Mediävistische Germanistik:

International Medieval Congress, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds, Großbritannien

Strand Definition – Language and Literature: Germanic

Brief introduction to the strand – why is it important to medievalists?

The strand “Language and Literature: Germanic”, its activities and aims, is largely determined by the geopolitical function of the Holy Roman Empire and its central importance for historical, literary and spiritual movements generated throughout the centuries within its boundaries. Amongst the considerable number of research areas within actual German studies there are especially four major fields of general interest for medievalists:

    1) the ‘Origins of Courtliness’ and the flowering of courtly literature in German vernacular, its major themes, its artistic achievements and its modern reception; with a special focus on such authors as Hartmann von Aue, Gottfried von Strassburg, Wolfram von Eschenbach, or such lyric poets as Walther von der Vogelweide, and Oswald von Wolkenstein;
    2) the ‘Nibelungen Tradition’, its mythical sources, the medieval heroic epics it generated in German and languages other than German, as well as its impact on the Western World from the heroic to the present age;
    3) famous German mystics such as Mechthild von Magdeburg, Meister Eckhart, Heinrich Seuse, and their outstanding contribution to reshaping the medieval mind;
    4) the outbreak of the Reformation, Martin Luther, his challenge to the unity of the medieval Church as well as to the supremacy of Church Latin, events which, amongst others, marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of a new age in Western history.

Current research trends in German studies of general interest for medievalists include

relations between text and image, oral and literary culture;
new approaches to iconography and iconology and their impact on literary analysis;
perception of sensual and spiritual phenomena in the Middle Ages, its medieval theories, its representation in art and literature and its modern interpretation;
symbolic communication in medieval life and literature;
development and application of new narrative theories to medieval epics;
the creation of new interdisciplinary approaches to medieval literature by combining methods developed in the fields of gender studies, mental history or natural history e.g. with textual analysis;
to make accessible hitherto unknown or neglected works of German literature especially of the Late Middle Ages;
to develop new means of evaluating the processes of textual transmission and, in consequence, to elaborate new methods of editing medieval literature.

List of the subject areas covered by the strand

The papers given in the strand from the beginning to the present total almost 300, including artistic events and round–table discussions. Sessions have covered a wide range of subjects either related or unrelated to the special thematic strand at each Congress. In addition to presentations of current research trends, subject areas have dealt and may deal with

Anniversaries of famous authors (i.e. the 900th birthday of Hildegard von Bingen in 1998 or the 550th birthday of Emperor Maximilian I in 2009);
medieval translations and translating the Middle Ages;
medieval myths and their modern reception;
flora and fauna in medieval life and literature;
travel and pilgrim literature;
German classics of the Middle Ages;
German mystics of the Middle Ages;
Non–German authors or themes and their reception in German art, music, and literature;
new approaches to language and literary history;
presentation of recently discovered authors (i.e. Oswald von Wolkenstein) or literary genres of general European interest such as the literary culture of German Jews or the Teutonic Order;
introduction to the use of new encyclopaedias or electronic tools such as the “Lexikon des Mittelalters”, “Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters, Verfasserlexikon”, or the “Mittelhochdeutsche Begriffsdatenbank” (MHDBDB, Salzburg).

Medievalists interested in interdisciplinary debates as well as specialists of languages and literatures other than German are most welcome to co–operate or to add subjects to this list.

Sieglinde Hartmann, Member of the Programming Committee
responsible for German Language and Literature as well as Comparative Literature /
verantwortlich für Deutsche Sprache und Literatur des Mittelalters und Vergleichende Literatur des Mittelalters

Review of sessions / Bisher organisierte Sektionen

2007 3 Sektionen Cities, Myths, and Literature - Three sessions, organised by Sieglinde Hartmann on behalf of the Oswald von Wolkenstein-Gesellschaft, are intended to find new connections between ancient myths, historical relevance and medieval constructions of (real or imagined) cities in literature. A special focus on Asian cities such as Qara Qorum and Tokyo should allow shedding new light on specific aspects of Western and Eastern images of cities and their importance.

Monday 09 July: 11.15-12.45, Weetwood: Headingley Room 3
Mythical Cities and Cities in Myths (Paola Schulze-Belli, Trieste), Jerusalem in Jewish Imagination (Edith Wenzel, Berlin), Basilius Plinius and His 'Encomium to the Great City of Riga, Metropolis of Livonia' (1595 - Kaspars Klavins, Riga);

Monday 09 July: 14.15-15.45, Weetwood: Headingley Room 3
Grippia, a City in a Pre-courtly German Epic: Literary Fantasy or Myth? (Jasmin Behrouzi-Rühl, Frankfurt am Main), The Image of the Medieval Utopian City (Tessa Morrison, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia), Heavenly Jerusalem as a locus amoenus in medieval (and Early Modern) Polish Literature (Jacek Kowzan, Glasgow);

Monday 09 July: 16.30-18.00, Weetwood: Headingley Room 3
A Medieval's Poet Sense of Humour: Oswald von Wolkenstein and Emperor Sigismund in Paris (Sieglinde Hartmann, Frankfurt am Main), Qara Qorum, the First Mongol Capital in Eastern and Western Literature (Romesh Gyaram Molle, Würzburg), Kyoto in Myth and Literature (Yuko Tagaya, Tokyo).

2006    Sektion "The Teutonic Knights in the Baltics I: Conventual Life and Liturgy";
Organiser: Sieglinde Hartmann and Jaroslaw Wenta; Life in Teutonic convents between Statues and Practice (Piotr Olinski, Torun), Art and Liturgy in Teutonic Castle Churches ( Michal Wozniak, Torun), The Teutonic Order and its Musical Culture in the 15th Century (Pawel Gancarczyk, Warszawa).
The papers will be published in a new series edited by Jaroslaw Wenta at the University of Torun.

2006    Sektion "The Teutonic Knights in the Baltics II: Literature and Libraries";
Organiser: Sieglinde Hartmann and Jaroslaw Wenta; Chances and Risks of a Regional History of Literature.
The Example of the Teutonic Order (Freimut Löser, Augsburg), The Use of the Bible in Convents of the Teutonic Order (Klaus Vogelgsang, Augsburg), The End of History? Johannes Renner Bremensis and the 'Livonian Rhymed Chronicle' (Michael Neecke, Regensburg).
The papers will be published in a new series edited by Jaroslaw Wenta at the University of Torun.

2006     Sektion "The Teutonic Knights in the Baltics III: Visual Arts and Architecture";
Organiser: Sieglinde Hartmann and Jaroslaw Wenta; Style and Iconology of Visual Arts in Teutonic Prussia (Monika Jakubek-Raczkowska, Torun), The Myth of Gog and Magog in Pictorial Art of the Teutonic Order (Marcin Osowski, Torun), The Influence of Teutonic Castle Architecture on Polish Neighbours in the 15th Century (Wieslaw Sieradzan, Torun), Military Architecture and Military Medical Surgery in Prussia (Bernhard Schnell, Göttingen).
The papers will be published in a new series edited by Jaroslaw Wenta at the University of Torun.

2006    Sektion "The Rise of the Mongolian Empire and its Impact on Medieval World".
Organiser: Sieglinde Hartmann and Jaroslaw Wenta; Chinggis Khan and his Image in Western Literature (Romesh Gyaram-Molle, Wuerzburg), The Battle of Liegnitz (1241) and its Aftermath (Aleksander Paron, Wroclaw, Poland), Het'um the Armenian: A Historiographer between the Mongol Empire and the Latin West (Wilhelm Baum, Klagenfurt, Austria).
The papers will be published in a new series edited by Jaroslaw Wenta at the University of Torun.

2006    Sektion "Islands of The World and The Seven Seas in Medieval Myth and History" I mit folgenden Beiträgen:
Islands in Celtic Myths and Medieval Literature: Avalon (Paola Schulze-Belli, Trieste),
Cyprus in Medieval and Early Modern Travel Accounts (Maria E. Dorninger, Salzburg),
Far Eastern Islands and its Myths: Japan (Yuko Tagaya, Kanto Gakuin University, Tokyo).
Die Drucklegung der Vorträge ist unter dem Titel "Islands in Medieval Myths and History", in: Beihefte zur MEDIAEVISTIK, Frankfurt am Main 2008 geplant.

2006    Sektion "Islands of The World and The Seven Seas in Medieval Myth and History" II mit folgenden Beiträgen:
Insular Myths in the 'Nibelungenlied': Was Siegfried slain on an Island? (Sieglinde Hartmann),
Holy Islands and their Christianisation in Medieval Prussia (Jaroslaw Wenta, Torun, Poland),
Insulae: Misses, Myths, and Mexico (James Ogier, Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia).

2005 2 Sektionen zum Thema "Islands of The World and The Seven Seas in Medieval Myth and History" mit Beiträgen von Paola Schulze-Belli (Triest), Sieglinde Hartmann (Frankfurt am Main), James Ogier (Salem, USA), Richard F. Byrn (Leeds), Aleks Pluskowski (Cambridge), Albrecht Classen (Tucson, USA), Patrizia Mazzadi (Vicenza).
Die Drucklegung der Vorträge ist unter dem Titel "Islands in Medieval Myths and History", in: Beihefte zur MEDIAEVISTIK, Frankfurt am Main 2008 geplant.

2005 Sektion "Literary Images of Youth and Medieval Heroes" mit Beiträgen von Claudia Brinker–von der Heyde (Kassel), Cordula Politis (Dublin), Käthe Sonnleitner (Graz), Edward Haymes (Cleveland), Neil Thomas (Durham).

2005 Sektion "A Genius Revisited: Enea Silvio Piccolomini (1405-1464) and his 600th Birthday", mit Beiträgen von Wilhelm Baum (Klagenfurt), Cora Dietl (Tübingen), Maria Dorninger (Salzburg) und Reinhard Strohm (Oxford).

2004    Sponsor der Sektion "Jewish Culture within the Holy Roman Empire: An Antagononistic or Symbiotic Relationship?" mit Beiträgen von Martin Przybilski, Trier, Manuela Niesner, Heidelberg und Winfried Frey, Frankfurt am Main.

2004     Sektion "Interaction of Cultures in German Literature of the Middle Ages" mit Beiträgen von Patrizia Mazzadi, München, Edward R. Haymes und Cleveland State University, Ohio, und Cordula Politis, Trinity College Dublin.

2004    Sektion "Petrarch in Germany: Medieval Reception and Modern Medievalism" mit Beiträgen von Otto Arnold, Marburg, Cora Dietl, Tuebingen, Maria E. Dorninger, Salzburg, und Patrizia Mazzadi, Vicenza.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 16, 2006/2007.

2003    Sektion "Heroism and Power in Medieval Literature" mit Beiträgen von Bettina Bildhauer, Cambridge, Alan Robertshaw und Richard Hitchcock, Exeter.

2003    Sektion "The Authority of the Bible and the Power of Change in Theological Theory and Language History", mit Beiträgen von Alice Chapman, Clare College, University of Cambridge, Claudia Wich-Reif, Freie Universät, Berlin, Franz Simmler, Freie Universität, Berlin.

2003    Sektion "Sports of the Powerful: The Medieval Hunt" mit Beiträgen von Aleksander Grzegorz Pluskowski, Cambridge, Siegrid Schmidt, Salzburg und Silvia Ranawake, London.

2002 Sektion "German Dawn Songs and their Castles" mit Beiträgen von Ricarda Bauschke, Berlin, John Greenfield, Porto, und Anette Volfing, Oxford.

Drucklegung der Vorträge in: Die Burg im Minnesang und als Allegorie im deutschen Mittelalter. Hrsg. von Ricarda Bauschke. Frankfurt am Main 2006 (= Kultur, Wissenschaft, Literatur. Beiträge zur Mittelalterforschung, Bd. 10.).

2002 Sektion "Reconstructing the Medieval Environment and its Impact on Human Mind: Castles - Real and Imagined" mit Beiträgen von Paola Schulze-Belli, Käthe Sonnleitner und Siegrid Schmidt.

2001 Sektion "Reconstructing the Medieval Environment and its Impact on Human Mind: Pet and Domestic Animals" mit Beiträgen von Malcolm H. Jones, Sheffield, und Albrecht Classen, Tucson, Arizona.

2001 Sektion "Reconstructing the Medieval Environment and its Impact on Human Mind: Gardens - Real and Imagined" mit Beiträgen von Paola Schulze-Belli, Triest, Anja Grebe, Nürnberg, und Marlu Kühn, Basel.

2000    Sektion "Reconstructing the Medieval Environment and its Impact on Human Mind: Flora" mit Beiträgen von Gerhardt Helmstaedter, Köln, Gertrud Blaschitz, Krems, Marlu Kühn, Basel, und Sieglinde Hartmann.

2000    Sektion "Reconstructing the Medieval Environment and its Impact on Human Mind: Fauna" mit Beiträgen von Nigel W. Harris, Florida, Malcolm Jones, Sheffield, und Peter Dinzelbacher, Princeton, USA.
Selected papers of these sessions are published in: MEDIAEVISTIK, Beihefte Band 8, "Fauna and Flora", Frankfurt am Main 2007.

2000     Sektion "Perception of Eternity in Medieval German Literature" mit Beiträgen von Paola Schulze-Belli, Triest, Arnold Otto, Düsseldorf, und Richard Byrn, Leeds.

1999 Sektion "Oswald von Wolkenstein in New Translations and New Recordings" mit Beiträgen von Alan Robertshaw, Exeter, Paola Schulze-Belli, Triest, und Martin Schubert, Köln.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 13, 2000/2001.

1998 Sektion "Translating the Medieval Mystics: New Approaches to their Interpretation" mit Beiträgen von Paola Schulze-Belli, Triest, Margarete Hubrath, Chemnitz, und Gabriella Del Lungo, Florenz.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 11, 1999.

1997 Sektion "Law and Iconography" mit Beiträgen von Wolfgang Schild, Bielefeld, Dagmar Hüpper, Münster, und Gernot Kocher, Graz.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 11, 1999.

1996 Sektion "Love-Letters in the Middle Ages: Facts and Fiction" mit Beiträgen von Martin Schubert, Köln, Frank Fürbeth, Frankfurt/M. und Max Schiendorfer, Zürich.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 11, 1999.

1995 Sektion "Poetry and Music" mit Beiträgen von Rebecca J. Davies, Leeds, Henriette Straub, Amsterdam, und Reinhard Strohm, Oxford.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 9, 1996/1997.

1994 Sektion "Oswald von Wolkenstein and the Mediterranean" mit Beiträgen von Sieglinde Hartmann, Alan Robertshaw, Exeter, und Albrecht Classen, Tucson, USA.
Drucklegung der Vorträge in Jahrbuch der Oswald von Wolkenstein Gesellschaft, Band 8, 1994/1995.