Sabine Schlüter
My research interests are Literary Translation, Canadian Literature, Drama and Postmodernism. My published PhD thesis is about the grotesque as an expression of neo-existentialism in the plays of Canadian playwright George F. Walker, and I am planning a translation project focussing on his work and relevant literary criticism. I am also interested in Bernhard Grzimek's work.
I have worked and studied in Germany, England, France, Denmark and Canada and have an M.A. degree in English and Scandinavian Studies and a PhD degree in English/Canadian Studies from the University of Kiel, Germany. I also have a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Translation Studies from the University of Leeds, UK. In addition, I hold secondary education teaching degrees in English, Danish and French.
I am currently working as Head of Language and Deputy Director at the Goethe Institute in Glasgow.
Scholarships and awards:
1997 SOCRATES scholarship for a semester at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale in Brest, France
1999 Scholarship from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and Rektorskollegium (Danish Government) for a year at the University of Copenhagen
2003 Award from the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein (“Promotionsstipendium” – doctoral grant)
2003 Award from Foundation for Canadian Studies (“Promotionsstipendium”)
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Konrad Gross, PhD supervisor, Prof. Dr. Edith Marold, Professor of Old Norse, and Prof. Dr. Lutz Rühling, Professor of Modern Scandinavian Studies
I have worked and studied in Germany, England, France, Denmark and Canada and have an M.A. degree in English and Scandinavian Studies and a PhD degree in English/Canadian Studies from the University of Kiel, Germany. I also have a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Translation Studies from the University of Leeds, UK. In addition, I hold secondary education teaching degrees in English, Danish and French.
I am currently working as Head of Language and Deputy Director at the Goethe Institute in Glasgow.
Scholarships and awards:
1997 SOCRATES scholarship for a semester at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale in Brest, France
1999 Scholarship from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and Rektorskollegium (Danish Government) for a year at the University of Copenhagen
2003 Award from the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein (“Promotionsstipendium” – doctoral grant)
2003 Award from Foundation for Canadian Studies (“Promotionsstipendium”)
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Konrad Gross, PhD supervisor, Prof. Dr. Edith Marold, Professor of Old Norse, and Prof. Dr. Lutz Rühling, Professor of Modern Scandinavian Studies
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Papers by Sabine Schlüter
Bates, Catherine, Graham Huggan, Milena Marinkova and Jeffrey Orr, eds. Visions of Canada/Visions du Canada. Canadian Studies in Europe/Études Canadiennes en Europe, 6. Brno (Masaryk Press), 2007. 163-174.
In his plays, George F. Walker depicts the social and moral condition of contemporary Canadian society and of the Western world in general, often by using elements of the grotesque. The grotesque, being an aberration from the desirable norms of harmony, balance and proportion, often creates a comic effect while at the same time highlighting the horror behind it, among which violence plays a crucial role in Walker's plays. Two of his plays will be discussed in the following article, Beyond Mozambique and Risk Everything. Beyond Mozambique is a B-movie adaptation in which violence is presented in the context of the mass media and is depicted as a comically exaggerated form of sheer brutality. Contrary to this, Risk Everything appears to be, at least at first glance, a realistic play in which violence is shown as a concomitant of criminality. However, the unfazed way in which the characters react to situations of extreme danger and brutality can only be described as grotesque. Both plays demonstrate the indifference with which violence is accepted as normal by a society whose everyday life is flooded with representations of brutality and inhumanity. This also represents a metatheatrical comment on the audience itself. This raises the question whether grotesque exaggeration is a necessary means of stirring the conscience of people who have grown so used to and become so dulled by representations of violence that they no longer realize it as such. Résumé Dans ses pièces de théâtre, George F. Walker présente la condition sociale et morale de la société canadienne contemporaine et du monde occidental en général en employant souvent des éléments grotesques. Le grotesque, en tant que déviation des normes désirables d'harmonie, d'équilibre et de proportion, crée un effet comique mais en même temps accentue des abus, parmi lesquels, chez Walker, la violence joue un rôle important. Deux pièces de théâtre seront discutées dans l'article suivant, Beyond Mozambique et Risk Everything. Beyond Mozambique est une adaptation du genre du «B-movie» pour la scène. Dans celle-ci, la violence est présentée dans le contexte des mass média et se montre sous forme d'une brutalité comiquement exagérée. Contrairement à Beyond Mozambique, Risk Everything semble être une pièce de théâtre réaliste, dans laquelle la violence est présentée comme un phénomène complice de la criminalité. Pourtant, les réactions indifférentes des personnages face à des situations de péril extrême peuvent être caractérisées de grotesques. Les deux pièces démontrent l'indifférence avec laquelle la violence est acceptée comme naturelle dans une société qui est submergée par de différentes représentations de brutalité et d'inhumanité dans sa vie quotidienne. Cela est aussi un commentaire metathéâtrale qui s'adresse au public et qui soulève la question de savoir si la représentation grotesque de la violence est un moyen incontournable pour secouer les esprits de moins en moins sensibilisés dans une culture médiatisée où parfois la brutalité peut paraître banale.
P. Rüdiger and K. Gross, eds. Translation of Cultures. Amsterdam (Rodopi, 2009). 199-214
Books by Sabine Schlüter
Conference Presentations by Sabine Schlüter
George F. Walker once said in an interview that one of the main concerns of his plays was what he called the chaos in the world, where it stemmed from and what could be done about it. This essay tries to give an impression of what kind of world Walker depicts. It is a world of injustice, chaos and anxiety, but there is also hope and possibility in it. The powers that rule society are often unapproachable, inexplicable, sometimes even almost anonymous. Some of the characters are mere caricatures of human beings, others reflect upon life through a drug-induced haze. As a means of creating this image, Walker mostly uses elements of the absurd and of the grotesque, one of the most striking features in his plays. On the whole, Walker’s dramatic work seems to oscillate between existentialism on the one side and postmodernism on the other, between despair over a postmodern world gone mad and a call for action.
Other by Sabine Schlüter
German
Original title: Peter Ackroyds "Chatterton": Ein postmoderner Roman
Book Reviews by Sabine Schlüter
Bates, Catherine, Graham Huggan, Milena Marinkova and Jeffrey Orr, eds. Visions of Canada/Visions du Canada. Canadian Studies in Europe/Études Canadiennes en Europe, 6. Brno (Masaryk Press), 2007. 163-174.
In his plays, George F. Walker depicts the social and moral condition of contemporary Canadian society and of the Western world in general, often by using elements of the grotesque. The grotesque, being an aberration from the desirable norms of harmony, balance and proportion, often creates a comic effect while at the same time highlighting the horror behind it, among which violence plays a crucial role in Walker's plays. Two of his plays will be discussed in the following article, Beyond Mozambique and Risk Everything. Beyond Mozambique is a B-movie adaptation in which violence is presented in the context of the mass media and is depicted as a comically exaggerated form of sheer brutality. Contrary to this, Risk Everything appears to be, at least at first glance, a realistic play in which violence is shown as a concomitant of criminality. However, the unfazed way in which the characters react to situations of extreme danger and brutality can only be described as grotesque. Both plays demonstrate the indifference with which violence is accepted as normal by a society whose everyday life is flooded with representations of brutality and inhumanity. This also represents a metatheatrical comment on the audience itself. This raises the question whether grotesque exaggeration is a necessary means of stirring the conscience of people who have grown so used to and become so dulled by representations of violence that they no longer realize it as such. Résumé Dans ses pièces de théâtre, George F. Walker présente la condition sociale et morale de la société canadienne contemporaine et du monde occidental en général en employant souvent des éléments grotesques. Le grotesque, en tant que déviation des normes désirables d'harmonie, d'équilibre et de proportion, crée un effet comique mais en même temps accentue des abus, parmi lesquels, chez Walker, la violence joue un rôle important. Deux pièces de théâtre seront discutées dans l'article suivant, Beyond Mozambique et Risk Everything. Beyond Mozambique est une adaptation du genre du «B-movie» pour la scène. Dans celle-ci, la violence est présentée dans le contexte des mass média et se montre sous forme d'une brutalité comiquement exagérée. Contrairement à Beyond Mozambique, Risk Everything semble être une pièce de théâtre réaliste, dans laquelle la violence est présentée comme un phénomène complice de la criminalité. Pourtant, les réactions indifférentes des personnages face à des situations de péril extrême peuvent être caractérisées de grotesques. Les deux pièces démontrent l'indifférence avec laquelle la violence est acceptée comme naturelle dans une société qui est submergée par de différentes représentations de brutalité et d'inhumanité dans sa vie quotidienne. Cela est aussi un commentaire metathéâtrale qui s'adresse au public et qui soulève la question de savoir si la représentation grotesque de la violence est un moyen incontournable pour secouer les esprits de moins en moins sensibilisés dans une culture médiatisée où parfois la brutalité peut paraître banale.
P. Rüdiger and K. Gross, eds. Translation of Cultures. Amsterdam (Rodopi, 2009). 199-214
George F. Walker once said in an interview that one of the main concerns of his plays was what he called the chaos in the world, where it stemmed from and what could be done about it. This essay tries to give an impression of what kind of world Walker depicts. It is a world of injustice, chaos and anxiety, but there is also hope and possibility in it. The powers that rule society are often unapproachable, inexplicable, sometimes even almost anonymous. Some of the characters are mere caricatures of human beings, others reflect upon life through a drug-induced haze. As a means of creating this image, Walker mostly uses elements of the absurd and of the grotesque, one of the most striking features in his plays. On the whole, Walker’s dramatic work seems to oscillate between existentialism on the one side and postmodernism on the other, between despair over a postmodern world gone mad and a call for action.
German
Original title: Peter Ackroyds "Chatterton": Ein postmoderner Roman