Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar)
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Peter Alexander | |
|---|---|
 Peter Alexander, by Walter Bird (1957) [1] | |
| Born | 19 September 1893 |
| Died | 18 June 1969 (aged 75) |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse |
Agnes Alexander (m. 1923) |
| Children | 3, including Donald Alexander |
| Relatives | Ann Dunlop Alexander (sister) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Glasgow |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Glasgow |
Peter Alexander, CBE, FBA (19 September 1893 – 18 June 1969) was a Scottish literary editor, Shakespearean scholar and Regius Professor of English Language and Literature, known for The Alexander Text.[1][2][3]
Alexander was born on 19 September 1893 in Glasgow to Robert Alexander (1844–1900), a Head teacher, and Christina Cameron Alexander (née McDonald Munn; 1863–1949), a housewife and teacher.[3][4] Alexander's younger sister was the artist and teacher Ann Dunlop Alexander.[4] Alexander was the paternal nephew of Thomas Alexander (1847–1933), a professor of civil engineering at Imperial College of Engineering and Trinity College Dublin.[4][5][6]
Following the death of his father in 1900, Alexander's mother returned to teaching. He was educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, and Whitehill Senior Secondary School in Glasgow. He went to the University of Glasgow in 1911, where John Semple Smart was an influence.[3]
In 1914, Alexander joined the army as a private in the Cameron Highlanders, then becoming an artillery officer. In 1918 after he returned to the University of Glasgow to finish his studies and graduated in 1920 with an MA degree.[3][7]
Alexander was Regius Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow and a noted Shakespearean scholar.[3] His collected works of Shakespeare are known as "the Alexander text".[8]
