Alexander Haggerty Krappe
Encyclopedia
Alexander Haggerty Krappe (1894–1947) was a folklorist and author
. Along with Francis Peabody Magoun
, he was the first translator of folktales collected by the Brothers Grimm
into the English language. A.H Krappe is described as a folklorist, linguist, teacher
, translator
of scientific and other materials, a Roman philologist, a comparative mythologist, a classicist and Scandanavianist. Despite Krappe's contributions and academic writing, his work is largely ignored in the modern Folklore
discipline as he staunchly denied the existence of American Folklore.
in 1884. His childhood was said to be unhappy, and after his parents divorced, he was taken back to Europe by his German-born father. Krappe received his education in the Leibniz und Siemen's Oberealschuel in Charlottenberg, Berlin. An accomplished student, he remained at the university until 1915 upon his decision to study modern languages. Thus Krappe spent 1915-1916 studying medieval history and Romance languages at the University of Berlin.
Krappe went on to enter the University of Iowa
in Iowa City on a graduate fellowship, and received his M.A. with a major in French and a minor in Italian. The capstone of his M.A., his thesis was entitled "The Chronology of the old French Chanson de Geste." In January 1918, he began doctoral work at the University of Chicago
on another graduate fellowship. In 1919, Krappe received a Ph.D. His work in university established his interest in epic and medieval literature
.
In 1919, Krappe married Edith Smith, the daughter of Folklorist Grace Partridge Smith. Edith would go on to describe her husband as "brilliant, but deeply troubled and enigmatic man when all of the sources are combined, it is the picture that emerges."
.
This also serves as a prime example of Krappe's unpopularity among Folklorists and anthropologists, as Krappe's work many times shows him to be racist and sexist.
Alliteration In The Chanson De Roland And In The Carmen De Prodicione Guenonis (1921)
The Legend of Roderick, Last of the Visigoth Kings, and the Ermanarich Cycle (1923)
The Science of Folk-lore (1930)
Hispanic Notes & Monographs; Essays, Studies, and Brief Biographies Issued by the Hispanic Society of America (1930)
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Along with Francis Peabody Magoun
Francis Peabody Magoun
Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr. MC was one of the seminal figures in the study of medieval and English literature in the 20th century, a scholar of subjects as varied as football and ancient Germanic naming practices, and translator of numerous important texts...
, he was the first translator of folktales collected by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
into the English language. A.H Krappe is described as a folklorist, linguist, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of scientific and other materials, a Roman philologist, a comparative mythologist, a classicist and Scandanavianist. Despite Krappe's contributions and academic writing, his work is largely ignored in the modern Folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
discipline as he staunchly denied the existence of American Folklore.
Life and education
Alexander Haggerty Krappe was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1884. His childhood was said to be unhappy, and after his parents divorced, he was taken back to Europe by his German-born father. Krappe received his education in the Leibniz und Siemen's Oberealschuel in Charlottenberg, Berlin. An accomplished student, he remained at the university until 1915 upon his decision to study modern languages. Thus Krappe spent 1915-1916 studying medieval history and Romance languages at the University of Berlin.
Krappe went on to enter the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in Iowa City on a graduate fellowship, and received his M.A. with a major in French and a minor in Italian. The capstone of his M.A., his thesis was entitled "The Chronology of the old French Chanson de Geste." In January 1918, he began doctoral work at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
on another graduate fellowship. In 1919, Krappe received a Ph.D. His work in university established his interest in epic and medieval literature
Medieval literature
Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
.
In 1919, Krappe married Edith Smith, the daughter of Folklorist Grace Partridge Smith. Edith would go on to describe her husband as "brilliant, but deeply troubled and enigmatic man when all of the sources are combined, it is the picture that emerges."
Career and death
Krappe died on November 30, 1947, leaving three book-length manuscripts. The most significant of these, and only one published, was a translation of Grimm's Collected Fairy Tales in conjunction with Francis Peabody MagounFrancis Peabody Magoun
Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr. MC was one of the seminal figures in the study of medieval and English literature in the 20th century, a scholar of subjects as varied as football and ancient Germanic naming practices, and translator of numerous important texts...
.
Krappe's definition of folklore
In his book The Science of Folklore he stated
"Folklore is a historical science, having its own methods of research and admitting of the same system of checks and verifications as any other. With its sister sciences it may combine to make up the cycle of our knowledge of man's past life. From this follows that it may assume the rank of an ancillary science to any or all of them, and it has done so repeatedly, notably to the various philogies, history, ethnography, and the history of religion."
Krappe's definition of folksong
Krappe's work also extended into the field of folksong, his own scholarly definition
"The folksong is a song, i.e a lyric poem with melody, which originated anonymously, among unlettered folk in times past and which remained in currency for a considerable time, as a rule for centuries . . . The American Kentucky Home, though it is supposed to have originated in circle of a somewhat darker hue than is popular in certain sections of the country, is a genuine folksong of both colored and white people"
This also serves as a prime example of Krappe's unpopularity among Folklorists and anthropologists, as Krappe's work many times shows him to be racist and sexist.
Works
The ploughman king: A comparative study in literature and folklore (1919)Alliteration In The Chanson De Roland And In The Carmen De Prodicione Guenonis (1921)
The Legend of Roderick, Last of the Visigoth Kings, and the Ermanarich Cycle (1923)
The Science of Folk-lore (1930)
Hispanic Notes & Monographs; Essays, Studies, and Brief Biographies Issued by the Hispanic Society of America (1930)