Elizabeth Mary Wilkinson FBA (1909–2001) was an English scholar of German literature and culture. She was said to be a role model for working class women with her Yorkshire accent, bold presence and scholarly knowledge.

Life

Wilkinson was born in

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, on 17 September 1909, and educated at

Whalley Range High School Whalley Range 11–18 High School, also known as Whalley Range High School is a girls' school in Whalley Range, Manchester, England. History The school was founded in 1891, and was bought by the Education Committee of the Corporation in 1908 w ...

in Manchester. She began studying German in 1929 at

Bedford College, London Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advancement of women in highe ...

where she was inspired by Professor

J. G. Robertson John Graham Robertson (14 February 1859 – 24 October 1940) was a Chilean-born British singer and actor. He began his career making London and New York appearances in Shakespeare with Henry Irving's company in the early 1880s. He served as p ...

to study German. (although she also creditted

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

's study of

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

). She gained a first at Bedford in 1932 and she took a Diploma in Education at Oxford in 1933. After teaching at schools in Clapham and Southampton, she became a research student under

Edna Purdie Edna Purdie (1894 – 1968) was a British Emeritus Professor of German studies at the University of London. Life Edna Purdie was born on 27 November 1894 in St Albans to Elizabeth and George Robert Purdie. Her father was a civil servant, worki ...

. In 1943 she obtained a doctorate from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, with a thesis on

Johann Elias Schlegel Johann Elias Schlegel (January 17, 1719 – August 13, 1749) was a German critic and dramatic poet. Life Schlegel was born in Meissen. He was educated at Schulpforta and at the University of Leipzig, where he studied law. In 1743 he became p ...

. Wilkinson briefly worked as an ambulance driver during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and taught German at the relocated

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

department in Aberystwyth. She collaborated closely with L. A. Willoughby throughout the 1940s and 1950s. She delivered the

Taylorian Lecture The Taylorian Lecture, sometimes referred to as the "Special Taylorian Lecture" or "Taylorian Special Lecture", is a prestigious annual lecture on Modern European Literature, delivered at the Taylor Institution in the University of Oxford since 188 ...

in Oxford in 1959. In 1961 she was appointed Professor of German at University College London, delivering her inaugural lecture on 25 October 1962.''In Praise of Aesthetics'' (London, 1963) She was said to be a role model for working class women with her Yorkshire accent, bold presence and scholarly knowledge. She was elected to the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

in 1972. She retired in 1976, and a

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

was published in her honour in 1978, under the title ''Tradition and Creation''. She lived in Camden and had Alzheimer's disease for seven years before she died on 2 January 2001.

Publications

* Schiller, ''Kabale und Liebe'', edited by Elizabeth M. Wilkinson and L. A. Willoughby (1944) * ''Johann Elias Schlegel: A German Pioneer in Aesthetics'' (1945) * ''Goethe's Conception of Form'' (1951) * ''Goethe: Poet and Thinker'' (1962) * ''Goethe Revisited: A Collection of Essays'', edited by Elizabeth Mary Wilkinson (1984)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Elizabeth Mary 1909 births 2001 deaths People from Keighley Alumni of Bedford College, London Academics of University College London Fellows of the British Academy