Referenzen
Letters to the Editors
Professor Stephen Tanner
I just got around to reading the latest Studies in the Western[vol.
XXI, 2013]. I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your articles ... the
depth of your resaerch is admirable ... I found myself saying "ride on"
over and over again. I can't imagine two better articles to signal the
25th anniversary of the association. They epitomize the quality of work
the organization stands for.
Marck Eickhoff, ZDF Mainz
Ich
wünsche Ihnen ... erkenntnisreiche Tage im Kreise der Westernliebhaber
und freue mich auf die Berichte im nächsten Heft. Ich hoffe, dass Sie
trotz der allgemein angespannten Lage ... die Forschungen fortsetzen
können und so das Bewusstsein für den Western ... aufrechterhalten.
Professor Sanford E. Marovitz
It's gratifying to know that some of the essays that evolved from
papers I delivered at those round-ups were revised and published in
STUDIES IN THE WESTERN and that they're now being considered for
reprinting in that durable annual. In fact, it's more than gratifying;
it's an honor to have the value of my research sustained and confirmed,
and I'm very grateful to the editors for distinguishing it in that way.
Your reference to the photo taken at Erfurt reminded us of the pleasure
we had at that memorable conference--not least that it was held in such
a splendid old city.
The current Studies in the Western [vol. XXI, 2013] annual is a jim-dandy, and we're thrilled to have it.
I
wish to commend the German Association for the Study of the Western,
with its headquarters at the University of Muenster. I have been
associated with this organization for eight years and have greatly
benefited from the quality scholarship it encourages and publishes in
Studies in the Western. This
association fills a unique niche in the study of the American West.
The Western Literature Association, to which I have belonged for some
35 years, did much in its early years to stimulate scholarly interest
in the Western genre; but that organization and its journal, Western
American Literature, have
evolved in directions that have caused both the group and the journal
to abandon a focus on Westerns. The German Association for the Study
of the Western (GASW) is the only group actively furthering study of
the Western, a genre that has worldwide significance beyond its
importance as a manifestation of the American character. Some of the
greatest expertise in this field of study is found in the GASW. Many
of my American colleagues are surprised to discover this fact because
of their expectation that Americans rather than Germans would be best
informed in this area.
As
a matter of fact, the GASW has done much to promote interaction and
cooperation between American and German writers and scholars. I first
met members of the GASW at an international symposium on the Western
in Fort Worth, Texas in 1998. In 2004 I was pleased to host six
members of the GASW at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for a
symposium on "The West in the European Imagination." This
was done in cooperation with the Charles Redd Center for Western
Studies, an important research institution. I hope to see this kind
of interchange increase.
Through
the GASW I have become acquainted with students from the University
of Muenster's English Seminar who have a special interest in the
American West. I am impressed with the quality of their work. In
visiting the library of Western materials in Muenster, I was
surprised and pleased to find such a rich and unique collection of
resource material for study of the Western. It is well worth
preserving and augmenting.
In
short, I hope the emphasis on and resources for study of the Western
developed so ably in Muenster by Professor Peter Bischoff and his'
associates will continue and expand.
Sincerely,
Stephen
L. Tanner, Ralph A. Britsch Humanities Professor of English Emeritus,
Brigham Young University
I
attended the recent conference of the German Association for the
Study of the Western, "Die Apachen im Western", and would
like to express my appreciation for the well chosen papers and the
stimulating discussions as well as the excellent organization of the
event. I attend several national and often international conferences
every year but, over the years, I have found the annual meeting of
the German Association for the Study of the Western outstanding.
The
range of topics covered in this year's papers was especially
outstanding and covered everything from literary theory to close
readings of individual westerns. Each presentation was followed by a
very lively discussion of the ideas presented, and the "Symposium"
offered another venue to explore ideas about the portrayals of Apache
Indians in westerns and other writings. The level of participation
and enthusiasm was amazing to me. I came away with the resolve to do
more scholarly research on the topic.
Permit
me also to express my appreciation of the library and research center
that you have created at the University of Muenster. The collection
of westerns and related materials is truly amazing and will continue
to serve literary scholars in their academic research in the future.
You have some remarkable treasures in your collection. I especially
appreciate that you will lend the books out on request. The
University of Muenster is fortunate in housing such an interesting
and important collection.
I
would also like to take the opportunity to congratulate you on having
GASW's journal as part of the Library of Congress collection. It
certainly testifies to the superior quality of the journal. I am
proud to have published in Studies
in the Western.
Thank
you again for the wonderful conference, and I am anticipating next
year's meetings with great pleasure.
Sincerely,
Professor
Birgit Hans, Chair of Department of Indian Studies, University of North
Dakota
The
double issue of Studies
in the
Western is an
impressive achievement. The special portion, examining western film
and other representations, is as stimulating a collection of essays
as I have read on the subject. Your essays on the Swiss and German
painters (Peter B.) and the realities of Western film (Peter N.) were
absorbing. I'm pleased to know the names of Friederich Kurz and
Gustavus Sohon, and I applaud your discussion of the Western as an
ecological genre; it is
inseparable from time, landscape, and climate.
Your
joint examination of The
Missing
gives helpful insights into a disturbing film, while Christian Krug's
contemplation of the changing depiction of violence is truly
revealing; I still recall flinching in the theater when Karl Maiden
crushed Marlon Brando's hand with a rifle butt in One-Eyed
Jacks.
So: this is an issue of the annual you can be proud of, and it will
go on my reference shelf for ready consultation.
Fred
Erisman, Professor Emeritus, Texas Christian University