George Stuart Gordon (1881–1942) was a British literary scholar.
Gordon was educated at Glasgow University, Oriel College, Oxford (First Class in Classical Moderations 1904 and in Literae Humaniores 1906, Stanhope Prize 1905).
He was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1907 to 1915.
He was Professor of English Literature at Leeds University. Later he was Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford, 1922–1928,[2] President of Magdalen College, Oxford,[1] Professor of Poetry there, and Vice-Chancellor (1938–1941). He was one of the Kolbítar, J. R. R. Tolkien's group of readers of Icelandic sagas.[3]
He famously argued that English Literature was capable of having a widespread and positive influence. In his inaugural lecture for his Merton professorship he agued that "England is sick, and … English literature must save it. The Churches (as I understand) having failed, and social remedies being slow, English literature has now a triple function: still, I suppose, to delight and instruct us, but also, and above all, to save our souls and heal the State".[2]
His son George Gordon was a noted physiologist.[4]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Herbert Warren |
President of Magdalen College, Oxford 1928–1942 |
Succeeded by Henry Thomas Tizard |
| Preceded by Alexander Dunlop Lindsay |
Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University 1938–1941 |
Succeeded by William David Ross |