Acknowledgements

I am very much indebted to the University of Erfurt for giving me the opportunity to write and present this dissertation. Even though the official process began in 1999, thanks are due initially to Professor Dr. Ulrich Boas (Erfurt) who was the first to suggest that I should write a doctoral thesis in 1994 when he was Head of the Institute of American and British Studies at the Pedagogical University of Erfurt/Mühlhausen. Professor Dr. Fritz-Wilhelm Neumann (Erfurt) kindly offered his services as supervisor despite his heavy workload. His support has not only been very encouraging but was also tinged with a very English sense of humour. In addition, he provided his doctoral students with a very stimulating colloquium supervised by Professor Dr. K. Tetzeli von Rosador (Münster).

Professor Dr. Karlfried Knapp (Erfurt) unhesitatingly undertook the onerous task of marking the thesis as second examiner as well as participating in the oral examination. Professor Dr. Eberhard Klein (Erfurt) was also an oral examiner who gave his unstinting help and support throughout the preparatory period. Professor Dr. Karl Heinemeyer (Erfurt) was always very open and helpful in his capacity as Chairman of the Examinations Committee.

I have benefited from the support and help from dedicated lecturers and research workers in Erfurt’s English Department. Dr. Dagmar Haumann (Erfurt) and Professor Sabine Schülting (Berlin) provided invaluable support not only with their painstaking proofreading but also with their useful criticisms and help with initial computer problems.

Even though I am used to speaking German in many demanding situations, the prospect of a public doctoral defence in German did seem to be daunting. In this context, my Erfurt colleagues Ursula Renziehausen-Espelage M.A. (Latin Lector), Dr. Andreas Marshollek and PD Dr. Helmut Schwarztrauber helped both with the stylistic aspects for the final presentation in German and with the practical problems faced by a technophobe giving a power presentation. Indeed, the team spirit and animated discussions I enjoyed during the final preparation stage was one of the most positive aspects of the whole undertaking.

As I wrote my dissertation whilst working full-time as a lector and part-time as a translator, a special debt of gratitude is due to my wife Madeleine to whom the dissertation is dedicated and who never complained when holiday time had to be sacrificed, but, on the contrary, who always willingly helped with the proofreading, typing and the presentation of the ideas contained in the thesis. Thanks are also due to my son Andrew Gledhill (B.A. German First Class Honours) who not only contributed to the discussion of ideas but also provided his own original poetry for purposes of illustration. He has found the approach in this thesis to be of practical value in his work as a translator. I very much hope he continues the family tradition of translation and will one day give his own contribution to the debate.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to my teaching colleagues at Erfurt, Dr. Angelika Bonczyk and Christina Seyfarth, who in their capacity as co-ordinators took my academic work into consideration when planning the time-table.