Ralph Warren Victor Elliott
Encyclopedia
Ralph Warren Victor Elliott AM (born Rudolf W. H. V. Ehrenberg 14 August 1921) is a German-born Australian professor of English, and a runologist
.
, Germany
on 14 August 1921, the son of Kurt Phillip Rudolf Ehrenberg, an architect, and Margarete Landecker. Rudolf's father was half Jewish (his father was the distinguished jurist
Victor Gabriel Ehrenberg
and his mother was the daughter of Rudolf von Jhering
) and his mother was Jewish. The family moved to Karlsruhe
in 1931, and Rudolf attended the Bismark Gymnasium there from the ages of ten to sixteen, but because of the dangers that his family were facing under the Nazi regime, Kurt Ehrenberg decided it was best for his family to leave Germany. His eldest daughter married and emigrated to the United States of America, whereas Rudolf and his younger sister, Lena, were sent to live with their uncle, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born
, in Edinburgh
. Rudolf's parents only managed to escape to Britain two weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War
.
Rudolf Ehrenberg enrolled at the University of St Andrews
in 1939, where he distinguished himself by gaining a medallion for General English in 1940. However, later the same year he was interned
and sent to an internment camp in Canada, only to be allowed to return to Britain 10 months later in order to join an Alien Pioneer Company
. Rudolf Ehrenberg changed his name to Ralph Warren Victor Elliott on 12 May 1943, and after officer training at Sandhurst
he was awarded the Sword of Honour (actually a medallion because or wartime shortages). With the rank of lieutenant
, he was posted to the Royal Leicestershire Regiment
, and then to the Manchester Regiment in April 1945. He was severely wounded in combat in the Teutoburg Forest
, and nearly died before being rescued several hours later.
After the end of the war, Elliott resumed his studies at St Andrews, where he graduated in 1949. He taught at St Andrews for a while, before moving to the newly-created University College of North Staffordshire
, where he wrote an influential introduction to the runic script that was published in 1959. He then emigrated to Australia, with his family (his wife, Margaret Robinson, and three children) and his father, where he took up a post teaching Old English and Middle English
at the University of Adelaide
, rising to the rank or professor. He later accepted the position of Professor of English at the Australian National University
, where he remained until retirement. During this time he published books on Chaucer's English (1974) and Thomas Hardy's English (1984). He also wrote a book on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
, a topic that had interested him since his time at Staffordshire a quarter of a century earlier, when he wrote an essay "Sir Gawain in Staffordshire: A Detective Essay in Literary Geography" that appeared in The Times
on 21 May 1958.
In 1990 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of "service to the community and to education", and in 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal
for "service to Australian society and the humanities in the history of the English language". In 2005 he published a short autobiography entitled "One Life, Two Languages".
Runology
Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.-History:...
.
Biography
Rudolf Ehrenberg was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 14 August 1921, the son of Kurt Phillip Rudolf Ehrenberg, an architect, and Margarete Landecker. Rudolf's father was half Jewish (his father was the distinguished jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
Victor Gabriel Ehrenberg
Victor Ehrenberg (jurist)
Victor Gabriel Ehrenberg was a German jurist.He is the uncle of historian Victor Ehrenberg, Geoffrey & Lewis Elton's great uncle and great-great uncle to Ben Elton....
and his mother was the daughter of Rudolf von Jhering
Rudolf von Jhering
Rudolf von Jhering was a German jurist. He is known for his 1872 book Der Kampf ums Recht , as a legal scholar, and as the founder of a modern sociological and historical school of law.Jhering was born in Aurich, Kingdom of Hanover...
) and his mother was Jewish. The family moved to Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
in 1931, and Rudolf attended the Bismark Gymnasium there from the ages of ten to sixteen, but because of the dangers that his family were facing under the Nazi regime, Kurt Ehrenberg decided it was best for his family to leave Germany. His eldest daughter married and emigrated to the United States of America, whereas Rudolf and his younger sister, Lena, were sent to live with their uncle, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born
Max Born
Max Born was a German-born physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 30s...
, in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Rudolf's parents only managed to escape to Britain two weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Rudolf Ehrenberg enrolled at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in 1939, where he distinguished himself by gaining a medallion for General English in 1940. However, later the same year he was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
and sent to an internment camp in Canada, only to be allowed to return to Britain 10 months later in order to join an Alien Pioneer Company
Royal Pioneer Corps
The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks.The Royal Pioneer Corps was raised on 17 October 1939 as the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. It was renamed the Pioneer Corps on 22 November 1940...
. Rudolf Ehrenberg changed his name to Ralph Warren Victor Elliott on 12 May 1943, and after officer training at Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
he was awarded the Sword of Honour (actually a medallion because or wartime shortages). With the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, he was posted to the Royal Leicestershire Regiment
Royal Leicestershire Regiment
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964.-1688 - 1881:...
, and then to the Manchester Regiment in April 1945. He was severely wounded in combat in the Teutoburg Forest
Teutoburg Forest
The Teutoburg Forest is a range of low, forested mountains in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia which used to be believed to be the scene of a decisive battle in AD 9...
, and nearly died before being rescued several hours later.
After the end of the war, Elliott resumed his studies at St Andrews, where he graduated in 1949. He taught at St Andrews for a while, before moving to the newly-created University College of North Staffordshire
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
, where he wrote an influential introduction to the runic script that was published in 1959. He then emigrated to Australia, with his family (his wife, Margaret Robinson, and three children) and his father, where he took up a post teaching Old English and Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, rising to the rank or professor. He later accepted the position of Professor of English at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, where he remained until retirement. During this time he published books on Chaucer's English (1974) and Thomas Hardy's English (1984). He also wrote a book on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
, a topic that had interested him since his time at Staffordshire a quarter of a century earlier, when he wrote an essay "Sir Gawain in Staffordshire: A Detective Essay in Literary Geography" that appeared in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on 21 May 1958.
In 1990 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of "service to the community and to education", and in 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
for "service to Australian society and the humanities in the history of the English language". In 2005 he published a short autobiography entitled "One Life, Two Languages".
Works
- 1959. Runes: an Introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 2nd edition, 1989. ISBN 9780719007873
- 1974. Chaucer's English. London: Deutsch. ISBN 0233965394
- 1984. Thomas Hardy's English. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0631136592
- 1984. The Gawain Country. Leeds Texts and Monographs New series vol.8. Leeds: University of Leeds.
- 2005. "One Life, Two Languages". In Oizumi, Akio and Kubouchi, Tadao (eds.), Medieval English language scholarship: autobiographies by representative scholars in our discipline. Hildesheim.