A/Prof John Ryan
Associate Professor, School of Arts
Qualifications
MA (NZ), MA (Oxf), PhD (Cambr.), PhD (UNE), FRSA, FRGS, Fellow of the Commonwealth Academy of Biography, F Soc Antiq (Scot), Member of AIATSIS
Contact
| Email: | jryan@une.edu.au |
| Room: | E11 LG30 |
| Phone: | 02 6773 2601 (or +61 2 6773 2601 overseas) |
| Fax: | 02 6773 2623 |
He has lectured and been published in many countries and was Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield (Department of English Language and Linguistics) in 1995.
Affiliations
Long time membership of the Australasian Universities Languages and Literatures’ Association (and its Executive), and of the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS);
Similarly, publications officer for CALLS - the former Centre for Australian Language and Literature Studies at U.N.E.;
Editor of Australian Folklore: A Yearly Journal of Folklore Studies (1992-);
Editorial Board Member of Folk Life: An Ethnological Journal (2000-) (one based in Western Europe, but concerned with British culture/diasporas worldwise);
Editorial Board member (2003-2006) for The Greenway World Encyclopedia of Folk Lore and Folk Life (4 vols.);
Editorial Board Member of Seven: An Anglo-American Literary Review;
Former long time Editor, Journal and Proceedings of the Armidale and District Historical Society, now Life Member;
American Names Society - now Life Member;
Heritage Futures Research Centre (UNE) (2001-);
etc.
Areas of Teaching
(Undergraduate/Pass M.A.)
Australian Folklore and Australian Folk Speech (ENCO 307 / 407)
History of the English Language (ENGL 305)
Variously in:
Introduction to Genre Writing (ENCO 102),
and, more occasionally, in:
Communication Skills: Composition (ENCO 100),
ENGL 102, etc.
John has supervised numerous theses on (neo-Mediaeval) fantasy, Australian fiction, migrant writings, mediaeval literature, (English) lexicography, onomastics, and (historical English/Australian English) dialectology.
Research interests
Australian Folklore/ Folkloristics, i.e. the Traditional (oral, customary) Culture of the non-Indigenous peoples;
Austral(as)ian English language, especially in relation to its British antecedents and as used by particular writers (i.e. their stylistics);
New England Heritage matters, especially the writings, customs, legends and other folk materials relating to the Northern third of New South Wales;
and similar interests in the Otago (NZ-Scottish) identity and (cultural) diasporas;
Australian Biography, especially relating to the New England region’s personalities of significance;
History of the University of New England, and, particularly, its various (nearer) cultural outreaches since its foundation;
Onomastics, i.e the field of proper names - especially Australian - has long been a particular interest.
Consultancy
These are largely in the areas of regional cultural projects, especially in Northern New South Wales, with methodological and editorial advice.
Publications
Some Recent Publications
Ryan, J.S. (ed.), McClymont’s Vision: The Challenge Remains, (Armidale: University of New England, 2007) In the last, 'G.L. McClymont: One friend's perspective on the man and his work' (pp.179-186), and (with B. Bindon and L. Piper), 'Introduction', (pp.13-18).
Ryan, J.S., 'To establish and affirm our collective identity: Armidale and District Historical Society: Its First Fifty Journals: Their origins, purposes, editors and foci', Journal and Proceedings of the Armidale and District Historical Society, vol.50 (2007), pp. 1-17.
Currently impending publications:
Articles on:
Keith Garvey (1922-1997);
Winifred Ann Trindade, Folklorist;
Russel Ward and his New England Years, etc.
the folklore and Australian language in/from the Viet Nam years.
Major recent publications
Atkinson, A.T., Ryan, J.S., Davidson, I. and Piper, A.K. (eds.), 2006, High Lean Country: Land, People and Memory in New England, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, Theme essay: ‘Australia (British)’, pp. 277-292, in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife, (vol.1), ed. William M. Clements, Greenwood Press, London and New York.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, ‘Hero’, pp. 44-47, in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife, (vol.1), ed. William M. Clements, Greenwood Press, London and New York.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, ‘Uplands Always Attract’, pp. 1-9, in High Lean Country: Land, People and Memory in New England, Alan Atkinson, J. S. Ryan, Iain Davidson and Andrew Piper (eds.), Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2006.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, ‘On 'Remittances' from England’, in Wright on Education: A Commemorative Miscellany, J. S. Ryan (comp.), The Wright College Association, University of New England, Armidale, pp. 1-11.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, ‘Stories and Prose’, in High Lean Country: Land, People and Memory in New England, Alan Atkinson, J S Ryan, Iain Davidson and Andrew Piper, eds., Allen & Unwin, Sydney, pp. 296-307.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, ‘Pacific Ocean Influences in Wright and a not so fictional perspective in post millennial human follies’, in Wright on Education: A Commemorative Miscellany, Compiled by J. S. Ryan, The Wright College Association, University of New England, Armidale, pp. 187-201.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, 'The range - and purposes - of Australian public festivals that are functioning at present', Folklore: An Electronic Journal of Folklore, vol.34, no., pp. 7-30.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, 'Arakoon: The Lore Surrounding the Gaol', Australian Folklore, vol.21, no.2006, pp 99-112.
Ryan, J.S., 2006, ‘History, Historians and the Many Earlier Wright College Shapers of New England's and of Australia's Self-perception’, in Wright on Education: A Commemorative Miscellany, J. S. Ryan (comp.), The University of New England, Armidale, pp. 101-129.
Ryan, J.S. and Smith, R.J., 2006, 'Manifestations of Terror: English Folklore, Winston Churchill, Les Murray, and Sydney's Black Dog Institute', Australian Folklore, vol.21, no.2006, pp. 30-47.
Ryan, J.S., 2005, 'Some Account of the Life and Work of John White (1913-), Australia's Most Senior Recorder of Folk Life, as well as a remarkable “Literary and Music Man'' ’, Australian Folklore, vol.20, pp. 1-10.
Ryan, J.S., 2005, 'Transformation of the Concept of "Heritage''', Australian Folklore, vol.20, pp. 59-74.
Ryan, J.S., 2005, ' “The Great Grey Gaol by the Sea” - and the developing lore and associations of one such place of incarceration, Trial Bay Jail, New South Wales', Australian Folklore, vol.20, pp. 182-196.
Ryan, J.S., 2005, ''Just some childish itch to play detective?' The Literary Career of Robert Barnard: Armidale's Sometime Author of Detective Fiction', Biblionews and Australian Notes & Queries, vol.31, no. 348th December 2005, pp. 126-156.
Ryan, J.S., 2005, 'The Memorial Grove: Judith Wright “Has Come Home at Last'' ’, Armidale and District Historical Society Journal and Proceedings, vol.48, pp. 179-187.
Ryan, J.S., 2005, 'A review of 'Capital Offences: Geographies of Class and Crime in Victorian London' by Simone Joyce, Australian Journal of Victorian Studies, vol 11, pp. 190-93.
Ryan, J.S., 2004, 'Folkloristic ways of looking at - and beyond - the recent phenomenom of roadside memorials, crosses and floral tributes', Australian Folklore, vol.19, no., pp. 52-67.
Ryan, J.S., 2004, ‘Folktale, Fairy Tale, and the Creation of a Story’, in Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism, Rose A Zimbardo and Neil D Isaacs, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, pp. 106-121. (Hard covered and paperback versions.)
Ryan, J.S., 2004, 'Tales from New England', Armidale and District Historical Society Journal and Proceedings, vol.47, no., pp. 62-67.
Ryan, J.S., 2004, Preface, in 'Our Grandchildren Won't Believe It', T. Schaeffer and F. McInherny (Wyndham), Guyra and District Historical Society, Armidale, pp viii -xii.
Ryan, J.S., 2003, 'A dialect word's progressive erosion in England and expansion overseas: skerrick', Lore and Language, vol.17, no.1-2, pp. 49-55.
Ryan, J.S., 2003, 'Review Article: Linderman's legacy of the pre-contact: Indian life in the west', Lore and Language, vol.17, no.1-2, pp. 307-311.
Ryan, J.S., 2003, 'William Fielding Fearn (Bill) Wannan: Author, Editor, Freelance Journalist and Folklorist', Australian Folklore, vol.18, no., pp. 2-4. This text was also in The Age, Melbourne.
Ryan, J.S., 2003 'The West's Most Potent Legend-maker/Story-teller at the Millennium? - R.L. Stine: Or, Ten Years of the Goosebumps', Australian Folklore, vol.18, pp. 94-106.
Ryan, J.S., 2003, 'The Once and Future Country: New England Style - And Australian Regional Fight-back', Australian Folklore, vol.18, pp. 229 -238.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, ‘Writing Set in Tenterfield - and other Literary References’, in Writing Tenterfield, J.S Ryan, Faculty of Arts, The University of New England, Armidale, pp. 111-126.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, ‘From a Mining Warden's Verandah: Thomas Browne as 'Nation' Watcher – Ethnographer’, in Unemployed at Last!, Ken Stewart and Shirley Walker, CALLS: Centre for Australian Studies, Armidale, pp. 44-58.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, ‘Introduction’, in Anthology - Collected Poems - Edwin Wilson, ed. Carl Harrison Ford, Kardoorair Press, Armidale, pp. xi-xix.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, Introduction, in Writing Tenterfield, J.S. Ryan, The Faculty of Arts, The University of New England, Armidale, pp. xiii-xx.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, 'Select Bibliography of the Work of Alan Marshall', Australian Folklore, vol.17, no., pp. 19-26.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, 'The Necessary Other, or 'When One Needs a Monster': The Return of the Australian Yowie', Australian Folklore - A Yearly Journal of Folklore Studies, vol.17, no., pp 130-142.[This is the text, revised, of a Millennial Lecture, University of Sheffield, late 1999.]
Ryan, J.S., 2002, 'J.R.R. Tolkien's Formal Lecturing and Teaching at the University of Oxford', Seven - An Anglo-American Literary Review, vol.19, no., pp. 45-62.
Ryan, J.S., 2002, 'Wright College, University of New England (1956-1996) and the Wright family', Armidale and District Historical Society Journal and Proceedings, vol.45, no.2002, pp. 70-85.
Ryan, J.S., 2001, ‘Introduction’, in New England Lives II, J.S. Ryan and B. Cady, Armidale Historical Society and the University of New England, Armidale, pp. xv-xx.
Ryan, J.S., 2001, Introduction, in Australian Legendary Tales, ed. J.S. Ryan, Wordsworth/The Folklore Society, Ware, England, pp. 8-11.
Ryan, J.S., 2001, 'Australia's Best-Known Folkloric Text and its Several Fates', Australian Folklore, vol.16, pp. 146-163.
Ryan, J.S., 2001, 'Ethnology, Ethnography, Folklore - and the Meticulous Presentation of an Inspired Collector', Australian Folklore, vol.16, pp. 90-96.
Ryan, J.S. and Cady, B. (eds.), 2001, New England Lives II, Armidale Historical Society and the University of New England, Armidale.
And the following much referenced work -
* Ryan, J.S. (ed.), 1998. The Arts from New England: University Provision and Outreach 1928 to 1998, The Faculty of Arts and the University of New England Alumni, Armidale. Also contributing to the last, Chapter 4, ‘English - and Communication Studies’, pp. 52-73, and chapter 24, ‘Our Earlier Outreach - Adult Education and the Arts in New England’, pp. 313-326.
* Several much consulted articles in:
The Oxford Companion to Australian Folklore (1993) (ed. Gwenda Beed Davey and Graham Seal);
Folklore, Westerly, Seven, Lore and Language, Orbis, etc;
variously in Australian historical journals;
international journals concerned with all the "Inklings’’;
also many articles on R. Boldrewood, P. White, T. Keneally and very widely in research into Australian prose/fiction, and in (regional) Australian biography and English/Australian religious writers.
And numerous other publications in all these fields, especially on matters relating to the works and (fantasy) influence of J. R.R. Tolkien.