Mabel Rachel Trickett (20 December 1923 – 24 June 1999), known as Rachel Trickett,[2] was an English novelist, non‑fiction writer, literary scholar, and a British academic; she was Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, for nearly twenty years, between 1973 and 1991.
Rachel Trickett | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 December 1923 |
| Died | 24 June 1999 (aged 75) Oxford, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | academic |
| Known for | non-fiction writer |
| Honours | Warton Lecture (1971)[1] |
Early life and education
editTrickett's father was a postman.[3] She studied at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She became a lecturer in English at the University of Hull in 1946 and in 1954 she returned to Oxford as a fellow and tutor at St Hugh's College.
Principal of St. Hugh's College
editAs Principal of St. Hugh's College, Trickett often showed a side of gaiety: on her instruction, the chapel at the college was redecorated in 18th-century colours.
Her friend Laurence Whistler designed the college's gilded wrought iron Swan gates, which are now by the Principal's house on Canterbury Road.[3]
Other work
editTrickett was the author of the novels The Return Home (London, Constable & Co., 1952) and The Course of Love (London, Constable & Co., 1954). Her The Honest Muse: A Study in Augustan Verse was published by Clarendon Press, Oxford, in 1967.
Michael Gearin-Tosh wrote in her obituary for The Independent that "she had a wicked eye for the conceit of academics, their insularity and devious manipulations",[2] an attitude which made her a soul‑mate of Erich Heller.
Legacy
editThe Rachel Trickett Building at St Hugh's College is named in her honour.
References
edit- ^ Trickett, Rachel (1973). "Browning's Lyricism" (PDF). Proceedings of the British Academy. 57: 65–83.
- ^ a b Gearin-Tosh, Michael (29 June 1999). "Obituary: Rachel Trickett". The Independent. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ a b Bayley, John (8 July 1999). "Obituary: Rachel Trickett". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
Further reading
edit- Gearin-Tosh, Michael (2002) Living Proof: a medical mutiny. ISBN 0-7432-0677-0
External links
edit- Mabel Rachel Trickett (1923–1999), Principal (1973–1991) (Art UK), portrait of Trickett by Margaret Virginia Foreman