M.H. Abrams
- Born: July 23, 1912
- Birthplace: Long Branch, NJ
One of America's most highly respected literary scholars, Meyer Howard (Mike) Abrams, is best known for his analysis of the Romantic period in English literature.
Having received his doctorate from Harvard, Abrams joined the faculty of Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1945, becoming a full professor in 1953 and professor emeritus in 1983.
Abrams wrote his first book, The Milk of Paradise: The Effects of Opium Visions on the Works of De Quincey, Crabbe, Francis Thompson, and Coleridge, while still an undergraduate. His second work, The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition, ranked 25th in the Modern Library's list of the 100 best nonfiction books written in English during the past 100 years. In 1962, Abrams conceived and edited The Norton Anthology of English Literature, which is currently in its seventh edition. His later work, Natural Supernaturalism, won the James Russell Lowell Prize. There are two collections of critical essays by Abrams: The Correspondent Breeze (1984) and Doing Things with Texts (1989). He is the recipient of the Award in Humanistic Studies from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1984), the Distinguished Scholar Award by the Keats-Shelley Society (1987) and the Award for Literature by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (1990).
During World War II, Abrams worked as a scientist in classified research, in the Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory, working on solving problems associated with voice communications in a noisy military environment.
Abrams has been married to Ruth Claire Gaynes since 1942.
Most Famous Works
- The Milk of Paradise (1934)
- The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and Critical Tradition (1953)
- A Glossary of Literary Terms (1957)
- The Norton Anthology of English Literature (1962)
- Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition and Revolution in Romantic Literature (1971)
