Richard Parish (1948–2022)

Abstract

It is difficult to envisage the field of French studies without Richard Parish. Not only did he serve the discipline with distinction as a member of the Editorial Board of French Studies and as Chair of the Society for Early Modern French Studies, but his forty years as Tutor in French at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, mean that he oversaw the tuition of several generations of undergraduates and graduates both at his college and more widely in the university. The large number of his former students who visited him regularly and who attended his funeral and wake testifies to the enormous respect in which he was held. He was not only an inspiring teacher but also a very loyal friend. Born at Staplehurst in Kent, Richard was a pupil at Cranbrook School, before moving to Newcastle University, where he took a first in modern languages. His tutor there, Elfrieda Dubois, became a close friend, and he continued to visit her regularly during her final years in Oxford. He obtained his DPhil at Keble College, Oxford, in 1973, writing a thesis on the Abbé de Choisy. Although he never published a monograph on Choisy, he did edit the Quatre dialogues between Choisy and the Abbé de Dangeau (Fribourg: Éditions universitaires, 1981). He took up a teaching post at the University of Liverpool in 1973, before returning to Oxford in 1976, when he was elected as Fellow and Tutor in French at St Catherine’s College, and appointed to a university lectureship. He was awarded the title of Professor in French in 1996, and retired in 2015, remaining afterwards as Emeritus Professor. During his time at St Catherine’s, where he was the longest-serving tutorial fellow, he variously carried out the duties of Senior Tutor, Vice-Master, and, after retirement, Dean of Degrees. He was made Officier (2001) and then Commandeur (2012) dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French government.