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Table
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SMGS News & Reviews
Dear Colleagues,
Once again it is a pleasure to announce to you that SMGS will be
sponsoring five sessions at the 40th Congress on Medieval Studies in
Kalamazoo 2005. Our Session Organizer, Scott E. Pincikowski (Hood
College) merits thanks and praise for having organized an attractive
program for us. Together with his predecessor, Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand
(Appalachian State University), he has also planned an exciting New
Books Roundtable that spotlights a new book from Sara S. Poor
(Princeton University), who will talk about her latest contribution
to our field. In addition, SMGS will be celebrating its 20th
anniversary at Kalamazoo. We are looking forward to seeing you
there!
Four sessions in New Research in Medieval German
Literature
New Research in Medieval German Studies I
Presider: Scott E. Pincikowski (Hood College)
1) An ein permint entworfen: Poetological Reflections
on the Possibility of the Unified Character in the
Nibelungenlied.
Presenter: Joshua M.H. Davis (University of Virginia)
2) Perverted Paradise: Rosengarten as 'Minneroman'
Presenter: William Layher (Washington University in St. Louis)
3) The Nibelungen Line: A Continuation of the Germanic Long
Line?
Presenter: Edward R. Haymes (Cleveland State University)
New Research in Medieval German Studies II
Presider: Matthias Meyer (Freie Universität Berlin)
1) "daz hat diu harpfe getan": The Performance of Culture
in Middle High German Courtly Literature
Presenter: Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand (Appalachian State
University)
2) Der teufel behält sein Recht / Der Teufel hat kein Recht:
Understanding the Defeat of the Devil in Late-Medieval German
Religious Drama
Presenter: Kevin J. Ruth (Independent Scholar)
3) Zu Inhalt und Struktur in einem Passionsspielfragment aus
Pfäfers (Schweiz)
Presenter: Klaus Amann (Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck)
New Research in Medieval German Literature III
Presider: Stephen Mark Carey (Georgia State University)
1) The Bedevilment of Morgan le Fay: Ethnographic Perspective
and Hartmann's Erec
Presenter: Kristen Elena Dachler (Duke University)
2) Thomasîn von Zerclaere's Mirror State: (Self) reflection and
the Use of Images in the Formation of the Courtly Subject
Presenter: Kathryn Starkey (University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill)
3) Trilingual Tribulations: Abbot Ellinger and his Book
Presenter: Susanne Hafner (The University of Texas at Austin)
New Research in Medieval German Studies IV
Presider: Siegfried Christoph (University of Wisconsin-Parkside)
1) "Niemen sicht gelîches iht": Femininity, Laughter, and Power
in Ulrich von Liechtenstein's Frauenbuch
Presenter: Olga Trokhimenko (Duke University)
2) Gender Attributes for Spiritual Warfare in the Heliand
Presenter: Ernst Ralf Hintz (Truman State University)
3) Masculinity and the Minnerede: Berlin,
Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Mgo 186 (Livonia, 1431)
Presenter: Ann Maria Rasmussen (Duke University)
New Books Roundtable
Presider: Ernst Ralf Hintz (Truman State University)
Sponsor: The Society for Medieval German Studies
Presenter: Sara S. Poor (Princeton University) will be speaking
to us and answering questions about Mechthild von Magdeburg and
Her Book: Gender and the Making of Authority (Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004).
Once again SMGS is delighted to feature an exciting new
contribution to our field and we look forward to seeing you there at
the Roundtable in Kalamazoo 2005.
SMGS Reviews
Nu lôn' ich iu der gâbe: Festschrift for Francis G.
Gentry.
Edited by Ernst Ralf Hintz. Göppinger Arbeiten zur Germanistik
693.
Göppingen: Kümmerle, 2003. (ISBN 3-87452-942-8)
Volume 693 (!) of the Göppinger Arbeiten zur Germanistik contains
twenty-one essays collected by Ernst Ralf Hintz to honor Francis G.
Gentry on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday [2002]. Authors
representing institutional affiliations in over a half-dozen
countries point to the international nature of medieval German
studies in general, and of Frank Gentry's far-reaching scholarly
influence in particular. Topics covered range in chronology from the
Early Middle High German period --- in part in response to and in
acknowledgement of Gentry's seminal Bibliographie zur
frühmittelhochdeutschen geistlichen Dichtung (Berlin: Schmidt,
1992) --- through the Nibelungenlied, down to modern
translation and commentary. Geographically, a look at the oral
poetic tradition in West Africa broadens the perspective (see
below). Four of the essays are in German.
Gentry has, from the beginning of this career onward, published
significant research on the Nibelungenlied. It is thus
appropriate that the first six studies of the Festschrift
explore this unusual narrative, one that Alois Wolf characterizes as
an ongoing issue (ständige Frage," p. 77-105) in literary history.
Wolf's essay carefully outlines the as yet unanswered questions as
to the relevance of the various place names employed in the
Nibelungenlied, in contrast to the treatment of onomastic
material in other European heroic epics. While concrete political
connections appear to remain beyond our field of vision, Wolf is
able to trace noteworthy structural parallels to Vergil's tale of
Aeneas, so well known at the time the Nibelungenlied was,
as far as we know, first committed to parchment.
There are many ways in which the Nibelungenlied is
unique. At the same time, it has taken on different meanings for
different eras. Winder McConnell (43-54), following ideas put forth
by Walter Haug, suggests that Kriemhild can be understood as a
uniquely modern figure, and that the poet must be credited with the
complex make-up of her personality, one that manipulates outward
appearance and inner feelings. Here, as elsewhere in the
Festschrift, the Nibelungenlied is shown to defy
expectations.
Ruth H. Firestone (1-13) contrasts the parody Biterolf und
Dietlieb with its model, exploiting the audience's
expectations regarding the notion of revenge. Both McConnell's and
Firestone's approaches postulate a level of shared sophistication
among the recipients of the narratives, whereby social issues are
explored and, by implication, commented upon.
Edward R. Haymes (15-23) and Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand
(55-76) revisit the term "loyality" (triuwe) and its
treatment in Gentry's research. In these considerations, notions
governing the (past) heroic world are contrasted with those of the
(then contemporary) feudal world of the court. Haymes makes
insightful distinctions regarding personal and societal (or tribal)
loyalty, while Sterling-Hellenbrand assesses the roles of women
acting within a patriarchal system. In each case, again, the
expectations of the audience are read as crucial to an understanding
of the poet's intent. In sum, we are dealing with flawed heroes and
flawed anti-heroes. Given these complex narrative
interrelationships, it seems almost natural that the author would
have employed "rhetorical ambiguity" (Ernst Ralf Hintz, 25-41), when
describing the behavior of the major figures. Within the field of
tension between the heroic/epic and courtly/feudal lies fertile
ground for uncertainty, including legal, and, given the Christian
context imposed upon the Germanic palimpsest, even moral ambiguity.
Hintz draws on the work of Robert Sullivan (another Gentry protégé)
to make connections to notions of justice as documented in Early
Middle High German religious writing.
The Nibelungenlied lay dormant for some 250 years. Since
its rediscovery in the mid-eighteenth century (see McConnell, 43),
scholars have wrestled for nearly the same amount of time with the
many issues this singular text-complex presents. The six studies
discussed here should help fuel further investigation.
Uta Sadji und Ulrich Müller (227-240) have collaborated on a
report from West Africa on oral epic poetry, and draw striking
parallels to the Nibelungenlied, both in its narrative
structure, its performer(s), and in recent attempts to present it to
a broader audience.
Much less popular, but in some ways comparably enigmatic are the
texts form the Early Middle High German era. The topics covered in
the Festschrift are indeed "multifaceted" (vii), starting
with Sidney M. Johnson's "Text, Translation, Commentary, and
Bibliography" of the "Melker Marienlied" (321-330). To Johnson's
concise description I would like to add the notion of typology,
manifest in strophes 11 and 12, where Mary is characterized as the
ander wip; 'the other woman' is Johnson's translation; I'd
suggest considering 'the second woman' as a parallel to instances
where Jesus is described as 'the second Adam' (see Friedrich Ohly,
Schriften zur mittelalterlichen Bedeutungsforschung,
Darmstadt; Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2nd ed. 1977, pp.
245f., 323, 331).
Another Early Middle High German text to undergo scrutiny here is
Christus und Pilatus, interpreted by Brian Murdoch (193-210) as
a text intended to support the notion of Jewish guilt for the
crucifixion of Christ. Murdoch also pursues questions of connections
in the text's rhetoric strategy to medieval sermons and the theater.
Ray Wakefield (273-284) appraises the state of Veldeke research
on the Eneide as one mired in the illusion of an archetype,
fueled for generations by Dutch-German animosity.
James K. Walter (285-298) revisits the "Upper German Servatius,"
finding characteristics of the re-telling of the saint's life to be
representative of a secular sensitivity to issues in the Wittelsbach
dynasty.
Moving chronologically into the Middle High German era, C.
Stephen Jaeger (133-158) suggests the term "Courtier Romance" to
describe the narrative form of Gottfried's Tristan.
Examples of this genre include the Biblical story of Joseph in Egypt
(Gen. 39-41), J.M. von Loen's Der redliche Mann am Hof,
Wieland's Agathon, and Stehndal's Le rouge et le noire.
In an article of comparable breadth, Werner Wunderlich (299-320)
traces the Doppelgänger motive all the way
from classical depictions of twins to the present, wondering to what
extent individual Internet chat personalities represent the newest
manifestation of the phenomenon.
Will Hasty proposes a new look at "Magic and its Significance in
the German Arthurian Romances" (119-131), tracing its structural
role against the background of an audience likely to have believed
in magical powers. Scott E. Pincikowski (211-225) explores the
characters in Hartmann von Aue's courtly tales. Hartmann is credited
with establishing troubling connections between erotic desire and
violence the audience should not miss. Pincikowski alludes to
parallels to female mystic experiences. Stephen L. Wailes (255-272)
discusses Hrotsvit of Gandersheim's "Agnes," a life of a
virgin-martyr, within the context of the role of sexual abstinence
in the Gandersheim community. Hrotsvit's placement of the story at
the end of a collection of narratives suggests its importance, and
Wailes demonstrates how the notion of virginity is a reflection of
"spiritual sublimity" (268). Frank Tobin (241-253) describes
Mechthild von Magdeburg's use of hierarchy, especially her
exploitation of worldly objects (regalia, architecture) as metaphors
for spiritual experiences (heaven, hell), within her visions.
Sibylle Jefferis (159-172) discusses the artistic representation
of a prose adaptation of Schondoch's Die Königin von Frankreich
und der ungetreue Marschall known as Chronica von der
Königin von Frankreich found in a fresco-cycle in Palazzo Nero,
Coredo, Italy. Five black and white photographs (by Jefferis) convey
the nature and condition of the artwork. Differences between the
verse original and the prose rendition make it possible to
positively identify the frescos as products made from the later
version, one Jefferis argues is superior in style, in short "a more
modern, democratic and social novel of about 1460" (166).
The fifteenth-century allegorical poem Das Gnaistli and
its use of culinary metaphors is the subject of Melitta Weiss
Adamson's survey of the meaning of gula (gluttony) in medieval
German (107-118). Adamson, establishing connections to the field of
medicine, argues for the author's virtuosity in exploiting the
potential of the metaphor.
Rüdiger Krohn traces echoes of the Arthurian tradition in Armin
and Bretano's Des Knaben Wunderhorn (173-191). Nationalistic ideals
led to less than accurate attestations of the sources of some of
their "old German songs," including the one that led to the titular
"magical horn" reference. So not all of these texts are as "old
German" as the editors hoped to suggest. Of course, parallels to the
history of the fairy tale are obvious. Krohn, like many of the other
studies in the Festschrift, demonstrates that comparative
literature is the bread and butter of medieval source studies.
Finally, Reinhold Grimm (331-352) offers translations and
commentaries on nine poems by Günter Kunert, without, however,
listing place/date of publication of the German texts. Grimm's
immense knowledge of a wide swath of German culture enriches the
commentaries.
The essays celebrating the accomplishments of Frank Gentry
provide that which good scholarship and teaching represent: a
combination of up-to-date research findings with inspiration to
pursue further study. Authors and the honoree should be proud.
John M. Jeep (Miami University, Oxford,
Ohio)
New Books received for review
Vickie L. Ziegler, Trial by Fire and Battle in Medieval German
Literature.
Rochester NY: Camden House, 2004. ISBN 1571132910 $75.
Ernst S. Dick (ed.), Ritter Löwhardus.
Berlin: Weidler Buchverlag, 2004. ISBN 3-89693-222-5 € 26.
Joseph M. Sullivan,
Counsel in
Middle High German Arthurian Romance. Göppinger Arbeiten
zur Germanistik 690. Göppingen: Kümmerle, 2001. ISBN 3-87452-938-X
€ 27.
Should you be interested in reviewing one of these books, please
contact SMGS at
ehintz@truman.edu
The Sidney M. Johnson Award
The winner of the Sidney M. Johnson Award for the best abstract
submitted by a graduate student will be announced in the Spring
edition of the SMGS News & Reviews at the end of March
2005. The prize includes the registration fee for the 41th
International Congress on Medieval Studies in 2006 and the inclusion
of the paper in the SMGS 2006 Kalamazoo program. All graduate
students (also those who have previously sent an abstract to
SMGS for Kalamazoo) are encouraged to (re)submit before January 15,
2005.
Recent News from/and for members of SMGS
Matthew Heintzelman (Hill Monastic Manuscript Library,
Saint John's University) would like to call to our attention to the
following opportunity to receive a research stipend.
Heckman Research Stipends
The Hill Monastic Manuscript Library invites applications for the
Heckman Research Stipends, made possible by the A.A. Heckman Fund at
the Library. Each year HMML awards up to thirteen such grants, in
amounts ranging up to $1,500. Stipends may be used toward the cost
of travel, room and board, microfilm reproduction, photo-duplication
and other expenses associated with research at the Library. Length
of residence may vary from a minimum of two weeks up to six months.
Graduate or post-doctoral scholars (those who are within three years
of completing a terminal degree) are eligible. The program is
specifically intended to help scholars who have not yet established
themselves professionally and whose research cannot progress
satisfactorily without consulting materials to be found in the
collections of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library.
Applicants should submit a letter of application, curriculum
vita, a brief description of the research project including length
of stay, an explanation of how the Library's resources will enable
them to advance their project, and a confidential letter of
recommendation from their advisor, thesis director, mentor, or, in
the case of postdoctoral candidates, a colleague who is a good judge
of their work. Please direct all inquiries and materials to the
Committee on Research, Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, Box 7300,
Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN 56321.
Grants are awarded twice each year, with application deadlines
of:
15 April for research in June to December
15 October for research in January to June
The Hill Monastic Manuscript Library houses extensive resources
for the study of manuscripts and archives. With nearly 90,000
manuscripts of microfilm, HMML has microfilmed extensively in
Austria, Germany, Spain, Portrugal, Malta, and Ethiopia; and it is
currently microfilming the manuscript collection at the Royal
Library in Stockholm and digitizing manuscripts in Lebanon. Because
HMML has filmed entire collections of manuscripts, its resources
support research across a wide spectrum of topics. The Library is
particularly strong in theology, philosophy, history, literature,
liturgy and music. Scholars may consult the Library's website for
further information, including a partial electronic inventory of its
collections. For additional information about HMML, please go: to
www.hmml.org , email
hmml@csbsju.edu, or call 320-363-3514.
Request from Brill for Your Opinion - a proposed
paperback edition
The Brill Publishers have requested that SMGS ask you whether they
would welcome a paperback version of A Companion to Medieval German
Literature to the 14th Century, edited by Francis G. Gentry, Brill
2002 (ISBN 90 04 120947). Should you be interested in using this
text in one of your courses or simply wish to enhance its
availability for students and colleagues alike, and would like a
paperback version from Brill, please contact SMGS at
ehintz@truman.edu or by fax (660) 785-7486 with your opinion.
News from SMGS Members
To announce a recent contribution of yours, please inform SMGS at
ehintz@truman.edu by March
15, 2005 and it will appear in the Spring 2005 issue of SMGS
News & Reviews.
The SMGS News & Reviews is edited by Ernst Ralf Hintz,
ehintz@truman.edu
and produced by Truman State University. SMGS wishes to
acknowledge the great contribution made by Suzanne Klaus
at Fort Hays State University, Kansas, in producing the online
version of the SMGS News & Reviews during the past five
years. SMGS also thanks
Steven Chau for his expertise and help in
transferring the SMGS News & Reviews to its new home.
SMGS is privileged to thank Edward R. Haymes
(Cleveland State University) for his many years of service to our
field as SMGS President. His guidance, good will, and joviality have
sustained SMGS since its inception.
The SMGS membership is growing rapidly as is the interest in
receiving the SMGS News & Reviews online. Should you know
colleagues who would be interested in membership in SMGS, please ask
them to contact me by email, or by fax at (660) 785-7486, or write
to: Ernst Ralf Hintz,
Truman State University, Division of Language & Literature,
McClain Hall 310, Kirksville, MO 63501-4221, U.S.A.
On behalf of Scott Pincikowski and Ernst Ralf Hintz,
Best wishes for the semester!
Information Sheet:
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