He graduated from
Princeton University in 1923, and a Ph.D from
Harvard University in 1928. He then taught there, from 1927 to 1949. He was appointed lecturer in English literature at
Cambridge University, England, in 1939. In 1942, Spencer gave the Lowell lectures on Shakespeare, published as
Shakespeare and the Nature of Man, his most important work. From 1946 to 1949, he was the
Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard. Spencer also published essays, short stories, and poetry. Spencer died of a heart attack in a taxi. His notebook is at
Princeton University, and papers are at
Harvard University. ==Awards==