author
Denton Jaques Snider
1841–1925
A prolific Midwestern man of letters, he wrote across philosophy, criticism, poetry, and education while helping shape the intellectual life of St. Louis. His work brings together big ideas, literary study, and a lifelong interest in how culture forms the individual.
1 Audiobook
Homer's Odyssey A Commentary
by Denton Jaques Snider
About the author
Born in Ohio in 1841, he studied at Oberlin College and went on to become a writer, critic, and teacher whose career was closely tied to St. Louis. He is remembered as an important figure in the St. Louis movement in philosophy, a circle influenced by Hegelian thought that linked philosophy, education, and literary culture.
Snider was remarkably productive, publishing dozens of books over the course of his life. His writings ranged widely, including studies of Shakespeare, Goethe, Dante, and Homer, along with works on psychology, education, American history, and poetry. Much of his work aimed to make large philosophical ideas feel connected to everyday human development and to the reading of literature.
He spent many years pursuing an independent literary life, often publishing at his own expense, and he also wrote reflectively about the St. Louis intellectual world of his time. He died in 1925, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both nineteenth-century idealism and a very personal, energetic way of thinking through literature and culture.