Name Walter Whiter Created by Vince Gilligan Spouses Skyler White | Played by Bryan Cranston Role Fictional Character Significant other Skyler White | |
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Similar People Jesse Pinkman, Skyler White, Saul Goodman, Hank Schrader, Gustavo Fring | ||
The Reverend Walter Whiter (30 October 1758 in Birmingham, England– 23 July 1832 in Hardingham) was an English philologist and literary critic. He is known for his 1794 work A Specimen of a Commentary on Shakspeare. Specimen, which explored As You Like It in terms of John Locke's philosophy of associationism, is believed to have been the first work of literary criticism to use scientific psychology.
In addition to his literary criticism, Whiter published his etymological research, first as Etymologicon Magnum in 1800, then as Etymologicon Universale in 1822 (vol. 1 and 2) and 1825 (vol. 3); August Baron Merian, a correspondent of Samuel Butler, stated that he "pit(ied)" Whiter, and described him as "(a) great etymologist—perhaps the greatest that ever lived. A genius certainly; but it seems, like most eminent artists, dissolute."
Whiter's linguistic studies—in particular, his research into the language used by Gypsies—led him to be cited as a role model by George Borrow, to the extent that Whiter appears in Borrow's Lavengro as "Reverend Whiter the philologist". The book includes a song about his character, which goes as follows:
For several decades, Whiter's notes on the vocabulary of Romani were thought to have been lost, but were rediscovered and published in 1909 as Whiter's 'Lingua Cingariana'.
Personal life
Whiter was a friend of Richard Porson, who had a habit of adding marginalia to books which Whiter owned; many of these annotations were subsequently collected and published independently.