School of Modern Languages
Newcastle University
GERMAN@NEWCASTLE
EDITED BY HELEN FERSTENBERG
Life after Newcastle
By Helen Morgan, Class of 2011
After graduating from
Newcastle in 2011 with
a First Class BA in German and Business Studies, I decided to continue my studies abroad
at Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany, one
of Newcastle’s partner
universities. I am currently doing an MA in
German Studies, specialising in Linguistics, and I am visiting
lectures for Business Studies as part of my optional modules, as
I am planning to look for a job where I can combine the two
subjects after I finish my MA.
As English native speakers are few and far between, I have already had many job opportunities in my first two semesters. I
am currently employed at the university’s International Office
and my duties include translation and working on English texts.
I also had a temporary job in my first semester, editing English
internet sites for a Management Department at the university. I
was one of 18 students to be selected to represent the university
in the Excellence Initiative in February, which is a competition
amongst German universities for funding for cutting-edge research. Furthermore, I spent one day in Mannheim and one day
in Iserlohn interpreting for the Federal Employment Agency in
March.
I have to admit that it is a challenge to study amongst native
speakers in a foreign country in a foreign language, and I have
to put in twice as much work as the Germans. However, it is all
the more rewarding to know I have achieved the same as the
native speakers, and that it will result in a foreign degree in the
end, which will hopefully improve my chances when pursuing a
career. Studying abroad has been extremely beneficial because I
am around German native speakers all of the time and I am
constantly improving my language skills. I would definitely
recommend that those Modern Languages students who are
thinking about pursuing a postgraduate degree do this at one of
Newcastle’s partner universities abroad. What better way to improve your foreign language skills than in the country itself?
Autumn 2012
Dr Beate Müller
interviewed for
BBC4 documentary
on metamorphosis
and culture
What is the role of metamorphosis –
the transformation of a living creature
from one shape into another – in nature, and how has the idea of metamorphosis influenced our culture? A forthcoming BBC Four documentary explores these questions, and Newcastle
University’s Dr Müller has been interviewed by the film makers about the
cultural significance of metamorphosis.
The BBC contacted Dr Müller, because
she teaches an optional module on
metamorphosis in German literature
and because of her research on Kafka.
The filming took place in a derelict,
atmospheric old cinema in Liverpool.
The interview explored why metamorphosis fascinates people so much and
why the theme has such a strong presence in culture, ranging from Ovid’s
famous verse epic “Metamorphoses”
with its 250 legends of transformations,
to classics such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s story “The Strange Case of
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” and Kafka’s
“Metamorphosis”, as well as contemporary horror films such as “Alien” or
“The Fly”. In the natural world, metamorphosis is written into the biological
programme of many species: every butterfly was once a caterpillar. Metamorphosis is a necessary step in the development of the butterfly. But in many
(continued on page 2)
Dr Beate Müller interviewed for BBC4 documentary on
metamorphosis and culture (continued from page 1)
cultural representations, the darker side of metamorphosis becomes the focal point. Literary texts and films
about metamorphosis often revolve around an individual’s loss of control over his or her shape, and as our
sense of identity is closely bound up with our outer appearance, stories of metamorphosis are usually stories of identity, of loss of identity, and of loss of control.
FRANZ KAFKA’S METAMORPHOSIS
The most famous literary engagement with metamorphosis in 20th century literature is Franz Kafka’s novella Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung, 1915; also translated as “The Transformation”). Kafka (18831924) is one of the most important
ls Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen 20th century writers. He became faerwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren mous for stories about the alienation of
Ungeziefer verwandelt. Er lag auf seinem panzerartig harten man in modern society, about the adRücken und sah, wenn er den Kopf ein wenig hob, seinen verse impact of modern, bureaucratic
gewölbten, braunen, von bogenförmigen Versteifungen organizations and institutions on man,
geteilten Bauch, auf dessen Höhe sich die Bettdecke, zum gän- and about issues to do with power. His
zlichen Niedergleiten bereit, kaum noch erhalten konnte. Seine Metamorphosis tells the story of
vielen, im Vergleich zu seinem sonstigen Umfang kläglich dün- Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman
nen Beine flimmerten ihm hilflos vor den Augen.
who awakes one morning and realizes
that he has been transformed into a gi»Was ist mit mir geschehen?«, dachte er. Es war kein Traum.
ant beetle. What seems like a night(The opening lines of Kafka’s Metamorphosis)
mare is no dream. Along with his human form, Gregor has also lost his
ability to speak, and so he ends up isolated and effectively imprisoned in his room, increasingly neglected
by his parents and his sister. The former breadwinner becomes vermin – a useless burden to the others who
have to learn to cope with the new situation. As they emancipate themselves, there is
no longer any room for Gregor, and the wounded, starved, heartbroken creature dies
quietly in his room.
Vermin, insect or beetle?
While Kafka’s prose is clear, its apparent simplicity sometimes poses problems of interpretation and translation. Thus, the expression “ungeheures Ungeziefer” in the first
sentence is not easy to translate into English. The adjective “ungeheuer” means
“monstrous, huge”, but there is also the noun “(das) Ungeheuer”, which means
“monster”. So is Kafka emphasizing the animal’s size or its monstrosity or both?
Also, the word “Ungeziefer” – “vermin” – is usually only used in the plural to refer to
Title cover of the first book
a whole group of insects, rather than to an individual, but of course Gregor is on his
version of Kafka’s Metamorown. Translators have variously used the words “vermin”, “beetle” or “insect”, but
phosis (Leipzig: Wolff, 1916)
none of these are truly satisfactory.
Kafka was horrified when he heard that his publisher had commissioned some illustrations for the book.
The writer was adamant that the insect may not be drawn. Kafka presents us with an image – a man transformed into an insect – but this is a metaphor for his situation in life: Gregor Samsa leads the life of an exploited employee at the bottom of the pile, and through his transformation he is ironically liberated from
his lowly, depressing existence. In principle, he is now free to explore opportunities he has never had
while he was still a human being, for example he can now enjoy hanging from the ceiling. An unsettling
question arises: if what we deem to be crucial to our lives – our family, our job, our outer appearance, our
roles in society – if all that disappears, what is left of us? And would such a radical break be just a loss, or
would it possibly also be a gainful experience?
A
The documentary is presented by the award-winning filmmaker David Malone, and directed by David
Briggs. It will be broadcast early next year in the UK on BBC Four and distributed by BBC Worldwide.
Routes into Languages takes part in
German day at local school
By Nick Johnston, Project Manager for Routes into Languages
In May, Routes into Languages North East were
invited to participate in an exciting day of German
events at Abbeyfields First School in Morpeth,
Northumberland. The day was organised by school
staff with several other local schools invited to attend and was designed to increase awareness and
enthusiasm for German language and culture
amongst the pupils. Sessions included learning German songs, meeting German teaching assistants
from the local high school and a German language
introduction led by Routes into Languages.
and ability of all the children, who were between
eight and ten years old. The natural curiosity of the
pupils meant that the allocated time for questions
was never enough as more and more questions kept
on coming!
The day was an undoubted success and highlighted
the need to engage pupils at a young age with foreign languages and culture. We hope the introduction of compulsory language learning from age
seven will tap into the enthusiasm in pupils of this
age and help motivate them to continue language
Routes project manager Nick Johnston was accom- learning throughout their education. Routes into
panied by student ambassadors Angela Stone and
Languages works principally with secondary pupils
Ruth Thompson together with university teacher
but this was a refreshing and exciting addition to
Helen Ferstenberg. The language session was an
our programme.
interactive introduction to the language including
To find out more about the Routes into Languages
colours, numbers and basic phrases. Pupils comproject please visit
peted in games like bingo for prizes to take away
www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/northeast or email
and learned the basics very quickly. The whole
team was extremely impressed with the enthusiasm [email protected].
Unser neuer Sprachassistent stellt sich vor
Mein Name ist Sascha Stollhans und ich werde im Studienjahr 2012/2013 an der
School of Modern Languages der Newcastle University als DAADSprachassistent tätig sein. Ich komme ursprünglich aus einer kleinen Stadt in
Nordrhein-Westfalen, habe aber nach meinem Abitur den Weg in die Großstadt
gefunden und in Berlin studiert. Da Sprachen schon immer meine große Leidenschaft waren, absolvierte ich zunächst ein B.A.-Studium in Linguistik und
Französisch. Während eines sechsmonatigen Praktikums in Südafrika entdeckte
ich meine Freude am Unterrichten und an der Zusammenarbeit mit Menschen
aus unterschiedlichen Kulturen. Deshalb schloss ich einen Master in Deutsch als
Fremdsprache an, während dessen ich bei unterschiedlichen Institutionen in
Deutschland und Frankreich Deutsch unterrichtet habe.
Nun werde ich dank eines Stipendiums vom DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer
Austauschdienst) für ein Jahr in Newcastle sein. Die Stadt gefällt mir super, es gibt
viel zu entdecken und die Leute sind alle so nett, dass ich mich bereits jetzt sehr
wohl hier fühle. Ab Oktober werde ich Konversationskurse und andere zusätzliche
Sprachkurse für die Studenten anbieten. Außerdem werde ich die DAAD-Lektorin
Franziska Schulz bei extracurricularen Aktivitäten wie dem monatlichen deutschen
Stammtisch und Filmabend unterstützen. Wir planen gerade sogar einen deutschen
Wandertag, an dem wir zusammen mit Studenten des Abschlussjahrgangs und
deutschen Erasmus-Studenten einen Teil des Hadrianswalls erkunden möchten.
Hoffentlich lässt uns das Wetter nicht im Stich! (Bisher kann ich übrigens allen
Klischees zum Trotz noch nicht viel Schlechtes über das englische Wetter sagen…)
Ich freue mich schon sehr auf all diese Aktivitäten und auf die Zusammenarbeit mit
den Studenten!
Don’t
miss...
Eine ganz moderne Liebesgeschichte:
Zwei E-Mail-Romane von Daniel Glattauer
Von Simone Schroth, Teaching Associate 2011-12
Emmi Rothner will ein Zeitschriften-Abonnement kündigen und schickt ihre EMail versehentlich an Leo Leike. Obwohl die beiden sich nicht kennen, schreiben
sie einander danach immer wieder, und dann …
Mit Gut gegen Nordwind (2006) und der Fortsetzung Alle sieben Wellen (2009) hat
Daniel Glattauer den E-Mail-Roman in die deutschsprachige Literaturszene geholt.
Und eine moderne Liebesgeschichte erzählt. In diesem Ausschnitt möchte Emmi
herausfinden, ob Leo anhand ihrer Mails ihr Alter erraten kann:
[… ] Wie alt schreibe ich? Wie alt bin ich? Warum? – Wenn Sie diese Aufgaben gelöst haben, dann
verraten Sie mir, welche Schuhgröße ich habe. Alles Liebe, Emmi. Macht echt Spaß mit Ihnen.
45 Minuten später
AW:
Sie schreiben wie 30. Aber Sie sind um die 40, sagen wir: 42. Woran ich es zu erkennen glaube? – Eine 30-Jährige liest nicht regelmäßig „Like“. Das Durchschnittsalter einer „Like“-Abonnentin beträgt
etwa 50 Jahre. Sie sind aber jünger, denn beruflich beschäftigen Sie sich mit Homepages, da könnten
Sie also wieder 30 und sogar deutlich darunter sein. […] Und schließlich: Sie heißen Emmi, also Emma. Ich kenne drei Emmas, alle sind älter als 40. Mit 30 heißt man nicht Emma. Emma heißt man erst
wieder unter 20, aber unter 20 sind Sie nicht, sonst würden Sie Wörter wie „cool“, „spacig“, „geil“,
„elementar“, „heavy“ und Ähnliches verwenden. Außerdem würden Sie dann weder mit großen Anfangsbuchstaben noch in vollständigen Sätzen schreiben. […] Heißt man nun Emma und schreibt man
jünger als man ist, zum Beispiel weil man sich deutlich jünger fühlt, als man ist, nennt man sich nicht
Emma, sondern Emmi. Fazit, liebe Emmi Rothner: Sie schreiben wie 30, Sie sind 42. Stimmt’s? Sie
haben 36er Schuhgröße. Sie sind klein, zierlich und quirlig, haben kurze dunkle Haare. Und Sie sprudeln, wenn Sie reden. Stimmt’s? Guten Abend, Leo Leike.
Am nächsten Tag
Betreff: ???
Liebe Frau Rothner, sind Sie beleidigt? Schauen Sie, ich kenne Sie ja nicht. Wie soll ich wissen, wie
alt Sie sind? Vielleicht sind Sie 20 oder 60. Vielleicht sind Sie 1,90 groß und 100 Kilo schwer. Vielleicht haben Sie 46er Schuhgröße – und deshalb nur drei Paar Schuhe, maßgefertigt. […] Also bitte,
seien Sie nicht böse. Mir hat die Einschätzung Spaß gemacht […]. Ich wollte Ihnen wirklich nicht zu
nahe treten.
Liebe Grüße, Leo Leike.
Zwei Stunden später
RE:
[…] Ich melde mich morgen. Ich freu mich schon! Emmi.
Aus: Daniel Glattauer, Gut gegen Nordwind, Goldmann-Taschenbuchausgabe 2008, S. 13-15.)
Contact us
For information about admissions
please contact Lesley Sherrin
Tel: 0191 222 5082, e-mail: [email protected]
or visit www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/german