Pre-eminent Humanist and Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
1982
Citation:
A true Renaissance man in the best sense of the word, you have led a vigorous intellectual life as a scholar, author and cultural administrator. While tirelessly pursuing an examination of the human condition, you have contributed immeasurably to its enlightenment. For more than thirty years - first as a professor of English and Comparative Literature at several respected universities, now as a director of the prestigious Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. - you have displayed an incomparable imagination and enthusiasm for the study of the humanities. These have been exceeded only by the range of your intellectual grasp in scholarly research, literary and cultural criticism, poetry, teaching and lecturing. Whether you were dealing with the poetics of Aristotle, the rhetoric of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, the impact of computer retrievable library data or - your forte - the rich and rewarding life-work of studying Shakespeare, you have brought to your every pursuit that most generous of gifts: a sense of your own humanity. We at this University feel especially enriched by your contributions as both a scholar and a past member of our Board of Trustees; for we believe, as you do, that the humanities are at the very heart of the educational experience, adding dimensions of beauty and meaning to life. It is with gratitude and great respect, then, that the University of Detroit confers upon you the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Commencement, University of Detroit, May 15, 1982.