Scribes, Scholars and Students
The Contributions Of James Douglas Bruce, 1862 – 1923
A specialist in the Arthurian legend, Dr. J. Douglas Bruce joined the University faculty, occupying a chair in English, in 1900. Held in considerable awe by students, he was respected and disliked, but often remembered by alumni as the professor who most beneficially influenced them. He built the curriculum in medieval studies in what was destined to become the Department of English, and those who have succeeded him as faculty in that area of scholarship have continued within much the same structure.
Dr. Bruce’s legacy is not only one of scholarship and teaching. At the time of his sudden and unexpected death in 1923, his library of over 6,000 volumes came as a bequest to the University of Tennessee Library. At the time, it was the most substantial gift ever received by the Library, and it has benefited students and faculty for many decades.
Held in high esteem by his colleagues, J. Douglas Bruce created a curriculum in medieval literature that, together with coursework established in various European languages and literatures, as well as in art history, formed the basis for the MARCO program of recent years.
Our exhibit presents manuscript materials relating to Dr. Bruce, as well as books formerly owned by him. Books from his library are often enriched with his marginal notes. Together with his notebooks, these books filled with his comments provide insight into the intellect of this rigorous and gifted scholar.
J.D. Bruce: Special Collections Resources - 240 KB PDF file
Exhibit Topics
Early Print Culture and
the Written Word at the University of Tennessee
The Preservation of Knowledge
and the University Libraries
The Contributions of
Professor James Douglas Bruce
Medieval and Renaissance
Resources in Special Collections
