Francis Sparshott
Introduction
Fonds:
#25
Title:
Francis Sparshott fonds
Dates of Material:
1942–2002
Extent:
4.59 m of textual records
Biographical sketch
Francis Edward Sparshott (1926–) is an academic and a poet. He was born in Chatham, England, the son of Frank Brownley and Gladwys Winifred Head. He married Kathleen Elizabeth Vaughan in 1953. They had one daughter, Pumpkin Margaret Elizabeth.
Sparshott was educated at the King’s School in Rochester, England. He received a B.A. and an M.A. (1950) from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, England. He moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1950 when he was appointed to the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He joined the faculty of Victoria College, University of Toronto, in 1955 as Professor of Greek Philosophy, Ethics, and Aesthetics; and was appointed Professor of Philosophy in 1964. In 1982 he was also appointed University Professor at the University of Toronto. He retired in 1991.
Sparshott was a member of the Canadian Philosophical Association, the League of Canadian Poets and P.E.N. International. He received the President’s Medal of the University of Western Ontario in London in 1958 and the First Prize, Poetry in the C.B.C. Literary Competition in 1981.
Sparshott’s publications include: An Enquiry into Goodness and Related Concepts (1958), The Structure of Aesthetics (1963), A Divided Voice (1965), The Concept of Criticism (1967), A Cardboard Garage (1969), A Book by Cromwell Kent (1970), Looking for Philosophy (1972), The Naming of the Beasts (1979), The Rainy Hills (1979), The Cave of Trophonius (1981), The Theory of the Arts (1982), The Hanging Gardens at Etobicoke (1983), Storms and Screens (1986), and Off the Ground (1988), Sculling to Byzanthium (1989), Taking Life Seriously (1994), Views from the Zucchini Gazebo (1994), A Measured Pace (1995), Home from the Air (1997), The Future of Aesthetics (1998), and The City Dwellers (2000). He has also contributed to the following journals: Alphabet, Catalyst, Canadian Forum, Descant, Fiddlehead, Literary Review, The Nation, Pan/ic, Queen’s Quarterly, Poetry (Chicago), Saturday Night, Tamarack Review, and West Coast Review.
He currently resides in Toronto.
Custodial history
The custodial history is unknown.
Scope and content
The fonds contains Francis Sparshott’s records pertaining primarily to his academic career and literary endeavours; it consists of three series: correspondence, 1957–1994; literary records, 1942–2002; and academic records, 1943–2001
Note(s)
Source of supplied title
Title based on contents of the fonds.
Source of acquisition
Acquired from Francis Sparshott on various dates between 1980 and 1996.
Language of material
English
Access conditions
No restrictions on access
Finding aid
Box/file list available
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
Associated Records
Personal records of Francis Sparshott are also held at Victoria University Archvies (Fonds 2153)
Provenance access points
Sparshott, Francis Edward, 1926–