Anglo-Irish writer, philosopher, religious thinker, social reformer, anti-vivisection activist and leading women's suffrage campaigner. She founded a number of animal advocacy group ...

and

Anna Kingsford Anna Kingsford (; 16 September 1846 – 22 February 1888), was an English anti-vivisectionist, vegetarian and women's rights campaigner. She was one of the first English women to obtain a degree in medicine, after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, an ...

, two prominent 19th-century British activists – and ''The Dark Face of Science'' (1971). In recognition of his contribution to Shakespearean scholarship in his trilogy, he was offered, but unable to take up, a visiting lectureship at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

. He died in

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...

in 1975. Vyvyan's publications on Shakespeare were positively reviewed in academic journals.

Selected publications

*
The Shakespearean Ethic
'. Chatto & Windus, 1959. 2nd Edition, Shepheard-Walwyn, 2011. *
Shakespeare and the Rose of Love
'. Chatto & Windus, 1960. 2nd Edition, Shepheard-Walwyn, 2013. *''A Case Against Jones: A Study of Psychical Phenomena''. Attic Press, 1966. *''In Pity and in Anger: A Study of the Use of Animals in Science''. M. Joseph, 1969.
''Shakespeare and Platonic Beauty''
Chatto & Windus, 1970. 2nd Edition, Shepheard-Walwyn, 2013. *''The Dark Face of Science''. M. Joseph, 1971. *''Sketch for a World Picture: A Study of Evolution''. M. Joseph, 1972.

Biography

Selected publications

See also

References

Further reading