Philip F. Gura (born June 14, 1950) is an intellectual and cultural historian. He currently serves as William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, where he holds appointments in the Departments of English and Comparative Literature, Religious Studies, and American Studies.

Biography

Gura was born in Ware, Massachusetts. A graduate of Phillips Academy (1968), he received his AB, '' magna cum laude'', in History and Literature in 1972 from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, and his PhD, in the History of American Civilization in 1977, from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where he lived in

Lowell House Lowell House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University, located at 10 Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between Harvard Yard and the Charles River. Officially, it is named for the Lowell family, but an orna ...

. He is the author or editor of 14 books, including ''The Wisdom of Words: Language, Theology, and Literature in the New England Renaissance'' (1981), ''A Glimpse of Sion's Glory: Puritan Radicalism in New England, 1620–1660'' (1984), the prize-winning ''America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century'' (1999), ''Buried from the World: Inside the Massachusetts State Prison, 1829–1831'' (2001), ''C. F. Martin and His Guitars, 1796–1873'' (2003), ''Jonathan Edwards: America’s Evangelical'' (2005), ''American Transcendentalism: A History'' (2007), which was a

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".The Norton Anthology of American Literature ''The Norton Anthology of American Literature'' is a compendium of various works by authors of specifically American birth or naturalization, ranging from short poems, pamphlets, and novellas to longer entries such as entire novels and philosophic ...

. Gura is an elected member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the

Colonial Society of Massachusetts Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

, and the Society of American Historians. In 2008, the Division on American Literature to 1800 of the Modern Language Association honored him with its Distinguished Scholar award. In 2019 the governor of North Carolina named him to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, a state-wide honor. He plays the clawhammer banjo in a traditional Appalachian style, known as "old-time."

Selected work

* ''Man’s Better Angels: Romantic Reformers and the Coming of the Civil War'' (2017) * ''The Life of William Apess (Pequot)'' (2015) * ''Jonathan Edwards: Writings from the Great Awakening'' (2013). * ''Truth's Ragged Edge: The Rise of the American Novel'' (2013). * ''The American Antiquarian Society, 1812–2012: A Bicentennial History'' (2012). * ''American Transcendentalism: A History'' (2007). * ''Jonathan Edwards: America's Evangelical'' (2005). * ''C.F. Martin and His Guitars, 1796–1873'' (2003). * ''Buried from the World: Inside the Massachusetts State Prison, 1829–1831, The Memorandum Books of the Rev. Jared Curtis'' (2001). * ''America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century'' (1999). * ''The Crossroads of American History and Literature'' (1996). * ''Memoirs of Stephen Burroughs'' (1988). * ''A Glimpse of Sion's Glory: Puritan Radicalism in New England, 1620–1660'' (1984). * ''Critical Essays on American Transcendentalism'' (1982). * ''The Wisdom of Words: Language, Theology, and Literature in the New England Renaissance'' (1981).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gura, Philip F. Living people American literary critics University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty University of Colorado faculty 1950 births Harvard College alumni Phillips Academy alumni Members of the American Antiquarian Society People from Ware, Massachusetts