James L. Guetti

Who was James L. Guetti?

James L. Guetti, Professor of English at Rutgers University, was a philosopher of language, author, and professor.

His main interests were the fiction of Joseph Conrad and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. The goals of his teaching were to have his students become better thinkers and more effective writers.

Born in Medford, Massachusetts, son of James and Gladys Guetti, his family moved to Florida when he was three years old. He spent his early childhood years in Miami, Hialeah, and Sweetwater. During his adolescence, his family moved back to Massachusetts, this time to Orange. From there, they relocated to Warwick, Rhode Island, where Jim graduated from James T. Lockwood High School in 1955.

As the first in his family to attend college, he received several academic and athletic awards at Amherst College. The latter awards were for his prowess in football. In 1959, he was awarded his A.B. degree cum laude. A year later, he received his M.A. from Cornell University. A Ph.D. from the same institution followed in 1964.

He then taught English at The Taft School for a year. Subsequently, he transferred to Rutgers University where he was an English professor for 36 years. Jim Guetti died of cancer at his home in Leverett, Massachusetts. He was married, with two sons.