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A CENTENARY APPRAISAL 1 Chetana Nagavajara2 Abstract KURTWAIS :A to the strengths of German and European CENTENARY APPRAISAL 1 academic tradition. What Kun Wais described as his "life's work", a monumental comparative study of Europe's Chetana Nagavajara2 early medieval epics, occupied him until his death, with only one volume published, while the remaining 9 volumes, though still Abstract in manuscript form, might provide intimations of Europe as a cohesive entity, Kurt Wais ( 1907- 1995) would be 100 predating the dreams of the architects of years old on 9 January 2007. He was the EU by almost a thousand years. Professor of Romance Philology and Comparative Literature at Tiibingen 1. Preamble: Outsiders' University until his retirement in 1975. His Perspective immense erudition spanning several literatures and epochs equipped him well for pioneering work in Comparative I do not intend to tum this essay into a Literature, of which he was the leading hagiography. But it is not easy for a authority in Germany. Drawing on his grateful pupil to write about an inspiring "Nachlass" (private papers) now teacher without voicing some enthusiasm. deposited with the renowned German Furthermore, I am writing this essay for a Literature Archive in Marbach/Neckar, the Thai academic journal, which, though author, a pupil of Kurt Wais, demonstrates published entirely in English and aspiring how the precocious scholar, who had won to communicate with an international international recognition at the age of 31 audience, does cater to its regular clientele with his authoritative book on Stephane of Thai readers. I cannot, therefore, Mallarme, developed into a versatile presume upon the readers' familiarity with researcher, a dedicated teacher and a German academia, especially that of the trustworthy colleague. But this is far from 1960s when I studied Comparative a merely personal success story, for the Literature with Kurt Wais at the University achievements of Kurt Wais bear testimony of Tlibingen. Kurt Wais, who died at the age of 88 in 1 This article relies heavily on unpublished 1995, would be 100 years old on 9 January documents from the estate of Prof. Kurt Wais, 2007. Tiibingen University had a special now deposited with the Deutsche significance for him. A Swabian by birth Literaturarchiv in Marbach/Neckar. Special (and by conviction) and a native of Stuttgart, thanks are due to his wife, Dr. Karin Wais, for he took his doctorate in Tlibingen, and after permission to quote from Prof. Wais' letters. As for other unpublished letters, it has not the war came back there to teach. He was been possible to contact all copyright holders, appointed to the Chair of Romance and the author wishes to declare hereby that Philology and Comparative Literature in the references and quotations have been used 1954, from which he retired in 1975. He purely for the purpose of study and research. stayed on there until his death. By The translations are by the author. emphasizing his attachment to Tlibingen, I 2 Emeritus Professor of German, Silpakorn do not mean to suggest any implication of University, Thailand. insularity. Those who knew him could Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 01:16:55PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities (Speciallssue No.ll 2006) testify that in terms of general interests more attention to archival research, which and scholarship, Kurt Wais was a need not be linked to antiquated subjects universalist. I am tempted to liken him to but can also enhance and enrich our study the great Swabian poet and dramatist, of the contemporary age. Friedrich Schiller, who in actual life did not travel beyond the frontiers of I have elsewhere written that we Thai are Germany, but whose universal message deeply conscious of our indebtedness to remains uncontested. But that would be our teachers, and in the eyes of foreigners rather far-fetched, for Kurt Wais travelled we may appear to be reverential to our far and wide; he knew North America and teachers to the point of becoming uncritical Sm~th America fairly well, and came as far and submissive. We love to quote a famous East as Pakistan. The point I am making valedictory by the great poet Sripraj (living here is that great scholars in the old days towards the end of the 17th century), who did not move very much geographically before being executed for alleged and in terms of institutional attachment. misconduct by the Governor of the Southern (Think of those great Oxbridge scholars province of Nakorn Sri Tharnrnarat, and thinkers, for example.) A traditional defiantly declared : "/am a man schooled by university must have its definite physical a master./ If I have done wrong, I deserve identity, but as the European tradition the punishment./ If I am punished would have it, the university is described wrongfully, the executioner's sword will as a "universitas litterarum". Kurt Wais avenge me!" (And he was avenged by the represents this worthy tradition. King of Siam.) I myself may appear as an antiquated remnant of 17'h- century Siam This essay is primarily based on personal when I usually declare whose pupil I am. reminiscences, not only those from my But an incident in 1985 gave me some student days, but also from subsequent confidence that an affinity might still have visits. Now that his ''Nachlass" (private existed then between Europe and the old papers) has been deposited with the Siam. During the course of a conference in Deutsche Literaturarchiv in Marbach/Neckar German Studies in Strasbourg, I found (the birthplace of Schiller), I had occasion to myself one evening over dinner in the derive benefit from it, although my research company of elderly French-speaking stay there in May 2006 was only a short one. professors from France and Belgium. When In some ways the present essay is dictated asked where and with whom I had studied, I by the discoveries that I made from those simply replied: "In Ti.ibingen with Kurt invaluable piles of unpublished documents, Wais". The elderly colleagues knew him being letters to and from Kurt Wais, well and one of them remarked: "Vous evaluations, recommendations and drafts of avez eu une bonne formation." (You had a academic contributions, henceforth referred good education.) Mind you, he did not say: to as "the Marbach Papers". My exposure "Vous auriez dfi avoir une bonne formation." to those documents has helped me to (You must have had a good education.) I understand him better and reinforced what have over the years treasured that remark I had already known through personal and have tried my best to live up to the good contact and through his publications. It is reputation of the "School of Kurt Wais", here that I should make a plea to my Thai although German scholars, including some colleagues, many of whom are now so of his own pupils, might today contest enamoured with the latest theories, to pay whether such a "school" did exist! Be that 2 Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 01:16:55PM via free access Kurt Wais: A Centenary Appraisal as it may, he had a good reputation abroad, I do believe that Kurt Wais' achievements (although he told me that he resented as a scholar and university teacher have to being called a "Mallarme expert", for his be assessed both as his personal effort and scholarly interests ranged widely indeed.) as an illustration of the German academic Strange though it may seem, one of the tradition (before the advent of the post- first manuals of Comparative Literature in 1968 reform). Even after three years at a Thai, written by a Thai Orientalist trained British university, I came to TUbingen in in France, apodictically states the following: 1961 as a perplexed stranger, for the "Between the First World War and the German higher education system then was Second World War, the most flourishing in many respects different from the British cen(Je of Comparative Literature was one. I remember my first encounter with France, but it has since lost its preeminence. Kurt Wais in the autumn of 1961. When I First, the centre moved (sic) to Germany, presented myself to him, he did not headed by the scholar Kurt Wais. But it later hesitate to indicate to me the singularity of moved to the United States where the the German system. We spoke in French discipline is being promoted seriously, and he emphasized that "il n'y a pas de extensively and with much dedication.''3 I programme", that is to say, there existed suspect that the Thai authoress freely no fixed curriculum. For a novice like extrapolated from the standpoint represented myself who had gone through a stratified by Marius-Fran9ois Guyard in his little book British system, this kind of freedom was La Litterature comparee (1961 ).4 something very significant. A student had to structure his own course of studies, Such "placing" may be questioned today, choosing from the multifarious offerings and I am doubtful whether German (perhaps through a process of trial and colleagues share these foreign scholars' error), building up a body of knowledge of estimation of Kurt Wais' role in the his own design and making his own development of the discipline in Germany judgement as to when he should be ready and in the international academic community. to present himself for an examination. As But if Comparative Literature is a discipline a graduate student I welcomed this that by its very nature cuts across national arrangement, but I knew very well that those boundaries, I plead that the voice of students fresh from school did find it hard to foreigners should be heard! find their way. Many German students studied far too long, becoming a burden to the state (since German universities were fully subsidized by the state and the federal 2.
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