Charles Henry Conrad Wright

Charles Henry Conrad Wright (1869–1957) was a professor of French language and literature and author of several books,[1] notably his 990-page A History of French Literature (1912). He specialized in French literature of the 16th and 17th centuries.[2]

C. H. Conrad Wright
Born(1869-11-16)November 16, 1869
Chicago, Illinois
DiedMay 16, 1957(1957-05-16) (aged 87)
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Professor of French language and literature

Biography edit

Charles Henry Conrad Wright was born ten weeks after the death of his father. His father Charles Henry Wright had married Margaret B. Upham McMaster in 1868 and acquired a stepdaughter Marian Lois Wright (1861–1888), who was born Marian Lois McMaster. In 1874, Margaret Wright with her son and daughter sailed from Boston to Liverpool, England. After studying art in Paris, Marian Lois Wright returned in 1880 to the United States. From 1874 to 1884 Margaret Wright lived with her son in various European countries, including England, France (where C. H. Conrad Wright became fluent in French), and Italy. C. H. Conrad Wright studied at the Collège de Honfleur. In 1884 mother and son returned to the United States and eventually settled in 1886 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where C. H. Conrad Wright attended Harvard University.[3]

Upon his graduation in 1891, he was offered a position as instructor in French, but he decided to enroll at Trinity College, Oxford University, and set sail again for England in July of that year. After graduating from Oxford, he returned home in 1895 to take a position as French instructor at Harvard. He taught at Harvard for many years, finishing as Professor of French Language and Literature. In 1903, he purchased Windy Ledge, a farm in Maine where the family would spend its summers. Their neighbors included the Westons and the Thayers. In 1914, C. H. C. Wright married Elizabeth Woodman, and they had three sons: Walter Woodman Wright, C. Conrad Wright, and Brooks Wright.[3]

C. H. Conrad Wright received an M.A. from Oxford in 1899, after receiving a bachelor's degree there in 1895. He spent the academic year 1908–1909 on a sabbatical trip to Europe.[2]

He died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 16, 1957.[4]

Selected publications edit

  • A history of French literature. 1912.[5]
  • A history of the third French republic. 1916.
  • French classicism. 1920.
  • The background of modern French literature. 1926.
  • as editor:

References edit

  1. ^ "Wright, Charles Henry Conrad". Who's who among North American authors. 1921.
  2. ^ a b "Charles Henry Conrad Wright". Harvard College Class of 1891 Secretary's Report. 1911. pp. 261–262.
  3. ^ a b Wright Family Papers, 1826–2003, Massachusetts Historical Society
  4. ^ "Charles H. C. Wright: Professor, 87, Retired From Harvard in 1936". The Boston Globe. May 17, 1957. p. 39. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Tilley, Arthur; Oelsner, Hermann (1913). "Review of A History of French Literature by C. H. Conrad Wright". The Modern Language Review. 8: 121–130. doi:10.2307/3712675. JSTOR 3712675.

External links edit

  Works by or about Charles Henry Conrad Wright at Wikisource