Harold "Hal" Earl Toliver is an American literary critic, theorist and writer. Currently, he is professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine.[1] His research interests are in the areas of Renaissance and seventeenth-century literature, English and Comparative Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism. He received Guggenheim awards (1964, 1976)[2] and the Distinguished Research Award (1982). Toliver is married and has two children.
Biography
Harold Earl Toliver was born on February 16, 1932, in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. He is the son of a Yamhill County farmers Marion E. Toliver and Mable A. (Mallery) Toliver. He served in the United States Army, Private first class, 1954–1956. Toliver graduated from University of Oregon, (Bachelor of Arts, 1954) and Johns Hopkins University (Master of Arts, 1958).[3] He earned his doctorate at the University of Washington in 1961. From 1961 to 1964, Toliver taught at Ohio State University. He was a professor of English at UCLA (1965–1966), and then a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine, where he taught for thirty years.[4]
During his career, Toliver wrote and edited several books, while also making numerous contributions to scholarly journals.[5] He has, until recently, published mainly literary criticism and history. His books include Transported Styles in Shakespeare and Milton,[6]The Past That Poets Make,[7] and Lyric Provinces in the English Renaissance.
In his more recent publications Toliver has expanded into applications of modern science to the history of ideas to critique the more prominent and durable misconceptions of world history. Since retiring, he has been writing fiction—mainly mysteries under the name of Hal Toliver with Mary Toliver. Titles include Leave Not a Trace[8] (Publish America), Bitterroot[9] (Pentland Press), Done in Blood-Red Ochre (Pentland Press) and Pageant of the Mortals.[10]
Harold Toliver lives in Laguna Beach, California, with his wife Mary (Bennette) Toliver. His other interests include cycling and tennis.
Herbert's Interim and Final Places. Journal Article. SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900, Vol. 24, No. 1, The English Renaissance (Winter, 1984), pp. 105–120
Books (non-fiction)
Perspectives on poetry. Editor with James L. Calderwood. New York, Oxford University Press, 1968
Perspectives on drama. Editor with James L. Calderwood. New York : Oxford University Press, 1968
Perspectives on Fiction. Editor with James L. Calderwood. Oxford University Press, New York (1968)
Essays in Shakespearean criticism. Editor with James L. Calderwood. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.. Prentice-Hall, 1970, ISBN0132836556
Pastoral Forms and Attitudes. University of California Press, 1972, ISBN0520018966
Animate Illusions: Explorations of Narrative Structure. University of Nebraska Press. 1973, ISBN0803208316
Animate illusions; explorations of narrative structure. Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press 1974, ISBN0803208316
Marvell's Ironic Vision. Yale University Press, 1981
The Past That Poets Make. Harvard University Press, 1981, ISBN0674656768
Lyric Provinces in the English Renaissance. Ohio State Univ Pr; 1986, ISBN0814203914
Transported Styles in Shakespeare and Milton. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1989, ISBN0271006463
George Herbert's Christian Narrative. Penn State University Press; 2005, ISBN0271026715
Books (fiction)
Obituary Quilt (Bea Ellis Mysteries Series Vol. 1. (With Mary Toliver). Burgundy Books, 1998, ISBN0966688007
Done in Blood-Red Ochr. (With Mary Toliver). Pentland Press (NC), 2000, ISBN1571972153
Bitterroot Paperback. (With Mary Toliver). Pentland Press (NC), 2000, ISBN1571971912
