Philip Malcolm Waller Thody (21 March 1928 – 15 June 1999) was an English scholar of French literature who was Professor of French Literature at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

from 1965 until 1993.

Early life and education

Thody was born in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

in 1928 and educated locally. After

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the RAF, he read French at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and subsequently lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

for three years, writing a thesis on 'The Vogue of the American Novel in France since 1944', including a year as a lecteur at the Sorbonne.The Guardian, obituary by David Coward, published 22 June 1999
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Academic career

In 1956 Thody was appointed Assistant Lecturer, later

Lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

, at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

. In 1965 he was appointed

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

of French Literature at the

where he remained until his retirement in 1993. He translated and edited work by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

and

Lucien Goldmann Lucien Goldmann (; 20 July 1913 – 8 October 1970) was a French philosopher and sociologist of Jewish-Romanian origin. A professor at the EHESS in Paris, he was a Marxist theorist. His wife was sociologist Annie Goldmann. Biography Goldmann w ...

, and wrote book-length studies of writers including Camus,

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lite ...

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Thief ...

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

and

Roland Barthes Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 26 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western pop ...

. Thody launched a "total immersion language course" in French for the Civil Service College in 1972. In 25 years, 700 senior civil servants attended it. Thody was also a member of the civil service final selection panel. In 1982, he wrote the Thody Report, on improving

Diplomatic Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

language training.

Personal life

In 1954 he married Joy Woodin. They had two sons and two daughters.

Death

Thody died in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

on 15 June 1999, aged 71. He was survived by his wife and children.

Selected publications

* ''Albert Camus: a study of his work'', 1957 * ''The Fifth French Republic: presidents, politics and personalities'', 1960 * ''Jean-Paul Sartre'', 1960 * ''Sartre: a biographical introduction'', 1960 * ''Jean-Paul Sartre: a literary and political study'', 1960 * (ed.) ''Notebooks, 1935-1942'' by

, 1963 * (tr.) ''The hidden God; a study of tragic vision in the Pensées of Pascal and the tragedies of Racine'' by

, 1964 * (ed.) ''Lyrical and critical essays'' by Albert Camus, 1967 * ''Jean Genet: a study of his novels and plays'', 1968 * ''Huxley: a biographical introduction'', 1973 * ''Roland Barthes: a conservative estimate'', 1977 * ''Marcel Proust'', 1980 * ''Le Franglais: forbidden English, forbidden American: law, politics, and language in contemporary France: a study in loan words and national identity'', 1995 * ''Introducing Barthes'', 1997 * ''Introducing Sartre'', 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:THody, Philip 1928 births 1999 deaths Alumni of King's College London Academics of Queen's University Belfast Academics of the University of Leeds Scholars of French literature English literary critics