Prof.dr. R.H. (Rolf) Bremmer

Position:
  • Senior lecturer
  • Extraordinary professor
Expertise:
  • English language and culture
  • Old English and middle English language and literature
  • Old Frisian


Telephone number: +31 (0)71 527 2162
E-Mail: r.h.bremmer@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department: Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Institute for Cultural Disciplines, Oude Britse letterkunde
Office Address: Witte Singel-complex
P.N. van Eyckhof 4
2311 BV Leiden
Room number 2.04b
Telephone number: +31 (0)71 527 2162
E-Mail: r.h.bremmer@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department: Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Institute for Cultural Disciplines, Oude Britse letterkunde
Office Address: Witte Singel-complex
P.N. van Eyckhof 4
2311 BV Leiden
Room number 2.04b

Fields of interest

Old English language and literature
Middle English language literature
History of English
History of English Studies, esp. 16th and 17th centuries Old Frisian language and literature

Research

Within the field of English studies, my research has moved between Anglo-Saxon heroic literature, sources of Anglo-Saxon literary culture, Anglo-Saxon manuscript studies, Medieval English devotional literature, philologists such as Franciscus Junius (1591-1677) and Johannes de Laet (1581-1649).

Whenever I mention that I also teach Frisian in addition to English, I usually hear: ‘I didn’t know you were Frisian!’. It is a frequently heard misconception in the Netherlands that one needs to be Frisian in order to study it. Friesland has a fascinating cultural history that we can follow from the early Middle Ages onwards. The language itself first emerges from 13th-century manuscripts. A good deal of the Frisian literature from that time onwards is characterised by a struggle for cultural preservation against external forces.
I am intrigued by the will of a small nation to cherish its language and culture throughout the centuries. I hope to convey this fascination in my lectures. I wish to show that the study of Frisian, whether medieval or later, provides a range of welcome perspectives, including of the various disciplines from which my students come.

Curriculum Vitae

Since 1986 I have taught at Leiden University, from 1979-1986 at Radboud University Nijmegen, from 1977-1979 at Gomarus College, Groningen. In 1994 I was the Erasmus Professor at Harvard University.
Ph.D. Radboud University Nijmegen, 1987 (supervisor Prof. F.N.M. Diekstra), M.A. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 1970-1977 (supervisor Prof. J. Gerritisen), Gymnasium Alpha, Ichthus College Enschede.

Publications

(2007) _Advances in Old Frisina Philology_, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Stephen Laker and Oebele Vries (eds.), Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi.

(2007) _Signs on the Edge. Space, Text and Margin in Medieval Manuscripts_, Sarah Larratt Keefer and Rolf H. Bremmer Jr (eds.). Paris, Leuven and Dudley, MA: Peeters.

(2007) _Foundations of Learning. The Transfer of Encyclopaedic Knowledge in the Early Middle Ages_, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr and Kees Dekker (eds.). Paris, Leuven and Dudley, MA: Peeters.

(2006) and Kees Dekker, _Manuscripts in the Low Countries_. Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts in Microfiche facsimile 13, Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

(2004) Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, 'Hir is eskriven'. Lezen en schrijven in de Friese landen rond 1330, Hilversum: Verloren / Ljouwert: Fryske Akademy.

(1999) In skiednis fan de Fryske taalkunde, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Anne Dykstra (eds.), Ljouwert: Fryske Akademy.

(1998) Approaches to Old Frisian Philology, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Thomas S. B. Johnston and Oebele Vries (eds.), Amsterdam and Atlanta/GA: Rodopi.

(1992) Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, A Bibliographical Guide to old Frisian Studies, Odense: Odense University Press.

(1990) Aspects of Old Frisian Philology, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Geart van der Meer and Oebele Vries (eds.), Amsterdam en Atlanta/GA: Rodopi.

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Last Modified: 19-10-2009