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Kathleen Mary Williams

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Kathleen Mary Williams
Born(1919-06-11)11 June 1919
Wales, United Kingdom
Died4 December 1974(1974-12-04) (aged 55)
Riverside, California, U.S.
OccupationLiterary scholar
AwardsGuggenheim Fellowship (1973)
Academic background
Alma mater
Academic work
Institutions

Kathleen Mary Williams (11 June 1919 – 4 December 1974) was a Welsh literary scholar. Originally a civil servant at the Ministry of Food during World War II, she taught at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and was a professor at University of California, Riverside until her death. A 1973 Guggenheim Fellow, she published the books Jonathan Swift and the Age of Compromise (1958) and Spenser's World of Glass: The Faerie Queene (1966).

Biography

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Early life and academic career

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Williams, an only child, was born on 11 June 1919 in Wales, and raised near the England–Wales border.[1] Her father C. R. Williams worked in Newport, Wales, as their rail controller.[1] She was educated at Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls; Somerville College, Oxford, where she got her BA with first-class honours in 1941 and her MA in 1945; and the University of Wales, where she obtained her DLitt in 1964.[1]

Williams originally worked as a civil servant during World War II, including as administrative assistant and secretary to Minister of Food Gwilym Lloyd George.[1] She worked at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire as senior lecturer of English.[1] She later emigrated to the United States and, with the exception of a one-year period (1966-1967) as a full professor at Rice University, worked at University of California, Riverside from 1964 until her death; she was an assistant professor during her first term at UC Riverside, later becoming a full professor upon her return.[1][2]

Williams published the books Jonathan Swift and the Age of Compromise (1958) and Spenser's World of Glass: The Faerie Queene (1966).[1] She chaired the graduate council at UC Riverside and was part of the Modern Language Association Executive Council.[1] In 1973, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship,[3] for "a study of English satire and pastoral from the Renaissance to the 18th century".[2]

Personal life and death

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Williams had acute sinusitis, which she developed during her civil service work in World War II.[1] Prior to emigrating to the United States, she lived in a country house in Usk, Monmouthshire.[1] Her father died in a car crash while he and Williams were returning from Houston.[1]

Williams died on 4 December 1974, in Riverside, California.[1]

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Steadman, John M., III; Stewart, Stanley N.; Vickery, John B. (1977). "Kathleen Mary Williams, English: Riverside". University of California: In Memoriam, May 1977. p. 245-248. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Reports of the President and the Treasurer. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial. 1973. p. 129-130.
  3. ^ "Kathleen Mary Williams". Guggenheim Fellows. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  4. ^ Elliott, Robert C. (1960). "Review of Jonathan Swift and the Age of Compromise". Modern Language Notes. 75 (5): 436–439. doi:10.2307/3039864. ISSN 0149-6611. JSTOR 3039864.
  5. ^ Knapp, Mary E. (1960). "Review of Jonathan Swift and the Age of Compromise". Books Abroad. 34 (2): 179–179. doi:10.2307/40114697. ISSN 0006-7431. JSTOR 40114697.
  6. ^ Paulson, Ronald (1959). "Review of Jonathan Swift and the Age of Compromise". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 58 (2): 297–301. ISSN 0363-6941. JSTOR 27707278.
  7. ^ Kaske, Carol V. (1968). "Review of Spenser's World of Glass: A Reading of "The Faerie Queene"". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 67 (2): 302–304. ISSN 0363-6941. JSTOR 27705525.
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