The Chameleon in the Minefield

Abstract

Sitting ‘in the midst of culture’ was precisely what Alois Brandl did. As professor of English Philology occupying the prime position in this subject in Berlin (from 1895 to 1923), he had a distinct place in the German higher education system that made him highly influential at a governmental and academic level. Moreover, the presidency of the German Shakespeare Society, a post he held for 20 years, made him a representative of the German nation across the channel in Great Britain and beyond. Born in St. Nikolas near Innsbruck in Austria in 1855, he lived through a particularly turbulent era in which he dedicated his life and work to English language and literature. As an academic Brandl achieved great distinction. His first major work after his PhD2 was a book on Coleridge.3 This and his book on Shakespeare4 were the works which won him most respect in his lifetime. At only 40 years of age, he was appointed to the chair of English philology at Berlin University, the top position in this subject at the time in Germany. In addition to his wealth of academic achievements,5 Alois Brandl can also be seen as one of the first academic transferants in the Anglo-German sphere, coming from the German side of Anglistik,