Concetta SIPIONE

Dr. Concetta Sipione, born in Ragusa on January 19th, 1970, is from January 2nd, 2007 Research assistant (Ricercatore confermato) of Germanic Philology at the Languages Faculty, University of Catania. She is regular teacher for the classes of «Germanic Philology» and «History of the German Language» in the seats of Catania and Ragusa of the Faculty of Languages. She also cooperates with the chairs of German language and Literature of both seats of the Faculty. 
On November 20th, 1995 she graduated with honours in «German Language and Literature» at the Humanistic Faculty of Catania with a degree thesis in Germanic Philology on the topic: «Old German Magic Charms against Hemorrhages from the Manuscripts Membr. Argentor., Bamberg. Med. 6, Trev. 40, Vindob. Lat. 1705», (supervisor: Prof. U. Schwab). 
In 2000 she obtained the teacher’s diploma for Secondary School (English language and German language). 
On March 1st, 2002 she obtained a PhD. in Germanic and Nordic Philology at the University of Florence, Humanistic Faculty, Department for Middle Ages and Renaissance with a PhD thesis on the topic «The Virginal of the Dresdner Heldenbuch: a new Edition» (supervisors Prof. F. D. Raschellà and Prof. A. M. Guerrieri). 
From September 2001 to December 2003 she took the classes of German Language and translation - A1 Level in Ragusa as a teacher on annual contract. Besides the examination sessions of German language, Dr. Sipione cooperated intensively with the chair of Germanic Philology of the University of Catania, by joining the board of examiners, co-adiuvating the students in the research and the editing work of their theses, and joining the degree sessions both as a co-examiner and a supervisor. 
From January, 2nd 2004 she was engaged as Research assistant (Ricercatore non confermato) at the Languages Faculty, University of Catania. 
From January 2004 she was entrusted as responsible teacher with the History of the German Language (Catania) and of German Language and translation (Ragusa); at the same time she carried out the following seminars for the classes of Germanic Philology: «Re-using the heroic language in religious poetry: Christ as a hero in the Dream of the Rood», «Erudite and patristic elements in the Old High German and Old Saxon biblical epic: the paraphrase of Jesus’ Baptism in Otfrid’s Liber Evangeliorum and in the Heliand» (A. A. 2004-2005) «The problem of Verschriftung of the German vernacular in High Middle Ages», «The figure of Caedmon in Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum» (A. A. 2005-2006), «The Donauländischer Minnesang: early types of Middle High German courtly poetry» e «Fiction and deceptionin the Old English love elegies» (A. A.2006-07). She worked together with the chairs of German Language and Literature of both branches of the Languages Faculty to organize classes and seminars for postgraduated students (Laurea magistrale). 
From March 2007 onward she is responsible teacher for Germanic Philology, in Catania and in Ragusa. 
She took part to the local scientific project on the topic «The Velent legend in the Þiðreks saga and in Old English sources» (A. A. 2003, supervisor: Prof. A. Piccolini) and she has lead the following University scientific projects local «The Baptism of Christ in Old German biblical epic» (A. A. 2004—2005), «The Danubian Minnesang: early types of Middle High German courtly poetry» (A. A. 2006-07). 
She spent many periods abroad for research and study, at the University Heidelberg, German Department (with the PhD. scholarship, 1997-2000: July - August 1997, July - August 1998, March - July - 1999; August 2001), at the University of Wien, German Department (Winter Semester 1999-2000, with an additional scholarship from the Österreichischer Akademischer Austauschdienst), at the University of Heidelberg, Department for Latin Philology of the Middle Ages (August - September 2004, July - August 2005). 
Dr. Sipione took part in the following conventions: I Convegno interdisciplinare «España al revés» (Ragusa Ibla,4-5 aprile 2006) with the paper «Filius meus es tu: ego hodie genui te» Giovenco e Otfrid di Weißenburg interpreti ed esegeti della Vetus latina»; XXXIII Convegno dell’Associazione Italiana di Filologia Germanica «I Germani e la scrittura» (Pescara, 7-9 giugno 2006) with the paper «”Lingua enim haec velut agrestis habetur”: Otfrid di Weißenburg e i problemi della lingua theodisca». 
From 1997 she is member of the A.I.F.G (Associazione italiana di filologia germanica) and from May 2007 she is also member of the Oswald-von-Wolkenstein-Gesellschaft.

PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH PROJECTS

2024–2026

Member of the interdisciplinary research project “DALLAS – From Reading to Writing”, funded under the University Research Incentive Plan 2024–2026 (Board of Directors resolution of 10 May 2024), Action Line 1: Collaborative Research Projects (Principal Investigator: Renata Gambino).

2020–2022

Member of the interdisciplinary research project PIACERI ATLAS – “Rethinking Eastern–Western Imaginaries: Language, Body, Mind”, funded under the University Research Incentive Plan (Principal Investigator: Francesca Vigo).

2019

Principal Investigator of the individual research project “Verbal Duels and Hate Speech in Medieval Germanic Poetry”, funded under the PROMETEO Research Plan, Action Line 1, University of Catania.

2018

Principal Investigator of the individual research project “Voices from Old English”, funded under the PROMETEO Research Plan, Action Line 1, University of Catania.

2017

Principal Investigator of the individual research project “Voices from Old English”, funded under the PROMETEO Research Plan, Action Line 1, University of Catania.

2014–2017

Member of the interdisciplinary FIR research project “Plural Bodies, Gender Issues / Corpi plurali, questioni di genere”, funded by the University of Catania and positively evaluated through external peer review (2014–2017).

Academic Year 2006–2007

Principal Investigator of the University research project “The Danubian Minnesang: Protoforms of Middle High German Courtly Poetry.”

Academic Year 2004–2005

Principal Investigator of the University research project “The Baptism of Christ in Old High German Biblical Epic.”

2003

Member of the University research project “The Legend of Velent in the Þiðreks saga and in the Anglo-Saxon Sources” (Principal Investigator: Prof. A. Piccolini).

RESEARCH AREAS AND INTERESTS

My research has developed along several closely interconnected lines of inquiry within the fields of Germanic philology and medieval Germanic literature, with particular emphasis on the traditions of Old High German, Old Saxon, Old English (Anglo-Saxon), and Old Norse.

At the beginning of my academic career, I focused on the interpretative and translation-related issues connected with the paraphrases of the Gospels in the early Germanic languages, especially Otfrid of Weissenburg’s Liber Evangeliorum in Old High German and the anonymous Heliand in Old Saxon. Within this area, I devoted particular attention to the Old High German and Old Saxon translations of the Lord's Prayer.

Another major area of research has concerned the Dietrich epic tradition in Middle High German, an important witness, from the thirteenth century onwards, to the transformation and reworking of the Germanic legends surrounding the Ostrogothic king Theoderic the Great within a broad corpus of pseudo-historical, chivalric, and fantastic narratives.

I have also investigated the reception of the Middle Ages in the works of Thomas Mann, with particular reference to his rewriting of the legend of Gregorius in the novel Der Erwählte. In parallel, I have studied Hartmann von Aue's Gregorius, focusing especially on the narrative and symbolic strategies through which the protagonist's existential crisis is overcome.

The encounter with the Other and the representation of otherness, explored primarily through the study of Beowulf, constitute another significant area of my research. More recently, my interests have expanded to include liminal figures such as the spákonur of the Old Norse sagas. Within this framework, I have also examined the figures of the outsider and the trickster, analysing the use of language as an instrument of power and the manifestations of hate speech. This line of research further includes studies of flyting and verbal invective in medieval Germanic texts, particularly in Beowulf and the Eddic poems Lokasenna and Hárbarðsljóð.

One of the research areas to which I have devoted sustained attention concerns gender issues in Old English elegiac poetry, with particular emphasis on the so-called female elegies, The Wife's Lament and Wulf and Eadwacer. My work has focused on the interpretative problems raised by these poems, especially the controversial gnomic conclusion of The Wife's Lament and the enduring exegetical ambiguities of Wulf and Eadwacer.

More recently, following a brief exploration of Norse mythology through a study of the role of the one-handed god Týr in the myth of Fenrir, as transmitted by Snorri Sturluson, my research has turned to the Nibelung–Völsung tradition. Within this field, I have investigated editorial issues concerning the poems of the Poetic Edda, with particular reference to the Guðrún lays. I have also worked on onomastics and exoticism in the Second Lay of Guðrún, compared the portrayal of Grimhildr in the Poetic Edda and the Vǫlsunga saga, undertaken a narratological analysis of the First Lay of Guðrún, and re-examined the Nibelungen tradition from the perspective of gender studies.