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Richard Ohmann

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Malin Ohmann (July 11, 1931 – October 8, 2021) was an American literary critic.

Richard Malin Ohmann was born on July 11, 1931, in Shaker Heights, Ohio.[1][2] He received a bachelor's degree in literature from Oberlin College in 1952 and a master's and doctorate from Harvard University in 1954 and 1960, respectively.[1][2]

He began teaching at Wesleyan University in 1961, where he was the associate provost from 1966 to 1969.[1] He was a full professor of English from 1966 and was named the Benjamin Waite Professor of the English Language at some point.[3][2] Ohmann held a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964–65.[2][4]

Ohmann was a Marxist.[5] At Wesleyan, he taught a course called "Economics of Fiction".[6] In the late 1970s he designed and oversaw a Wesleyan course called "Towards a Socialist America."[7]

Ohmann died on October 8, 2021, in Hawley, Massachusetts.[1]

Books

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  • Shaw: The Style and the Man. Wesleyan University Press. 1962. OCLC 362085.[8]
  • English in America: A Radical View of the Profession. Oxford University Press. 1976. OCLC 1978095. (one chapter by Wallace W. Douglas)[9]
  • Politics of Letters. Wesleyan University Press. 1987. ISBN 978-0-8195-5175-7. OCLC 15198215.[10]
  • Selling Culture: Magazines, Markets, and Class at the Turn of the Century. Verso Books. 1996. ISBN 978-1-85984-974-3. OCLC 33403761.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Risen, Clay (November 3, 2021). "Richard M. Ohmann, 90, Dies; Brought Radical Politics to College English". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ohmann, Richard (Malin) 1931–". Contemporary Authors. Vol. 13–16. Gale. November 1975. p. 605. ISBN 0-8103-0027-3. OCLC 760318060.
  3. ^ "Ohmann Remembered For Transforming University Life and Culture". Wesleyan University. October 14, 2021. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Richard M. Ohmann". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  5. ^ "Politics of Letters". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Miller, Laura (October 1, 1980). "Author cites 'Economics of Fiction'". The Capital Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Wallenstein, James (December 27, 2021). "Richard Ohmann: The Radical Professor Who Enraged the Right". Politico.
  8. ^ Reviews of Shaw:
  9. ^ Reviews of English in America:
  10. ^ Reviews of Politics of Letters:
  11. ^ Reviews of Selling Culture:

Further reading

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