Theodore M. Andersson : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Ted Andersson, a leading scholar of Old Norse and Icelandic sagas, recalls his early life in a family of teachers, his education at Yale University, and his research and teaching career at Harvard, Stanford, and Indiana University. Andersson describes how he discovered his passion for Scandinavian literature as an undergraduate and his graduate work on the history of the Icelandic sagas, a focus for much of his academic research career. He recounts his early years as an instructor and later professor of German and Scandinavian at Harvard and describes the circumstances that led him to join Stanford’s Department of German Studies in 1975. He discusses key issues in the Icelandic oral and literary tradition, as well as departmental responsibilities and politics and the university’s efforts to reorganize various departments into the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages. He reflects on serving as department chair as well as his time as associate dean in the School of Humanities and Sciences. Returning to Stanford after serving on the faculty at Indiana University in the late 1990s, Andersson describes his continued work on Icelandic sagas, translations of Homer and Old English epic poetry, and recognition by the Icelandic state and scholarly associations.
- Summary
- Coming from a family of teachers • Taking modern Scandinavian literature as a Yale undergraduate • Not growing up with Swedish language at home despite father’s Swedish heritage • Spending some of his youth in Europe, learning French and German • Early interest in language and literature, including the classics • Graduate work at Yale in Germanic language and literature • Interest in Icelandic sagas • Getting a job offer at Harvard • Challenges of being a young instructor at Harvard • Gaining tenure and becoming a full professor • Joining the faculty of Stanford’s Department of German Studies in 1975 • Politics in Stanford’s Department of German Studies • Problem- oriented research approach • Doctoral work on the oral tradition in Icelandic sagas • History and development of Icelandic sagas during the medieval period • Importance of the sagas to modern-day Icelanders • Icelandic dominance of the field • Other research on epic poetry including Beowulf and translating Homer’s Iliad • Interest in the Latin literature of Carolingian Germany • Increasing availability of the sagas • Administrative roles at Stanford including department chair and associate dean of School of Humanities and Sciences under Dean Ewart Thomas • Respect for Thomas • Learning how the university functioned from a dean’s broader view • Spending a year at Stanford Humanities Center • Reorganization of German Studies and other foreign language and literature departments into the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages (DLCL) in the mid 1990s; faculty opposition to consolidation • Accepting an offer from Indiana University • Invitation back to Stanford and a new structure for DLCL • Mellon fellowship and writing book on the Icelandic kings’ sagas • Life as an emeritus professor and continued research • On always learning something new and there not being weekends for academics • Translating the Odyssey • Service to the field, including as president of the Medieval Academy of America • Receiving a knighthood in the Icelandic Order of the Falcon
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | July 22, 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Andersson, Theodore Murdock, 1934- | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Andersson, Theodore Murdock, 1934- | |
| Interviewer | Marincovich, Michele | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Andersson, Theodore Murdock, 1934- |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages |
| Subject | Old Norse poetry |
| Subject | Folklore > Iceland |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Ted Andersson, a leading scholar of Old Norse and Icelandic sagas, is the Olive H. Palmer Professor in Humanities and Professor of German Studies, Emeritus at Stanford University and Professor of Germanic Studies, Emeritus at Indiana University. His books include The Growth of the Medieval Icelandic Sagas, 1180-1280; A Preface to the Nibelungenlied; The Legend of Brynhild; Early Epic Scenery: Homer, Virgil, and the Medieval Legacy; The Sagas of Norwegian Kings, 1130-1265; The Icelandic Family Saga: An Analytic Reading; and the Problem of Icelandic Saga Origins: A Historical Survey. His translations include The Saga of Olaf Tryggvason; and, with Kari Ellen Gade, ‘Morkinskinna’: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings, 1030-1157. He is the author of numerous articles and a contributor to edited collections including Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide and The Dictionary of the Middle Ages. He has served on editorial boards for Speculum (assistant editor), Mediaeval Scandinavia, Medievalia et Humanistica, and Viator as well as on the MLA Bibliography Committee. In 1960, Andersson began his academic career at Harvard. He attained the rank of professor of German and Scandinavian, and he chaired the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, he joined the faculty in Stanford’s Department of German Studies. At Stanford, Andersson served as associate dean in the School of Humanities and Sciences from 1988 to 1991, chair of the Department of German Studies from 1982 to 1984, and acting chair in 1993-1994. From 1996 to 1999, Andersson was professor of Germanic Studies at Indiana University. He later returned to Stanford to teach as an emeritus. Andersson served as the president of the Medieval Academy of America in 1998-1999, the president of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study in 1981-1982, and a director of NEH Summer Seminars for College Teachers. He has held visiting professorships at Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Indiana University, University of New Mexico, and the University of Bergen (Norway). Honors include a knighthood in the Icelandic Order of the Falcon and fellowships from the Stanford Humanities Center, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Howard Foundation. Andersson earned his BA in 1956, his MA in 1957, and his PhD in 1961--all from Yale University. |
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| Audio |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/vg657zd9480 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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