Essays on German Literature

The present Festschrift serves a dual purpose: firstly, to honour Professor Joyce Hallamore for her contribution to German studies in Canada, particularly at the University of British Columbia; secondly, to document the flourishing state of German studies in this country. Former and present students of Professor Hallamore were asked to contribute essays from their varied fields of interest which she has stimulated and fostered; furthermore, colleagues across Canada were invited to contribute the results of their research: the broad theme of this second group of essays is the complex relationship between nineteenth and twentieth century literature which has been the centre of Professor Hallamore’s own scholarly work.

This volume commemorates Professor Hallamore’s forty years of scholarship and teaching—the time given by her to the University of British Columbia, not only to the formation and growth of the Department of German (which she has headed for some twenty years) but to the expansion of the University as a whole. It demonstrates at the same time through breadth and variety the coming of age of German studies in Canada, which Professor Hallamore has fostered.

Although the essays in this volume vary in approach, the result shows a remarkable harmony of outlook, which gives evidence of the authors’ conscious effort to reconsider critically traditional categories and attitudes in literary criticism. This harmony of outlook—found in the whole range of papers from the youngest to the most mature scholar—reflects the spirit and work of the person whom the volume is honouring.