Alan E. Knight

Alan Edgar Knight (September 7, 1931 – September 17, 2015) was an American medievalist and scholar of French literature whose research focused on late medieval theatre and vernacular drama. He is best known for his five-volume critical edition of Les Mystères de la Procession de Lille, published by Librairie Droz between 2001 and 2011. The edition received extensive scholarly attention and was reviewed in major journals including Romania, Speculum, French Studies, Romanische Forschungen, Le Moyen Âge, and Studi Francesi.

Early life and education Knight was born in Plant City, Florida, on September 7, 1931. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1951 and served during the Korean War as a sergeant in Intelligence and Analysis at the Eighth Army Headquarters in Seoul. His service decorations included the Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

Following his military service, Knight earned a B.A. in French from Florida State University in 1958, an M.A. from Fordham University in 1960, and a Ph.D. in French literature from Yale University in 1965.

Academic career Knight joined the faculty of Pennsylvania State University in 1964, where he taught medieval French literature, drama, paleography, and comparative literature. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1970 and Professor of French in 1984, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1997. Knight specialized in the civic theatre traditions of northern France, particularly the processional plays of Lille He edited The Stage as Mirror: Civic Theatre in Late Medieval Europe (1997), which was reviewed in Theatre Research International and other venues.

Reception Knight’s work, particularly his edition of Les Mystères de la Procession de Lille, received attention in medieval studies, Romance philology, and French literary scholarship.

In Romania, Jean-Pierre Bordier offered a detailed multi-volume review, noting the edition’s philological rigor and contribution to the understanding of civic drama. Le Moyen Âge, and Studi Francesi. Selected works Les Mystères de la Procession de Lille, 5 vols. (Geneva: Librairie Droz, 2001–2011). Aspects of Genre in Late Medieval French Drama (University Press of Florida, 1983). The Stage as Mirror: Civic Theatre in Late Medieval Europe (editor, Brepols, 1997).

Death Knight died on September 17, 2015, in Berkeley, California. He is buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Plant City, Florida.