James Walter McFarlane (12 December 1920, Sunderland – 9 August 1999, Stody, Norfolk) was a scholar of European literature, author of The Oxford Ibsen, and founding Dean of the School of European Studies at University of East Anglia which included Scandinavian studies.
[1] McFarlane grew up in Sunderland and attended Bede Grammar School, and then went to St Catherine's College, Oxford.
His Oxford degree in modern languages, interrupted by war while he served in Europe in the Intelligence Corps, was completed in 1947.
[1][2] His first appointment was as lecturer at Durham University in 1947, in the department of German and Scandinavian studies at King's College.
They were both active in the community, with James acting as:[1][2] Kathleen had a distinguished career in weaving, and died in 2008, survived by their daughter and two sons.