Samuel F. Pickering Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel F. Pickering (born September 30, 1941) is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.[1] His unconventional teaching style was the inspiration for the character of Mr. Keating, played by Robin Williams in the film Dead Poets Society.[2] Pickering specializes in the familiar essay, children's literature, nature writers, and 18th and 19th century English literature.[3] In addition to teaching, he has published many collections of non-fiction personal essays as well as over 200 articles.
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[edit] Early life
Sam Pickering was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, where he attended (and later taught at) Montgomery Bell Academy. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) from the University of the South, a second B.A. and Master of Arts degree (M.A.) from St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Pickering received a second M.A. and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) from Princeton University. In addition, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Oglethorpe University.
[edit] Career
Pickering was the assistant professor at Dartmouth College from 1970–1978, associate professor at the University of Connecticut from 1978-1984, and is has been a professor at the University of Connecticut since 1984. A Fulbright recipient, Pickering has lectured in classrooms in Jordan and Syria, and has held research posts at the University of Western Australia as well as the University of Edinburgh.
| “ | I tie all kinds of things together because I like to drift. That’s the way life is. Some folks don’t like that. Often, I just write about—I mean, Scott Sanders came here—he’s a nice man—he gave a talk on one of his books. He talked about all the tools he could use in the books. So, I wrote an essay called “Tool Less” because I can’t use any tools. [laughs] So I wrote about that and I proved that the people who couldn’t use tools were more flexible. They were very nice people . People who used tools thought that things could be made and fashioned to last. People who didn’t use tools knew that nothing lasts so they were not zealots of any kind. He thought I was a complete savage and a fascist at that. [laughs] So, that was the occasion for that. - Samuel Pickering, Jr.[3] | ” |
[edit] Personal life
Pickering is married and has three children. He divides his time between Storrs, and his summer home in Nova Scotia.
[edit] Bibliography
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1976). The Moral Tradition in English Fiction, 1785-1850. Hanover: Published for Dartmouth College by the University Press of New England. ISBN 0874511097.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1981). John Locke and Children's Books in Eighteenth-Century England. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 087049290X.
- Children’s Literature. Vols. 8-10 (co-editor, 1979-81)
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1985). A Continuing Education. Hanover: Published for the University of Connecticut by University Press of New England. ISBN 0874513537.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1987). The Right Distance. City: Univ of Georgia Pr. ISBN 0820309060.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1995). May Days. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. ISBN 0877455228.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1990). Still Life. Hanover: University Press of New England. ISBN 0874515157.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1992). Let It Ride. City: Univ of Missouri Pr. ISBN 082620869X.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1993). Moral Instruction and Fiction for Children, 1749-1820. Athens: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0820314633.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1994). Trespassing. Hanover: Published by University Press of New England. ISBN 0874516404.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1995). Walkabout Year: Twelve Months in Australia. Columbia: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0826210430.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1997). The Blue Caterpillar and Other Essays. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. ISBN 0813014824.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1997). Living to Prowl. Athens: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0820319406.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1998). Deprived of Unhappiness. Athens: Ohio University Press. ISBN 0821412345.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (1999). A Little Fling and Other Essays. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1572330627.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (2001). The Last Book. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 157233147X.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (2004). Waltzing the Magpies. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472113771.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (2004). The Best of Pickering. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472113781.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (2005). Letters to a Teacher. New York: Grove Press. ISBN 0802142273.
- Pickering, Jr., Samuel (2005). Indian Summer. Columbia: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0826215963.
[edit] References
- ^ Janie Franz. A Visit with Pickering. Critique Magazine. Retrieved on December 19, 2007.
- ^ Bill Henderson (1992). Robin Williams and Then Some. The New York Times. Retrieved on December 19, 2007.
- ^ a b Janie Franz. On Writing. Critique Magazine. Retrieved on December 19, 2007.
