The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
September's scholarly forum was well received
Our September UMRA luncheon meeting featured a presentation by Jack Zipes, a professor emeritus of German, Scandinavian, and Dutch, on Charles Godfrey Leland (1824-1903), “the forgotten folklorist of the 19th century.”
When Leland was a child growing up in a prosperous Philadelphia family, the Irish, African-American, and other household help regaled him with folk tales, triggering an early interest in folklore and folk linguistics. After studies at Princeton, Dartmouth, Columbia, Heidelberg, Munich, and the Sorbonne, Leland was driven by a “monstrous curiosity” about the supernatural and the occult. He pursued intensive field investigations, recording and translating folk tales of the European Roma and New Brunswick's Algonquian Indians. He admired Romany witches, took a serious interest in shamanism, and was considered a pioneer in the study of magic.
A seeker of truth
Zipes noted that some see Leland as a protofeminist based on his high regard for witches. In Florence, Italy, Leland befriended a witch’s family, which led to meeting other Italian witches who shared knowledge about their legends, songs, and spells. In Northern Italy, Leland unearthed and studied the Legends of Virgil, dating from Etruscan-Roman times. The Roman poet’s stories became hugely popular in the Middle Ages.
Leland was a seeker of truth, spending years trying to distill imbedded truths from the folk stories he gathered and the folk customs he observed. He was trained as a lawyer, but spent much of his career as a gifted writer and journalist, eventually becoming an editor and prolific author. He was also a pioneer of decorative arts education and helped found the Public School of Industrial Art in Philadelphia.
Zipes’ well-received presentation, illustrated at the end with pictures of some of his own woodcut art, was a stimulating, scholarly, and informative exploration of a topic unknown to most. In the discussion that followed his talk, Zipes was asked for his view of the Harry Potter phenomenon. He responded with a disdainful shake of the head and a wry comment, implying that it is probably acceptable as light entertainment but nothing to be taken seriously.
—John S. Adams, member, Grants Committee
Author Jack Zipes will introduce us to "the forgotten folklorist"
Tue, September 24 2019, 11:30am
Campus Club 4th Floor, West Wing Dining Room
The Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program will be highlighted during our September program with a presentation by Jack Zipes, a professor emeritus, author, and folklorist known for his research on the social and political significance of fairy tales.
The grants program is supported by the University’s Office of the Vice President for Research, the UMRA fund held by the University of Minnesota Foundation, and the work of UMRA’s grants committee.
Zipes retired from the Department of German, Scandinavian, and Dutch, and received a PDGR award for 2018–19. In addition to his scholarly work, he is an active storyteller in public schools and has worked with various children's theaters.
The project supported by his grant will be the topic of his talk: “The charismatic Charles Godfrey Leland and his magical tales.” In his time, Leland (1824–1903) was considered one of America’s most talented journalists and humorists. He wrote more than 30 books on diverse topics and, at one point, was as famous as Mark Twain.
Last summer, Zipes’s collection of fairytale-themed postcards inspired The Wonderful World Before Disney, an exhibit at the Weisman Art Museum. Recently, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award for his work in the field of folklore and fantasy.
PDGR grants for this year (2019–20) illustrate the wide variety of retiree interests.
Professor Joseph Allen will build on previous publications regarding the development of public space in Taipei, Taiwan, over the last 100 years and how those spatial configurations reflected and projected cultural, political, and ideological conditions.
Documentary photographer and video producer Randy Croce will conduct final research, shoot video, and acquire images to complete the script and a rough edit of The Farmer-Labor Movement: A Minnesota Story,a video documentary.
Jonathan Ravdin, M.D., will determine how Minnesotans approach death and funeral transition and whether variables such as age, ethnicity, cause of death, religious affiliations, and level of education have an impact on transition choices.
Attorney Kathryn Sedo will use her award to attend three American Bar Association meetings to stay current in tax law and procedure.
Librarian Lisa Vecoli will document the creation and evolution of the Minnesota lesbian community, especially in the 1970s and ´80s.
The grants committee will announce instructions for 2020–21 grant applications in October.
—Dick Poppele, chair, Professional Development Grants Program Committee
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
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