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JohnGardner(Americanwriter)Wikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

JohnGardner(Americanwriter)
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

NottobeconfusedwithJohnGardner(Britishwriter)
JohnChamplinGardnerJr.(July21,1933September14,
1982)wasanAmericannovelist,essayist,literarycriticand
universityprofessor.Heisperhapsmostnotedforhisnovel
Grendel,aretellingoftheBeowulfmythfromthemonster's
pointofview.

JohnGardner

Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Earlylifeandeducation
Fiction
Teachingandcriticism
Scholarship
Cancer
Familylife
Death
Works
8.1 Fiction
8.2 Biography
8.3 Poems
8.4 Children'sstories
8.5 CriticismandInstruction
8.6 Translation
8.7 Essaysandreviews
9 Furtherreading
10 References
11 Externallinks

Earlylifeandeducation

Gardnerin1977
Born

JohnChamplinGardnerJr.
July21,1933
Batavia,NewYork

Died

September14,1982(aged49)
SusquehannaCounty,Pennsylvania

Occupation

Novelist,essayist,literarycritic,
professor

Citizenship

UnitedStates

Almamater WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis
Notable

Grendel,TheSunlightDialogues,

works
GardnerwasborninBatavia,NewYork.Hisfatherwasalay
OnMoralFiction
preacheranddairyfarmer,andhismothertaughtEnglishata
Spouse
JoanLouisePatterson(19531980),
localschool.BothparentswerefondofShakespeareandoften
LizRosenberg(19801982)
recitedliteraturetogether.HewasactiveintheBoyScoutsof
AmericaandmadeEagleScout.Asachild,Gardnerattended
publicschoolandworkedonhisfather'sfarm,where,inApril1945,hisyoungerbrotherGilbertwaskilledinan
accidentwithacultipacker.Gardner,whowasdrivingthetractorduringthefatalaccident,carriedguiltforhis
brother'sdeaththroughouthislife,sufferingnightmaresandflashbacks.TheincidentinformedmuchofGardner's
fictionandcriticismmostdirectlyinthe1977shortstory"Redemption,"whichincludedafictionalized
recountingoftheaccident.[1]

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GardnerbeganhisuniversityeducationatDePauwUniversity,butreceivedhisundergraduatedegreefrom
WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louisin1955.HereceivedhisM.A.&PhD.in1958fromtheUniversityofIowa.[2]
HewasDistinguishedVisitingProfessorattheUniversityofDetroitin1970or1971.[3]

Fiction
Gardner'sbestknownnovelsinclude:TheSunlightDialogues,aboutabrooding,disenchantedpolicemanwhois
askedtoengageamadmanfluentinclassicalmythologyGrendel,aretellingoftheBeowulflegendfromthe
monster'spointofviewwithaphilosophicalunderlyingandOctoberLight,aboutanagingandembitteredbrother
andsisterlivingandfeudingtogetherinruralVermont.ThislastnovelwontheNationalBookCriticsCircle
Awardin1976.[4]

Teachingandcriticism
Gardnerwasalifelongteacheroffictionwriting.HewasafavoriteattheBreadLoafWriters'Conference.[5]His
twobooksonthecraftofwritingfictionTheArtofFictionandOnBecomingaNovelistareconsidered
classics.Hewasfamouslyobsessivewithhiswork,andacquiredareputationforadvancedcraft,smoothrhythms,
andcarefulattentiontothecontinuityofthefictivedream.Atoneleveloranother,hisbooksnearlyalways
touchedontheredemptivepowerofart.
In1978,Gardner'sbookofliterarycriticism,OnMoralFiction,sparkedacontroversythatexcitedthemainstream
media,vaultingGardnerintothespotlightwithaninterviewonTheDickCavettShow(May16,1978)andacover
storyonTheNewYorkTimesMagazine(July,1979).[6]Hisjudgmentsofcontemporaryauthorsincludingsuch
luminariesofAmericanfictionasJohnUpdikeandJohnBarthwhichcouldbetermedeitherdirect,courageous,
orunflattering,dependingonone'sperspective,harmedhisrelationswithmanyinthepublishingindustry.Gardner
claimedthatlingeringanimosityfromcriticsofthisbookledtothelukewarmcriticalreceptionofhisfinalnovel,
Mickelsson'sGhosts.WhatwasseeminglylostinthefuroroverOnMoralFictionwasGardner'scentralthesis:
thatfictionshouldbemoral.Gardnermeant"moral"notinthesenseofnarrowreligiousorcultural"morality,"but
ratherthatfictionshouldaspiretodiscoverthosehumanvaluesthatareuniversallysustaining.Gardnerfeltthat
fewcontemporaryauthorswere"moral"inthissense,butinsteadindulgedin"winking,muggingdespair"(to
quotehisassessmentofThomasPynchon)ortrendynihilisminwhichGardnerfelttheydidnothonestlybelieve.[7]
GoreVidalfoundthebook,aswellasGardner'snovels,sanctimoniousandpedantic,andhecalledGardnerthe
"lateapostletothelowbrows,asortofChristianevangelicalwhosawHeavenasaparadigmaticAmerican
university."[8]
Gardnerinspiredand,accordingtoRaymondCarver,alsointimidatedhiswritingstudents.AtChicoState
University,whenCarver,whowasalmostfiveyearsyounger,mentionedtoGardnerthathehadreadbutnotliked
theassignedshortstory,RobertPennWarren's"BlackberryWinter,"Gardnersaid,"You'dbetterreaditagain."
"Andhewasn'tjoking",saidCarver,whorelatedthisanecdoteinhisforewordtoGardner'sbookOnBecominga
Novelist.Inthatforeword,hemakesitclearhowmuchherespectedGardnerandalsorelateshisextraordinary
kindness.
GardnertaughtatSouthernIllinoisUniversityatCarbondale,andspenttheyearsbeforehisdeathasaprofessorat
BinghamtonUniversity.[5]

Scholarship
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In1977,GardnerpublishedTheLifeandTimesofChaucer.InareviewintheOctober1977issueofSpeculum,
SumnerJ.Ferrispointedtoseveralpassagesthatwereallegedlyliftedeitherinwholeorinpartfromworkbyother
authorswithoutpropercitation.FerrischaritablysuggestedthatGardnerhadpublishedthebooktoohastily,buton
April10,1978,reviewerPeterPrescott,writinginNewsweek,citedtheSpeculumarticleandaccusedGardnerof
plagiarism,insinuationsthatweremetbyGardner"withasigh."[9]

Cancer
OnDecember10,1977,Gardnerwashospitalizedwithcoloncancer.HeremainedinJohnsHopkinsHospitalfor
aboutamonthandahalf.

Familylife
GardnermarriedJoanLouisePattersononJune6,1953themarriage,whichproducedchildren,endedindivorce
in1980.[5]GardnerthenmarriedthepoetLizRosenbergin1980,butthismarriagealsoendedindivorcein
1982.[2]

Death
GardnerwaskilledinamotorcycleaccidentabouttwomilesfromhishomeinSusquehannaCounty,Pennsylvania
onTuesday,September14,1982.StatePolicesaidthatatabout2:30pmGardnercompletedacurveonRoute92
about3mi(4.8km)northofOakland,whenhelostcontrolofhis1979HarleyDavidson,wentintothedirt
shoulder,andthenwasthrownfromthemotorcycle.HewaspronounceddeadatBarnesKassonHospitalin
Susquehanna.[10][11]Gardner'sfiance,SusanThornton,statedthatGardnerhadbeendrinkingthenightbeforethe
accident.[12]AnautopsyrevealedGardnerhadabloodalcohollevelof0.075thelegallimitfordrivingatthetime
was0.08.[12]Thorntonalsomentionedexhaustionfromoverworkasacontributingfactor,andthatthecurveon
Route92hadbeenfreshlyoiledgravel.[12]:267Thecrashwasfourdaysbeforehisplannedmarriageto
Thornton.[12]:269HewasburiednexttohisbrotherGilbertinBatavia'sGrandviewCemetery.

Works
Fiction
TheResurrection.NewAmericanLibrary,1966VintageBooks,1987,ISBN9780394732503
TheWreckageofAgathon.Harper&Row,1970Dutton,1985,ISBN9780525481805
Grendel.NewYork:VintageBooks,1971,illustratedbyEmilAntonucci,ISBN0679723110
TheSunlightDialogues.Knopf,1972,ISBN9780394471440reprintNewDirectionsPublishing,2006,
ISBN0811216705
JasonandMedeia.Knopf,1973,ISBN9780394483177VintageBooks,1986,ISBN9780394740607
NickelMountain:APastoralNovel.Knopf.1973.ISBN9780394488837.reprintNewDirections
Publishing,2007,ISBN9780811216784
TheKing'sIndian.Knopf,1974,ISBN9780394492216reissueBallantineBooks,1983,ISBN9780
345303721
OctoberLight.Knopf.1976.ISBN9780394499123.reprintNewDirectionsPublishing,2005,ISBN
9780811216371
IntheSuicideMountains.Knopf,1977,ISBN9780394418803
VlemktheBoxPainter.LordJohnPress,1979,ISBN9780935716023
Freddy'sBook.Knopf,1980,ISBN9780394509204WhitePinePress,2007,ISBN9781893996847
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TheArtofLivingandOtherStories.Knopf,1981reprint,VintageBooks,1989,ISBN9780679723509
Mickelsson'sGhosts.Knopf,1982,ISBN9780394504681reprintNewDirectionsPublishing,2008,
ISBN9780811216791
StillnessandShadows.Knopf,1986,ISBN9780394544021.

Biography
TheLifeandTimesofChaucer.Knopf.1977.ISBN9780394493176.reprintBarnes&Noble
Publishing,1999,ISBN9780760712818

Poems
Poems,LordJohnPress,1978

Children'sstories
Dragon,Dragon(andOtherTales).Knopf,1975BantamBooks,1979,ISBN9780553150674
GudgekinTheThistleGirl(andOtherTales).Knopf,1976,ISBN9780394832760
TheKingoftheHummingbirds(andOtherTales).Knopf,1977,ISBN9780394833194
AChild'sBestiary.Knopf,1977,ISBN9780394834832

CriticismandInstruction
TheFormsofFiction(1962)
TheConstructionoftheWakefieldCycle(1974)
ThePoetryofChaucer(1977)
OnMoralFiction,BasicBooks,1979,ISBN9780465052264
OnBecomingaNovelist(1983)
TheArtofFiction(1983)

Translation
TheCompleteWorksoftheGawainPoet(1965)
TheAlliterativeMorteArthureandOtherMiddleEnglishPoems(1971)
TenguChild0(withNobukoTsukui)(1983)
Gilgamesh(withJohnMaier,RichardA.Henshaw)(1984)

Essaysandreviews
OnWritersandWriting.AddisonWesleyPub.Co.1994.ISBN9780201626728.reprintWestviewPress,
1995,ISBN9780201483383

Furtherreading
JohnMichaelHowell(1993).UnderstandingJohnGardner.UniversityofSouthCarolinaPress.ISBN978
0872498723.
BarrySilesky(2004).JohnGardner:literaryoutlaw.AlgonquinBooks.ISBN9781565122185.

References
1.AllanChavkin,ed.(1990).ConversationswithJohnGardner.UniversityPressofMississippi.ISBN0878054227.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gardner_(American_writer)

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2.Gardner,JohnChamplin,Jr.(http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Gardner__John.html)
3.JohnC.GardnerAppreciationPage(http://www.genesee.edu/gcc/gardner/)
4.OctoberLightFictionAwardWinners(http://www.fictionawardwinners.com/reviews.cfm?id=277)
5.TheTwentyFiveThingsThatMadeGeneseeCountyFamous:JohnGarnder(http://www.hollandlandoffice.com/06jg.ht
ml)
6.JohnGardner,PugilistatRest(http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/johngardnerpugilistatrest/)
7.Chavkin,283.
8.Vidal,Gore(1986)"Calvino'sDeath."(http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/1000/vidal/essay.html)FromThe
EssentialGoreVidal.
9.JohnGardner,TheArtofFictionNo.73(http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/3394/theartoffictionno73johnga
rdner)
10.UnitedPressInternational(15September1982),"JohnGardnerKilledonHisMotorcycle",SchenectadyGazette,
Oakland,Pennsylvania,p.2,retrieved20100903
11.AssociatedPress(September15,1982),"NovelistGardnerdiesincrash",TheMilwaukeeJournal,Binghamton,New
York,pp.18,retrieved20101109
12.Thornton,Susan.OnBrokenGlass:LovingandLosingJohnGardner.NewYork:DaCapoPress,2000,p.282.

Externallinks
"TheArchandtheAbyss:AJohnC.GardnerResource".GeneseeCommunityCollege.April9,2007.
RetrievedOctober31,2010.
PaulF.FergusonJohnR.MaierSaraMatthiessenFrankMcConnell(Spring1979)."JohnGardner,TheArt
ofFictionNo.73".TheParisReview.
"AudioInterviewwithJohnC.Gardner"(http://wiredforbooks.org/johngardner/),WiredforBooks
"ThirtyyearsLater:AConversationonJohnGardner(withJoelGardner).March2012.[1](http://ragazine.c
c/2012/02/joelgardnerinterview)
AudiointerviewofJohnGardnerbyStephenBanker(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsrr1KJgzAk),
circa1978
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Gardner_(American_writer)&oldid=739582931"
Categories: 20thcenturyAmericannovelists AmericanacademicsofEnglishliterature
Americanchildren'swriters Americanessayists Americanliterarycritics Americanmalenovelists
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