Susan Signe Morrison's Blog, page 5
October 6, 2016
“Old English is Mine!”: Diversity and Old English
A postdoctoral research fellow at Penn, Nahir, who has her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, studies medieval literature and culture.
Old English belongs to us all, no matter what our background or where we come from. This proclamation rings out in a beautiful poem I’m delighted to share with you by Nahir I. Otaño Gracia, currently Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Comparative Literature and Classics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Why poetry?
“I write poetry to express both the pleasure and frustration that comes from being a medievalist. ‘Old English Is Mine’ is a response to the many ways that medieval English literature and culture are used to undermine diversity. For example, the idea that we can have dragons, orks, and elves in games and stories set in the Middle Ages, but we can’t have people of color because they were not present at that time. One of the most pervasive lies!”
So true! Please read Nahir’s poem and share it with students, colleagues, and lovers of written and spoken word everywhere.
Another magical photo in the fog and mist at the house of her husband in Puerto Rico. “Every time I visit, I wake up to the mist and I think it’s magical.”
Thank you for letting me share this poem, Nahir!
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September 29, 2016
“Beowulf” Rock Operas, Appalachian Old-Time Music, Tolkien, and Philology
Brother Wolf, Triad Stage, Greensboro, North Carolina (2007). Photo: VanderVeen Photographers
I was recently at Texas A&M University for the Texas Medieval Association conference. A pre-conference symposium and a number of sessions focused on Beowulf, with special attention to adaptations. I learned about Beowulf Rock Operas and even an Appalachian “old time” musical, Brother Wolf. All fascinating.
One of the special treats was a presentation at Cushing Library with its magnificent special collections. An undergraduate, poised and articulate, gave a riveting presentation about her work in the archives. Maddie Keyser has worked on Tolkien and items from their archives belonging to him. She is writing her thesis on her amazing discoveries. You can read about her preliminary research on this blogpost she wrote for the preeminent Tolkien collector in Antwerp. Enjoy–and keep alert for Maddie’s further publications!
Image from Maddie’s blogpost.
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September 20, 2016
An Anglo-Saxon Anecdote: Dreaming of witch-wives, fiery pitchforks and the Battle of Fulford — Dutch Anglo-Saxonist
The Battle of Fulford (20 September, 1066): prophetic dreams of fork-bearing witch-wives, Vikings hurling pitch-forks at Scarborough and bridges made of people. Snorri Sturluson reports…
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September 4, 2016
Anglo-Saxon apps: Old English on your smartphone — Dutch Anglo-Saxonist
Old English dictionaries, parsing games and a full-fledged study guide for beginners. Anglo-Saxon smartphone apps reviewed!
via Anglo-Saxon apps: Old English on your smartphone — Dutch Anglo-Saxonist
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July 13, 2016
How J.R.R. Tolkien Found Mordor on the Western Front
Rebecca Bird’s stirring image accompanies the article.
A recent article in The New York Times commemorating the Battle of the Somme during the Great War, World War I, argues how J. R. R. Tolkien’s terrifying experiences in the trenches influenced his mythscape of Hobbiton, Mordor, and Middle Earth.
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918
The author of “How J.R.R. Tolkien Found Mordor on the Western Front” is Joseph Loconte, an associate professor of history at the King’s College in New York, who writes, “The first day of the battle, July 1, [1916], produced a frenzy of bloodletting. Unaware that its artillery had failed to obliterate the German dugouts, the British Army rushed to slaughter.
Before nightfall, 19,240 British soldiers — Prime Minister David Lloyd George called them “the choicest and best of our young manhood” — lay dead. That day, 100 years ago, remains the most lethal in Britain’s military history.
Though the debt is largely overlooked, Tolkien’s supreme literary achievement, “The Lord of the Rings,” owes a great deal to his experience at the Somme.”
Laconte has published A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918.
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July 9, 2016
Beer and Bees and a Viking Siege
The Dutch Anglo-Saxonist’s own cartoon. I don’t recommend trying this at home today!
The Dutch Anglo-Saxonist comes to the rescue again, showing how beer and bees can conquer a Viking siege.
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July 7, 2016
My Amazing Students, Part 2: Beowulf in 3 (Hilarious) Minutes
My amazingly creative student, Marilisa, created a movie for her final project in my Beowulf’s Literary Hoard class. She managed to persuade three of her younger brothers to perform in a film version of Beowulf.
Although it takes only three minutes to sum up the epic, she told us in class how it actually took an entire day to film the whole project. Her paper with the screenplay you can find below. You are guaranteed to laugh a lot! Get your popcorn….
Here is her paper; at the end is the screenplay of her sure-to-be Academy Award winning film.beowulf FINAL PAPER
Thank you for sharing, Marilisa!! Your brothers–and you–are amazing!
#grendelsmotherthenovel
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July 1, 2016
Grendel’s Mother Wins Words on Wings Book Award, a Literary Classics Top Honors Award
Delighted to hear that “Grendel’s Mother” won the Words on Wings Book Award for young adult fiction, a Literary Classics Top Honors Award!
Blog
June 27, 2016
“Do not give your books to children!” and other medieval tips for taking care of books — Dutch Anglo-Saxonist
This blog post calls attention to a late medieval text which provides some practical advice to preserve books so that they may ‘last forever’ -some of these rules remain topical today!
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June 21, 2016
Literary Classics Finalist and Seal of Approval for “Grendel’s Mother”
Grendel’s Mother is a finalist!
I’m delighted to report that Grendel’s Mother: The Saga of the Wyrd-Wife has been selected as a finalist for a Literary Classics award.
My novel has also been awarded the Seal of Approval from Literary Classics.
Given the Seal of Approval from Literary Classics. Here is their review.
They write, “Skillfully penned in a style which flows remarkably well, while masterfully incorporating an old world flair, this book transports readers to medieval Denmark and the fascinating world of Grendel….This book reads well as a stand-alone, but would be an excellent companion piece as a prequel for those seeking greater depth, or an alternate view, of Beowulf. Grendel’s Mother is highly recommended for home and school libraries and as a teaching tool for educators. This book has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.”
I’m delighted by this review! And the Seal of Approval.
I’ve always liked seals….
Seals looking for a copy of Grendel’s Mother: The Saga of the Wyrd-Wife
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