Northrop Frye

Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 - January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic, one of the most distinguished of the 20th century.

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Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, he spent his entire career, including his undergraduate days, at Victoria College, University of Toronto. He first rose to international prominence when still a student. The prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been considered delusional ramblings that could never be understood. Frye found in it a systematic system of metaphor derived from Paradise Lost and from the Bible. He published his findings as Fearful Symmetry in 1947.

Ten years later he expanded his vision, arguing in Anatomy of Criticism that there are certain archetypes and symbols used throughout literature. His The Great Code looked at how scenes and images from the Bible underlie all of western literature.

He also engaged in cultural and social criticism and was the recipient of some 39 honorary degrees. Anatomy of Criticism remains one of the most important works of 20th Century literary criticism.

Northrop Frye died in 1991 and was interred in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.

In 2000, he was honored by the government of Canada with his image on a postage stamp. A festival devoted to the works of Northrop Frye takes place annually in Moncton, New Brunswick in the month of April.

Works by Northrop Frye

Here is a list of his books, including the volumes in the Collected Works of Northrop Frye, an ongoing project under the editorship of Alvin A. Lee.