Person
Professor Emerita
- English Studies
- Centre for Languages and Literature
Post Retirement Professor
- Faculty Office
Contact information
E-mail marianne.thormahlenenglund.luse
Visiting address
Helgonabacken 12, Lund
(professor emerita)
Helgonavägen 3, Lund
(post retirement professor)
Postal address
Box 201, 221 00 Lund
(professor emerita)
Box 192, 221 00 Lund
(post retirement professor)
Internal post code
20
(professor emerita)
30
(post retirement professor)
At a first glance, my three research specialities don’t seem to hang together: ever since I was a student I’ve been obsessed with T. S. Eliot’s poetry; from approx. 1985 to 1995 I devoted a decade to the poetry of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester; and most of the research I’ve done during the last twenty-five years has focused on the Brontë novels.
But although these areas of research don’t seem to have a lot in common, the force that drives me is always the same: the desire to help other readers – both inside and outside the academy – get more from literary works that fascinate me. I do it by approaching the texts on their own terms and letting them tell me where more knowledge is needed; then I decide how I want to pursue and present it. That’s the only ‘method’ I’ve ever used, and so far it has resulted in five monographs (three with Cambridge University Press, hard- and paperback), four collected volumes (one with Palgrave Macmillan) and a number of essays and articles.
Research
My profile in Lund University research portal
An edited volume commissioned by Cambridge University Press was published in November 2012 under the title The Brontës in Context; it is now out in paperback. The book consists of 42 short chapters on all sorts of topics of interest to Brontë readers – from secondary-school pupils to researchers – who want to know more about the authors and their works viewed in the mid-nineteenth-century context. It has chapters about schools and professions, clothes and pleasures, religion and philosophy, politics, sexuality and family life. I have written the chapters on marriage, farming and industry.
I recently (2014) published a somewhat revisionist article on 'Christian Ethics in Wuthering Heights' (available online; just Google the title and it comes up).
Within the framework of a long-term project, I'm studying early-twentieth-century English poetry on the basis of a contention that the handbook distinction between ‘modernists’ and ‘traditional/Georgian’ poets is a latter-day academic construct: modernity happened to, and precoccupied, everyone who wrote poetry, and everyone was deeply concerned about his/her place in tradition. The leading modernist, T. S. Eliot, was not the greatest because he was a modernist (the question of his sole rival W. B. Yeats’s ‘modernist’ status is a vexed subject), but because like nobody else, he found words for modern man’s and woman’s fumbling for something to hold on to in life.
Books (8)
- Thormählen, M. (2007). The Brontës and Education. Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2006). Rochester: The Poems in Context. Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2004). The Brontës and Religion. Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1999). The Brontës and Religion. Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1993). Rochester: The Poems in Context. Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1984). Eliot's Animals. Lund Studies in English, 70. Liber.
- Tausk, P. (1980). Fotografins historia under 1900-talet. Liber.
- Thormählen, M. (1978). The Waste Land: A Fragmentary Wholeness. Lund Studies in English, 52. CWK Gleerup.
Editorships (6)
- Thormählen, M. (2014). (Eds.) HTRQ14 : an Evaluation of Research at the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology, Lund University.
- Paradis, C. & Thormählen, M. (2013). (Eds.) Interpretive functions of adjectives in English: A cognitive approach. Lund Studies in English, 116. Lund University.
- Thormählen, M. (2012). (Eds.) The Brontës in Context. Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2008). (Eds.) English Now : Selected Papers from the 20th IAUPE Conference in Lund 2007. Lund Studies in English, 112. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University.
- Thormählen, M. (2003). (Eds.) Rethinking Modernism. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Thormählen, M. (1994). (Eds.) T. S. Eliot at the Turn of the Century. Lund Studies in English, 86. Lund University Press.
Articles (19)
- Thormählen, M. (2019). ‘Horror and disgust’ : Reading the Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Bronte Studies, 44, 5-19. The Brontë Society.
- Thormählen, M. (2019). Reassigning “Modernism” : The Case for Adopting the Concept as a Period Designation in the Study of British Poetry. English Studies, 100, 189-205. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (2017). Charlotte Brontë : A radical Tory. Literature Compass, 14. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Thormählen, M. (2015). T. S. Eliot, Emotion and the Reader. English Studies, 96, 444-457. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (2015). The Brontë Novels as Historical Fiction. Brontë Studies, 40, 276-282. The Brontë Society.
- Thormählen, M. (2014). Christian Ethics in 'Wuthering Heights'. English Studies, 95, 637-653. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (2014). Standing Alone : Anne Brontë Out of the Shadow. Brontë Studies, 39, 330-340. The Brontë Society.
- Thormählen, M. (2013). In Memoriam Claes Schaar (1920-2012). English Studies, 94, 118-119. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (2012). Anne Brontë and her Bible. Brontë Studies, 37, 339-346. The Brontë Society.
- Thormählen, M. (2007). Victorian Studies in Sweden. Journal of Victorian Culture, 12, 303-307. Edinburgh University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2005). Anne Brontë's "Sacred Harmony: A Discovery". Brontë Studies, 30, 93-102. The Brontë Society.
- Thormählen, M. (2005). The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The Literary Encyclopedia. The Literary Dictionary Company.
- Thormählen, M. (1997). 'The Lunatic and the Devil's Disciple: The "Lovers" in *Wuthering Heights*'. Review of English Studies, N.S. XLVIII, 183-197. Oxford University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1994). 'The Brontë Pseudonyms'. English Studies, 75, 246-255. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (1993). 'The Villain of "Wildfell Hall": Aspects and Prospects of Arthur Huntingdon'. Modern Language Review, 88, 831-841. Modern Humanities Research Association.
- Thormählen, M. (1990). Review of David M. Vieth and Dustin Griffin, Rochester and Court Poetry. English Studies, 71. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (1988). 'Rochester and "The Fall": The Roots of Discontent'. English Studies, 69, 396-409. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (1988). 'Rochester and Jealousy: Consistent Inconsistencies'. The Durham University Journal, 49, 213-223. University of Durham.
- Thormählen, M. (1984). '"Dry Bones Can Hurt No One": Ezekiel XXXVII in The Waste Land V and Ash-Wednesday II'. English Studies, 65, 39-47. Taylor & Francis.
Book chapters (26)
- Thormählen, M. (2012). Introduction and editorial matter. In Thormählen, M. (Eds.) The Brontës in Context (pp. 1-6). Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2012). Marriage and family life. In Thormählen, M. (Eds.) The Brontës in Context (pp. 311-317). Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. & Wood, S. (2012). Agriculture and industry. In Thormählen, M. (Eds.) The Brontës in Context (pp. 276-282). Cambridge University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2010). 'T. S. Eliot -- Poet of Love'. In Szczekalla, M. (Ed.) Britannien und Europa: Studien zur Literatur-, Geistes- und Kulturgeschichte (pp. 175-186). Peter Lang Publishing Group.
- Thormählen, M. (2009). The Brontës. In Lemon, R. (Ed.) The Blackwell Companion to the Bible in English Literature (pp. 512-524). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Thormählen, M. (2006). Att forska om systrarna Brontë - Mellan myter, texter och kontexter. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademiens Årsbok. Kungliga Vitterhets- historie- och antikvitetsakademien.
- Thormählen, M. (2006). Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot. The Literary Encyclopedia. The Literary Dictionary Company.
- Thormählen, M. (2006). John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester. The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, 4. Oxford University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2005). 'Where we are today: Issues resolved and issues outstanding'. In Duckett, R. J. (Ed.) The Brontës and Education: Papers Presented to the Brontë Society Weekend Conference September 2004. The Brontë Society.
- Thormählen, M. (2004). Anne Brontë's Sacred Harmony: A Discovery in the Brontë Parsonage Museum. In Sandin, P. & Wifstrand Schiebe, M. (Eds.) Dais philesistephanos : studies in honour of professor Staffan Fogelmark, presented on the occasion of his 65th birthday 12 April 2004. Dahlia Books.
- Thormählen, M. (2003). A Bibliography of Modernism. In Thormählen, M. (Eds.) Rethinking Modernism. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Thormählen, M. (2003). Introduction. In Thormählen, M. (Eds.) Rethinking Modernism. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Thormählen, M. (2003). John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester. In Serafin, S. R. & Myer, V. G. (Eds.) The Continuum encyclopedia of British literature. Continuum.
- Thormählen, M. (2003). Modernism and the Georgians. In Thormählen, M. (Eds.) Rethinking Modernism. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Thormählen, M. (2003). Zeit und Geschichte in T. S. Eliots Four Quartets. In Klein, J. (Ed.) T. S. Eliot, poeta doctus, Tradition und die Konstitution der klassischen Moderne. Peter Lang Publishing Group.
- Thormählen, M. (2002). Religion in the Novels of Charlotte and Anne Bronte. In Baker, W. & Womack, K. (Eds.) A Companion to the Victorian Novel. Greenwood Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2001). 'Aspects of Love in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'. In Nash, J. & Suess, B. A. (Eds.) New Approaches to the Literary Art of Anne Brontë (pp. 153-171). Ashgate.
- Thormählen, M. (2001). 'Eliot and the Reality of Childhood'. In Brooker, J. S. (Ed.) T. S. Eliot and Our Turning World (pp. 3-14). Macmillan.
- Thormählen, M. (1997). '"Une saine éducation anglaise lui corrigea ses défauts francais": L´Ecole dans la fiction de Charlotte Brontë'. In Leduc, G. (Ed.) L'Éducation des femmes en Europe et en Amérique du Nord de la renaissance à 1848 (pp. 482-491). L'Harmattan.
- Thormählen, M. (1997). 'Läsaren, författaren och det olyckliga slutet'. Lundaforskare föreläser, 29, 84-91. Lund University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1995). 'Kärlekspar i Brontëromanerna'. In Teleman, U. & Andersson, H. (Eds.) Hon och Han (pp. 29-38). Lund University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1994). 'The Idea of Academe in "Gaudy Night"'. In Dean, C. (Ed.) Studies in Sayers (pp. 21-27). The Dorothy L. Sayers Society.
- Thormählen, M. (1992). 'You can take it with you: Reading to live'. In Petersen, P. S. (Ed.) Literary Pedagogics After Deconstruction (pp. 51-61). Aarhus Universitetsforlag.
- Thormählen, M. (1990). '"What is the wind doing?" Winds and their functions in Eliot's poetry'. In Bagchee, S. (Ed.) T. S. Eliot A Voice Descanting: Centenary Essays (pp. 122-148). Macmillan.
- Thormählen, M. (1990). 'Poets and their victims: The art of murdering reputations'. In Bergh, B. & Teleman, U. (Eds.) Språkets makt (pp. 147-155). Lund University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (1989). 'Close reading: can we dispense with it?'. In Caie, G. (Ed.) Proceedings from the Fourth Nordic Conference for English Studies (pp. 785-791). English Department, University of Copenhagen.
Reviews (9)
- Thormählen, M. (2011). Review. English Studies, 92, 583-584. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (2009). Review essay on books about modernism. European Journal of English Studies, 13, 113-117. Lisse : Swets & Zeitlinger.
- Thormählen, M. (2007). Review. Review of English Studies, 58. Oxford University Press.
- Thormählen, M. (2005). Review of Eleanor Wikborg, "The Lover as Father Figure in Eighteenth-Century Women's Fiction". English Studies, 86, 90-91. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (1998). Review. Yearbook of English Studies, 28, 315-316. Modern Humanities Research Association.
- Thormählen, M. (1997). Review. English Studies, 78, 196-197. Taylor & Francis.
- Thormählen, M. (1997). Review essay. Svenska Dagbladet, 7 September. Svenska Dagbladet.
- Thormählen, M. (1996). Review. Modern Language Review, 91, 982-983. Modern Humanities Research Association.
- Thormählen, M. (1994). Review. Modern Language Review, 89, 462-463. Modern Humanities Research Association.
Articles in specialist publications and popular press (1)
Supervision at Lund University (10)
- Teubler, L.-M. (submitted). Visualizing the Vir Bonus in Charles Dickens's Scenes of Persuasion : The Rhetoric of Pity, Sentiment, Fact, and Debt. Lund University. Dissertation.
- Sjölin, M. (2017). Stage Appropriations of Shakespeare’s Major Tragedies, 1979-2010. Dissertation.
- Lindskog, A. (2014). Silent Modernism : Soundscapes and the Unsayable in Richardson, Joyce, and Woolf. Dissertation.
- Lindell, K. (2012). Staging Shakespeare's Comedies with EFL University Students. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University. Dissertation.
- Lindell, K. (2011). Staging Shakespeare's Comedies with EFL University Students. Licentiate thesis.
- Ekman, S. (2010). Writing Worlds, Reading Landscapes : An Exploration of Settings in Fantasy. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University. Dissertation.
- Lindhé, A. (2010). Appropriations of Shakespeare's King Lear in Three Modern North American Novels. Lunds universitet. Dissertation.
- Wallin, M. (2010). Malory and Authorship: A Study of an Irresolvable Debate. Lund University. Dissertation.
- Lindskog, C. (2008). Spatial Structures in Conrad’s Universe : The Tension between Opening and Closing as a Literary Device. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University. Dissertation.
- Håkansson, S. (2006). Narratorial Commentary in the Novels of George Eliot. English Studies. Dissertation.
Other tasks and qualifications
From 2015 onwards, I am Publishing Director of Lund University's new Press. Lund University Press publishes peer-reviewed books of the highest quality by LU scholars, exclusively in English, both in print and Open Access, in collaboration with Manchester University Press. See http://lunduniversitypress.lu.se
From 2009 to 2014, I was Dean of Research in the Humanities and Theology in Lund. In that capacity, I endeavoured to improve the opportunities of researchers to devote time to scholarly work and to enhance the visibility of their efforts, above all internationally. The Research Committee, chaired by me, introduced sabbaticals for lecturers and professors who were about to conclude major research projects which called for uninterrupted time for research. The Committee also, among other things, took initiatives geared to professionalising book publication in the humanities and theology and to encouraging scholars to publish in English-language periodicals.
In my last year as Dean of Research, I was in charge of a massive internal evaluation of Lund research in the humanities and theology; the resulting publication, *HTRQ14*, can be read online. Go to www.ht.lu.se/books and click on the HTRQ14 box.
During the period from 2009 to 2014 I was one of five members of the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology leadership, acting as Dean of Humanities on formal occasions.
From 2004 to 2007 I was President of the International Association of University Professors of English (IAUPE) and organised the 20th triennial IAUPE Conference in Lund in 2007. I’m on the editorial board of English Studies and a member of the Royal Society of Letters in Lund (where I was chair from 2001 to 2003) as well as of the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. I was listed in AcademiaNet in 2014. I’m an Honorary Member of the T. S. Eliot Society and have been a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.
So far, I have supervised 17 doctoral students through to the doctorate.