Congratulations to John Auchard for being an influential teacher and mentor, for his dedicated work in the fields of American and Modernist literature, and for his great service to the English Department.
As a scholar, Auchard has done considerable work with Henry James and Graham Greene. In 2009, the General Research Board awarded him with a GRB Award to suppport his work on "The 'Late' Graham Greene." He is the editor of Henry James's Italian Hours (Penn State Press 1992; Penguin 1995) and the author of Silence in Henry James: The Heritage of Symbolism and Decadence (Penn State Press 1986). In 2004, Auchard published The Portable Henry James New Edition (Penguin 2004). He is also the editor of Graham Greene, Monsignor Quixote (Penguin 2008)
and Graham Greene, The Captain and the Enemy (Penguin 2005).
In addition to his work on Henry James and Graham Greene, Auchard co-wrote Four Trials (Simon & Schuster 2003) with Senator John Edwards. Four Trials is a memoir and an account of Edwards' time as a lawyer. Auchard also co-authored Articles in American Literature: 1968-1975 with Lewis Leary (Duke 1980)and American Literature: A Study and Research Guide (St. Martins 1976), also with Lewis Leary.
Auchard served as a travel writer for The Washington Post and wrote articles on Ethiopia and Indonesia. An excerpt from "In Indonesia" is below.
"During a summer month when very bad news kept coming out of the Middle East, I was hit by an anti-American slur only once. Yes, it was only possibly a slur, but it really hurt. Standing at a busy Yogyakarta intersection, I was wearing a rock-and-roll T-shirt and super-cool baggy shorts from a local vendor. I had just put on reading glasses to check the map, and a salesman was on me. We chatted in English about nothing, and then the topic changed to batiks. Once he started, he wouldn't let up, and he kept at it until I made it clear I was not going to buy anything.
I was way too tough -- five weeks earlier, an earthquake had shattered his city. He looked me over one last time, gave up and turned away. "Oh, do what you like," he said. Then he stopped, turned back and delivered his heartless and pitiless attack: "Yes, do what you wish," he hissed, "Mister David Letterman!"
Sharon Rosenblatt, who graduated from the department in 2010, remembers Auchard as a fantastic mentor. Rosenblatt was a student in Auchard's ENGL 440, “The Novel in America to 1914.” Rosenblatt works as Director of Communications at Accessibility Partners and says, “Now, I hear Professor Auchard in my head when I select words for my business writing."
Of Auchard, alumna Isabella Cooper says, "In the three semesters I TAd for his ENGL241 course, Professor Auchard was an unfailingly generous mentor and an inspiring example of great teaching. He was always incredibly supportive of his TAs and quick to praise them. His lectures beautifully conveyed the excitement of critical thinking, and his students really appreciated it. Each semester, the students would line up after the last class of the semester to thank him, and I have no doubt he impacted their lives, their reading, and their approach to the world."
Professor Auchard will be missed by students and faculty alike. We thank him for his dedication to teaching and to the English Department and congraulate him on his retirement!
