John Gould (classicist)

{{Short description|British classical scholar (1927–2001)}} {{Use British English|date=June 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox academic | honorific_prefix =  | name = John Gould | honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|FBA}} | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date = 20 December 1927 | birth_place = John Philip Algernon Gould | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|19 October 2001|20 December 1927}} | death_place = | death_cause = | nationality =  | citizenship =  | other_names = | occupation = | period = | known_for = | title = | boards =  | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | awards =  | website = | education = | alma_mater = Jesus College, Cambridge | thesis_title = | thesis_url = | thesis_year = | school_tradition = | doctoral_advisor = | academic_advisors = | influences =  | era = | discipline = Classics | sub_discipline = {{hlist|Greek tragedy|ancient Greek literature|ancient Greek religion|anthropology}} | workplaces = {{plain list| * Jesus College, Cambridge * Christ Church, Oxford * University College of Swansea * University of Bristol }} | doctoral_students =  | notable_students = | main_interests = | notable_works = | notable_ideas = | influenced =  | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | footnotes = }} '''John Philip Algernon Gould''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|FBA}} (20 December 1927 – 19 October 2001) was a British classical scholar. He specialised in Greek tragedy, but also had wider interests in ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek religion and anthropology. He began his academic career as a research fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge (1949–1953), and then a tutor and student (i.e. fellow) at Christ Church, Oxford (1954–1968). He was Chair of Classics at the University College of Swansea from 1968 to 1974, and the H O Wills Professor of Greek at the University of Bristol from 1974 to 1991.<ref name="Memoirs">{{cite journal |last1=Fisher |first1=Nick |title=John Philip Algernon Gould 1927–2001 |journal=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy |year=2021 |volume=XI |pages=238–263 |url=https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1467/11_09-John_Gould.pdf |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="obit Tele">{{cite news |title=Professort John Gould |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1361198/Professort-John-Gould.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=The Telegraph |date=2 November 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128153102/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1361198/Professort-John-Gould.html |archive-date=28 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="obit Times">{{cite news |title=Professor John Gould |work=The Times |issue=67285 |date=1 November 2001 |page=23}}</ref>

==Early life and education== Gould was born on 20 December 1927.<ref name="obit Tele" /> His father was Harold Gould, a school teacher of Latin, and his mother was Marjorie Gould, a lecturer in French at Birkbeck College, London.<ref name="Memoirs" /> He was educated at Wellingborough School, a private school in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and University College School, an independent school in Hampstead, London.<ref name="Memoirs" /> Having been awarded a scholarship, he studied the Classical Tripos at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with a double first Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1948: he was awarded a "special merit" in ancient philosophy.<ref name="Memoirs" />

Having completed his undergraduate degree, Gould was required to undertake eighteen months of National Service.<ref name="Memoirs" /> Following officer training, he was commissioned in the Royal Army Educational Corps as a second lieutenant on 4 February 1949.<ref name="LG 15 March 1949">{{London Gazette |issue= 38560 |date= 15 March 1949 |page= 1321 |supp= y }}</ref> In one obituary, it was stated that "he did not greatly enjoy army life".<ref name="Memoirs" />

==Academic career== In 1950, following his military service, Gould returned to Jesus College, Cambridge.<ref name="obit Tele" /> Under the supervision of John Raven, he undertook research on Plato which would eventually become his first book: ''The Development of Plato’s Ethics'' (1955).<ref name="Memoirs" /> Having held a college research studentship for the first two years, he was then made a research fellow at Jesus College.<ref name="Memoirs" /><ref name="obit Tele" />

In 1953, following a lunch with E. R. Dodds, he was offered and accepted the post of college lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford.<ref name="Memoirs" /><ref name="obit Tele" /> A year later, he was elected a student (i.e. fellow) of Christ Church and appointed as tutor in Greek and Latin literature.<ref name="Memoirs" /> He devoted his time to teaching and, along with the help of one other classics tutor at Christ Church, he was required to cover the full syllabus of the ''literae humaniores'' (ie classics) degree.<ref name="Memoirs" /> This left little time for preparing publications, and in his fifteen years at the college, he wrote and published "no more than a few reviews of books".<ref name="Memoirs" />

In 1968, Gould left Oxford to take up the Chair of Greek at University College, Swansea.<ref name="obit Tele" /> The same year, his long-time collaboration with David Lewis consisting of a major revision of Pickard-Cambridge's ''The Dramatic Festivals of Athens'' was finally published.<ref name="Memoirs" /> This reflected Gould's field of study as literary specialist, with "the deepest interest in historical and cultural contexts".<ref name="Memoirs" /> He was involved in reforming the classics department, with the introduction of courses studying ancient literature in translation and a joint-honours ancient history degree for those with no Latin or Ancient Greek.<ref name="Memoirs" /> He also served as editor of the ''Classical Quarterly'' from 1968 to 1974.<ref name="Memoirs" />

In 1974, Gould moved to the University of Bristol where he had been appointed H O Wills Professor of Greek.<ref name="obit Tele" /> In addition to his university post, due to his passion for promoting the study of ancient Greek, he served as chair the Joint Association of Classical Teachers (JACT) Steering Committee between 1974 and 1979.<ref name="Memoirs" /> During his chairmanship, the JACT produced and published the ''Reading Greek'' (1978) introductory textbook for adult learners of Ancient Greek.<ref name="Memoirs" /> His time at Bristol was most productive in terms of publications: including journal articles, literary reviews, and the monograph ''Herodotus'' (1989) which was awarded the Runciman Award in 1990.<ref name="Memoirs" /> One of his articles, published in 1980, was titled "Law, custom and myth: the social position of women in classical Athens": it was an early application of feminist theory and structuralism to Greek society, and also reflected his interest in applying anthropology to classical study.<ref name="Memoirs" />

By the mid-1980s, he was suffering from progressively worse ill health.<ref name="Memoirs" /> He retired from Bristol in 1991.<ref name="obit Tele" /> He then undertook some part-time teaching at New College, Oxford, and held a visiting fellowship at Stanford University in 1993.<ref name="Memoirs" /> His final academic paper was delivered at the conference in memory of George Forrest in July 2000.<ref name="Memoirs" />

==Personal life== While at University College School, Gould met and began a relationship with Pauline Bending. The couple were married by the time Gould moved to the University of Oxford in 1954. Pauline worked as a nurse, then as a teacher, and finally as a social worker. Together they had four children.<ref name="Memoirs" />

In 1974, Gould began an affair with Gillian Tuckett, a school teacher who had attended his Ancient Greek summer school. They separated from their respective spouses and married each other. Gould became step-father to Gillian's three children, and would have "almost no contact" with the children from his first marriage for the rest of his life.<ref name="Memoirs" />

Gould was left-wing in his politics and a committed socialist.<ref name="Memoirs" /><ref name="obit Tele" /> During the 1960s, he was active in campaigning for Labour Party candidates in local elections in and around Oxford; one of whom was Gerry Fowler, a fellow classicist who was elected as an MP in 1966.<ref name="Memoirs" /> In later life, he would leave the Labour Party due to what he perceived as anti-socialist policies.<ref name="Memoirs" />

Gould was ill in later life, having developed Sjögren's syndrome and suffering detached retinas in both eyes (only one eye could be saved). He was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and died on 19 October 2001, aged 73.<ref name="Memoirs" />

==Honours== In 1990, Gould was awarded the Runciman Award by the Anglo-Hellenic League for his book ''Herodotus'' (1989).<ref>{{cite web |title=Previous winners – Runciman Award |url=https://runcimanaward.org/previous-winners/ |website=runcimanaward.org |publisher=Anglo-Hellenic League |access-date=2022-11-26 |archive-date=2022-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126205438/https://runcimanaward.org/previous-winners/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1991, Gould was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.<ref name="Memoirs" />

==Selected works==

* {{cite book |last1=Gould |first1=John |title=The Development of Plato's Ethics |date=1955 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge}} * {{cite journal |last1=Gould |first1=John |title=Law, custom and myth: Aspects of the social position of women in classical Athens |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |year=1980 |volume=100 |pages=38–59 |doi=10.2307/630731|jstor=630731 }} * {{cite book |last1=Gould |first1=John |title=Herodotus |date=1989 |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |location=London |isbn=978-0297793397}} * {{cite book |last1=Gould |first1=John |title=Myth, ritual, memory, and exchange: essays in Greek literature and culture |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0198152996}}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, John}} Category:1927 births Category:2001 deaths Category:British classical scholars Category:Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge Category:Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford Category:Classical scholars of Swansea University Category:Classical scholars of the University of Bristol Category:Classical scholars of the University of Cambridge Category:Classical scholars of the University of Oxford Category:Scholars of ancient Greek literature Category:Scholars of Greek mythology and religion Category:Fellows of the British Academy Category:People educated at Wellingborough School Category:People educated at University College School Category:Royal Army Educational Corps officers Category:British socialists Category:British anthropologists Category:Runciman Award winners

John Gould (classicist)

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