SCOTT MELLOR

Public Presentations:

Hans Christian Andersen, the Social Critic
Hans Christian Andersen drew inspiration for some of his tales from folklore, but his stories were innovatively written in language that reveals deeper meaning than do simple children's tales. In fact, Anderson did not identify as a children's author and many of his tales are quite dark. Anderson's stories reflect the changes in technology that influenced daily life in the nineteenth century. This lecture looks at Andersen the man, his humble beginnings, and the social changes that occured throughout his life, to explore some of the deeper meanings within his tales.

Scandinavian Epic and its European Context
In 1978, Albert B. Lord wrote an article of literary criticism in which he discussed narrative patterns found in Beowulf and compared them to those found in the Odyssey. This lecture will investigate Lord's narrative patterns and apply them to The Saga of the Volsungs, a text that was popular in its day throughout Scandinavia. Scott Mellor will explore how well these narrative patterns fit other Germanic traditional plots (such as those of medieval Iceland) and the possible implications of the narrative patterns for modern literary criticism. 

Vikings in America
Around the year 1000, Lief Eriksson and others came to the North American continent.  The lecture will focus on the texts and archaeological evidence that  surround this adventure and the social implications of Eriksson’s visit, in both the nineteenth century and modern times.