Professor
      Focus:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      John
      Smith
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      of
      the
      most
      familiar
      faces
      in
      the
      U_P.E.I.
      English
     
     
      department
      is
      that
      of
      Professor
      John
      Smith,
      who
     
     
      settled
      her
      in
      1967.
      He
      was
      born
      in
      Toronto
      and
      had
     
     
      lived
      there
      twenty-two
      years.
      He
      attended
      the
      Univer-
     
     
      sity
      of
      Toronto
      where
      he
      earned,
      of
      all
      things,
      a
      Math
     
     
      and
      Physics
      degree.
      he
      had
      always
      been
      very
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      in
      literature,
      through;
      having
      worked
      atacol-
     
     
      lege
      magazine.
      After
      an
      aborted
      attempt
      at
      an
      addi-
     
     
      tional
      degregin
      Philosophy,
      he
      ended
      up
      teaching
     
     
      high
      school
      English
      for
      seven
      years
      and
      then
      returned
     
     
      to
      the
      University
      of
      Toronto
      where
      he
      got
      his
      M.A.
      in
     
     
      English.
      Following
      that,
      he
      ended
      up
      here,
      and
      it’s
     
     
      the
      longest
      time
      he
      ever
      stayed
      in
      one
      spot.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      asked
      why
      he
      ended
      up
      teaching
      English,
      Smith
     
     
      recalls
      that
      English,
      of
      all
      subjects
      he
      could
      teach,
     
     
      had
      the
      most
      room
      for
      diversity.
      “I’m
      more
      of
      a
     
     
      dabbler
      in
      many
      things
      than
      an
      expert
      in
      anything,””
     
     
      he
      says.
      ““I
      decided
      that
      I
      didn’t
      want
      to
      spend
      my
     
     
      life
      doing
      mathematics.
      I’
      d
      always
      been
      interested
      in
     
     
      literature,
      and
      had
      written
      quite
      a
      bit
      of
      poetry
      by
      that
     
     
      time.
      I
      followed
      the
      line
      of
      least
      resistance,
      I
      sup-
     
     
      pose.**
      He
      admires
      people
      who
      have
      clear-cut
      goals
     
     
      and
      pursue
      them
      directly.
      ““I
      have
      sort
      of
      a
      ‘‘Hamlet
     
    
   
   
    
     
      complex’*,
      he
      tells
      me.
      “I
      stand
      back
      and
      think
      about
     
     
      things.””
     
    
   
   
    
     
      English
      in
      Professor
      Smith’s
      chief
      interest,
      and
      why
     
     
      he
      chose
      the
      profession
      of
      teaching
      was
      also
      a
      deci-
     
     
      sion
      based
      on
      preference.
      **
      You
      stick
      with
      things
      you
     
     
      feel
      comfortable
      with,’’
      he
      decided.
      “‘I’ve
      gone
     
     
      through
      periods
      in
      my
      life
      where
      I’ve
      been
      very
     
     
      sceptical
      of
      words
      and
      the
      distortions
      that
      they
      intro-
     
     
      duce
      into
      reality.
      The
      introduction
      of
      words
      tends
      to
     
     
      fix
      something
      that
      is
      otherwise
      fluid,
      and
      shifts
     
     
      attention
      from
      things
      to
      words.
      But,
      in
      spite
      of
      that,
     
     
      I’ve
      cast
      my
      lot
      with
      them.”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Subjects
      taught
      by
      Professor
      Smith
      currently
      include
     
     
      the
      Romantic
      Poets
      and
      Shakespeare,
      writers
      who
     
     
      have
      fascinated
      Smith
      for
      some
      time.
      He’s
      been
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hooked
      on
      Shakespeare
      since
      high
      school,
      and
      Byron
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      book,
      ‘“Name
      of
      God,””
      said
      you
      could
      find
      G
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      31,
      1991
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sasi
      Git
      bok
      scchaksles
      eee
      ne
     
     
      students
      question
      the
      value
      of
      teaching
      works
      Sonn
      .
     
     
      long
      ago,
      but
      opinions
      in
      favour
      of
      his
      subjects.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “*One
      advantage
      of
      them,’’
      he
      suggests,
      “‘is
      that
      they
     
     
      do
      introduce
      you
      to
      a
      different
      world,
      and
      to
      differen
     
     
      states
      of
      mind.*”
      He
      admiresthe
      flexibility
      with
      ~
     
     
      which
      Shakespeare
      treats
      language,
      ranking
      only
     
    
   
   
    
     
      behind
      James
      Joyce
      in
      his
      opinion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
     
      7
     
     
      ae)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Another
      important
      aspect
      of
      Shakespeare
      according
      &
     
     
      Smith
      is
      its
      theatrical
      side.
      As
      he
      says,
      “‘I’m
      par-_
     
     
      ticularly
      interested
      in
      shakespeare
      toobecauseall
      “|
     
     
      literature
      to
      an
      extent
      involves
      performance.
      A
      reads
     
     
      must
      “‘perform”’
      a
      poem
      before
      itcomestolife.
      |
     
     
      Whether
      in
      the
      theatre
      of
      the
      mind
      or
      among
      actors,
      J
     
     
      lined
      must
      be
      performed
      before
      they
      acquire
      full
      |
     
     
      actuality.
      isee
      all
      of
      literature
      like
      that.
      Whether
      |
     
     
      it’s
      dramatic
      literature
      ornotthereaderhastobe
      7}
     
     
      involved,
      he
      has
      to
      participate.””
      3
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Shakespeare
      is
      about
      as
      far
      back
      as
      most
      students
      ag
     
     
      willing
      to
      go
      to
      explore
      an
      “‘ancient’’
      text,
      and
      Small
     
     
      thinks
      ir
      is
      unfortunate
      that
      many
      students
      are
      una=
      |
     
     
      ware
      of
      earlier
      writers
      such
      as
      Chaucer.
      Smith
      is
      ewe
     
     
      more
      dismayed
      at
      the
      absence
      of
      Latin,
      Greek,
      and
     
     
      Classics
      in
      most
      modern
      day
      educational
      programsy
     
     
      “*T’ve
      always
      felt
      reluctant
      to
      go
      along
      with
      major
     
     
      views,”
      he
      says.
      “‘Thatdoesn’tmeanthatthey
      7
     
     
      (majority
      views)
      are
      wrong,
      necessarily,
      but
      minof
     
     
      ties
      keep
      other
      potentialities
      alive.”
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Outside
      the
      classroom,
      Professor
      Smith
      enjoys
      reagy
     
     
      ing
      a
      wide
      variety
      of
      works.
      He’s
      always
      been
      fag
     
     
      nated
      by
      Plato’s
      Dialogues,
      andhasalsobeen
      Fj
     
     
      strongly
      influenced
      by
      the
      works
      of
      an
      anonymous,
     
     
      sixth
      century
      monk
      whowentbythenameof
      7
     
     
      “*Dionysius
      the
      Areopagite’’.
      One
      of
      this
      monk's
      {
     
     
      books
      was
      the
      ““Mystical
      Theology’,
      which
      detailegy
     
     
      the
      via
      negativa
      philosophy,
      the
      “‘negative
      way”
      ja)
     
     
      which
      said
      you
      could
      find
      God
      by
      screening
      ang
      h
     
     
      unholy
      from
      your
      life,
      complete
      denial.
      Ano
     
     
      the
      monk’s
      books
      expresses
      the
      via
      affismativel
     
    
   
   
    
     
      affirming
      all
      of
      his
      qualities
      rather
      than
      denyis
      ‘i
     
     
      everything
      else.
      These
      are
      very
      challeagingyy
     
    

    
     
      phies.
      a
     
     
      Profesor
      Smith
      has
      also
      i
      influenced
      heavi
     
     
      Shinese
      and
      Sanskrit
      traditions,
      especially
      theT
     
     
      Teh
      Ching,
      a
      book
      about
      following
      the
      way
      n:
     
     
      accomplishing
      the
      most
      by
      doing
      the
      least:
      n
      oa
     
     
      interference.
      Other
      works
      tharbave
      pores
      i