European Intellectual Historian William McGrath Dies
William J. McGrath, professor emeritus of history at the University of Rochester who was revered for his pioneering histories of Vienna, Austria, and Sigmund Freud, died Nov. 30. He was 71.
A scholar of modern European intellectual and cultural history, "William McGrath's signature mark was the way he broke down barriers between academic disciplines," noted Stewart Weaver, professor of history and chair of the Department of History at the University. His approach provided new insights by bridging such diverse fields as art history, philosophy, musicology, psychoanalysis, and politics, said Weaver.
Following a Fulbright fellowship year in Vienna, Mr. McGrath completed his doctorate in 1965 at the University of California at Berkeley under the guidance of Carl Emil Schorske, one of America's most important modern intellectual European historians.
"Professor McGrath is the finest of Schorske's students," said Celia Applegate, professor of modern European history at the University. His two books are "major interdisciplinary works that bring together art, music, and architectural history," she explained. Dionysian Art and Populist Politics in Austria ( 1975 ) explores how influences such as Richard Wagner's musical compositions and Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy shaped the cultural life of turn-of-the-century Vienna. Freud's Discovery of Psychoanalysis: The Politics of Hysteria ( 1986 ) places Freud's revolutionary psychological theories into their cultural, political, and historic contexts.
"The cliché about historians is that we 'put text into context,' " said Applegate. "Bill painstakingly, clearly, and beautifully did that; whether he was writing about a psychoanalytical text or a Mahler symphony, he showed how each emerged out of a particular time and place."
Moving from the University of Chicago to Rochester in 1971, Mr. McGrath taught at the University for 26 years, during many of which he served as director of undergraduate studies in history. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant from 1978 to 79 and, as a recognized Freud scholar, was a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books. In recent years, he was working on a new book on the German idea of freedom.
Mr. McGrath is survived by his wife, Stephanie Frontz, longtime art librarian at the University's Rush Rhees Library, as well as two daughters, Katherine McGrath and Jennifer ( Josh ) Torres; a son-in-law, Jordan West; and four grandchildren. Friends may call Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Anthony Funeral & Cremation Chapels, 2305 Monroe Ave. and are invited to bring a written memory or favorite photograph of Mr. McGrath for the family's memory book.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Dec. 5, at 2:30 p.m. at the University's Interfaith Chapel on Wilson Boulevard. Donations may be directed to the Friends of the Library, 236 Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627.
The University flag will be flown at half-staff in Mr. McGrath's honor on Friday as well.
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A scholar of modern European intellectual and cultural history, "William McGrath's signature mark was the way he broke down barriers between academic disciplines," noted Stewart Weaver, professor of history and chair of the Department of History at the University. His approach provided new insights by bridging such diverse fields as art history, philosophy, musicology, psychoanalysis, and politics, said Weaver.
Following a Fulbright fellowship year in Vienna, Mr. McGrath completed his doctorate in 1965 at the University of California at Berkeley under the guidance of Carl Emil Schorske, one of America's most important modern intellectual European historians.
"Professor McGrath is the finest of Schorske's students," said Celia Applegate, professor of modern European history at the University. His two books are "major interdisciplinary works that bring together art, music, and architectural history," she explained. Dionysian Art and Populist Politics in Austria ( 1975 ) explores how influences such as Richard Wagner's musical compositions and Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy shaped the cultural life of turn-of-the-century Vienna. Freud's Discovery of Psychoanalysis: The Politics of Hysteria ( 1986 ) places Freud's revolutionary psychological theories into their cultural, political, and historic contexts.
"The cliché about historians is that we 'put text into context,' " said Applegate. "Bill painstakingly, clearly, and beautifully did that; whether he was writing about a psychoanalytical text or a Mahler symphony, he showed how each emerged out of a particular time and place."
Moving from the University of Chicago to Rochester in 1971, Mr. McGrath taught at the University for 26 years, during many of which he served as director of undergraduate studies in history. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant from 1978 to 79 and, as a recognized Freud scholar, was a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books. In recent years, he was working on a new book on the German idea of freedom.
Mr. McGrath is survived by his wife, Stephanie Frontz, longtime art librarian at the University's Rush Rhees Library, as well as two daughters, Katherine McGrath and Jennifer ( Josh ) Torres; a son-in-law, Jordan West; and four grandchildren. Friends may call Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Anthony Funeral & Cremation Chapels, 2305 Monroe Ave. and are invited to bring a written memory or favorite photograph of Mr. McGrath for the family's memory book.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Dec. 5, at 2:30 p.m. at the University's Interfaith Chapel on Wilson Boulevard. Donations may be directed to the Friends of the Library, 236 Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627.
The University flag will be flown at half-staff in Mr. McGrath's honor on Friday as well.