Molly Maureen Mahood (17 June 1919 – 14 February 2017) was a British

literary scholar Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...

, whose interests ranged from Shakespeare to postcolonial

African literature African literature is literature from Africa, either oral ("orature") or written in African and Afro-Asiatic languages. Examples of pre-colonial African literature can be traced back to at least the fourth century AD. The best-known is the ''Keb ...

. She taught at

St Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a women's college, and accepte ...

(1947–1954), the University of Ibadan in Nigeria (1954–1963), the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania (1963–1967), and the University of Kent at Canterbury (1967–1979).

Early life and education

The daughter of James Mahood, CBE, assistant paymaster-general, Molly Mahood was born on 17 June 1919 in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

, London, England. She was educated at

Surbiton High School Surbiton High School is a private independent school in Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It has seven buildings overall including the Boys’ Preparatory School, Girls’ Preparatory School, the Se ...

, an all-girls private school in Kingston upon Thames, London. She studied English at King's College, London, and graduated with a first-class honours degree in 1941. She and her fellow students were evacuated to Bristol because of the increasing threat of bombs during the Second World War. She continued her studies and completed a Master of Arts (MA) degree with a dissertation on 17th-century comedy.

Academic career

From 1947 to 1954, Mahood was a Fellow of

, then an all-female college of the University of Oxford. She then moved to Nigeria where she became professor of English at the University of Ibadan. Moving to Tanzania, she held the

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of English at the University of Dar es Salaam from 1963 to 1967. She returned to England and was appointed Professor of English Literature at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Having retired in 1979, she was made Professor Emeritus by Kent and she maintained her links with the university into old age. Mahood taught at four universities in three countries. Notable former students of hers include Robert Mugabe (President of Zimbabwe), Abiola Irele (Nigerian literary scholar), and Wole Soyinka (Nobel prizewinner).

Later life

In retirement, Mahood studied for and completed a degree in biological sciences. Mahood died on 14 February 2017, aged 97. Her funeral was held on 3 March 2017 at Clayton Wood Natural Burial Ground near Hassocks, Sussex, England.

Honours

In 1972, Mahood was selected to give the Annual Shakespeare Lecture at the British Academy, the United Kingdoms national academy for the humanities and social sciences. In 2009, she was awarded the

Rose Mary Crawshay Prize The Rose Mary Crawshay Prize is a literary prize for female scholars, inaugurated in 1888 by the British Academy. Description The prize, set up in 1888, is said by the British Academy to be the only UK literary prize specifically for female sch ...

by the British Academy for ''The Poet as Botanist''. In July 2010, she was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree by the University of Kent.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahood, Molly 1919 births 2017 deaths Academic staff of the University of Dar es Salaam Academic staff of the University of Ibadan Academics of the University of Kent Alumni of King's College London British expatriates in Nigeria British expatriates in Tanzania British literary critics British women literary critics Fellows of St Hugh's College, Oxford People educated at Surbiton High School People from Wimbledon, London Postcolonial literature Rose Mary Crawshay Prize winners Shakespearean scholars