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
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.