Afbeelding auteur

Margaret Schlauch

Auteur van The gift of language

13 Werken 105 Leden 1 Geef een beoordeling

Werken van Margaret Schlauch

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Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
1898
Geslacht
female
Geboorteplaats
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Opleiding
Barnard College
Columbia University
University of Munich
Beroepen
medievalist
Professor of literature
scholar
feminist
Organisaties
Communist Party of Poland
Association of University Teachers
Prijzen en onderscheidingen
Order of Polonia Restituta
Guggenheim Fellowship (1929)
Korte biografie
Margaret Schlauch earned a bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1918 and master's and doctoral degrees from Columbia University in 1919 and 1927. In 1923–24, she studied on a fellowship at the University of Munich. She became a noted scholar of medieval literature, with a specialty in German and Scandinavian literature. In 1924, she joined the faculty of the English Department of New York University, and rose through the ranks to become the first woman appointed as a full professor at the university in 1940. In 1951, after being subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, Prof. Schlauch left the USA for Poland, where she became a naturalized citizen. She taught at the University of Warsaw from 1951 until her retirement in 1965. She was elected a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences in 1961.

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Besprekingen

I searched for this book for YEARS. I read it from the library in high school and it kick-started my craze for Norse and Icelandic literature. Then I tried to find it again as an adult and it turned out to be aggravatingly rare. But I finally got my hands on a reasonably-priced copy so I can relive my first Viking saga.

The Saga of the Volsungs is surprisingly sophisticated for a piece of 13th century literature. The chaos caused by Sigurd's multiple marriages and the ensuing downfall of three great families is complex enough both technically and emotionally to make for a brilliant novel or TV series even today. Which I suppose is why it inspired both Wagner and Tolkien.

Brynhild is a brilliant tragic heroine (and my favourite) but Gudrun and Signy are powerful female characters who move the plot forward in their own right, and are just as grim and fearsome as their brothers or husbands.

The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, as Margaret observes in her introduction, is not as good as the saga that precedes it. If you've watched the Vikings TV series then you'd probably be surprised to find out he rashly invades England against everyone's advice like a dumbass and then dies ignominiously in a snake pit. It's his sons that really shine, especially Ivar the Boneless who is perhaps the most accomplished despite not being able to walk. Ivar, and Ragnar's second wife Aslaug, another fearsome woman, make this saga worth reading.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
weemanda | Nov 2, 2023 |

Statistieken

Werken
13
Leden
105
Populariteit
#183,191
Waardering
4.0
Besprekingen
1
ISBNs
13

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