Document Type
Finding Aid
Publication Date
4-2024
Abstract
Gwenyth Elise Hood was born on December 10, 1955, to Thomas Arthur Hood and Marion Louise Snee Hood in White Plains, NY, but moved with her family to Brandon, Vermont at the age of seven. She developed a love of reading and writing at an early age, discovering some favorite authors—Rudyard Kipling, Shakespeare, and J.R.R. Tolkien—at roughly the same time, in early adolescence. Then came Dante. Dante drew her to learn Latin and Italian; she had already started on French due to family heritage and the availability of the language in High School. In 1979 she won a University of Michigan Major Hopwood Prize for a (still unpublished) historical novel, Fior del Verde, set in Medieval Italy. (The title comes from Canto 3 of Dante’s Purgatorio.) In 1982, her first novel, The Coming of the Demons, described by the publisher (William Morrow) as “Historical Science Fantasy” was published. She was a member of the governing board (or Council of Stewards) of the Mythopoeic Society from 1997- 2019, and edited their annual literary magazine, The Mythic Circle, during this time.
At Marshall University, where Gwenyth Hood had been since 1989 (after a previous one-year position from 1985-86), she had taught English courses in Composition, Creative Writing, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Medieval Literature, as well as interdisciplinary Honors courses in “Literature of Plagues and Epidemics” and “Doctors and Patients in Literature.” She regarded scholarship and creative writing as different ways of exploring the complex reality we all face, and continued work on scholarly and creative projects which interact in surprising ways well into her retirement.
This collection consists of 16 boxes, 292 folders, and 109 individualized items all relating to the work, education, carrier, research, and accomplishments of Dr. Gwenyth E. Hood. While a majority of the collection includes documents and items from Dr. Hood’s time at Marshall (1989-2023), a few specific items fall outside this time frame but are still related to Dr. Hood’s work and research.
Rights
Special collections material is obtained from many sources and is intended primarily for research and educational purposes. Certain works may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not governed by the department. It is up to the researcher to verify that they have permission to use these materials for publication or other activities.
Accession Number
2024/04.0887
Access and Use
For more information or to use any of these collections, contact:
Special Collections, Morrow Library
Marshall University
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington, WV 25755
(304) 696-2343
speccoll@marshall.edu
Recommended Citation
Gwenyth E. Hood Collection, 1889-2023, Accession No. 2024/04.0887, Special Collections Department, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, Fiction Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Nonfiction Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Poetry Commons, Reading and Language Commons
