progress report

Disabled

Jacob H. Grimm on a cracker. (Hmmm, must find some “G” word to use instead of cracker.) I’m less than halfway into my ICFA paper, and it’s seven minutes long. Must cut down. Good-bye, I suspect, to the entire first page (single-spaced), where I do what I thought was a quick overview of other folktale scholarship. Demonstrating my credentials is nice, but since I’m really just talking about all those resources I’m not using (as preface to why I am using Lüthi), it really isn’t contributing much to the paper as a whole.

I’m tempted to keep it in there for the version I turn in to my panel moderator, though, for consideration for publication in the conference volume. I’ve already established that I’m going to turn in a different draft than I’ll be using in the panel, since that one’s meant to be heard, not read.

Break over. Time to go back to work and talk about how folktales let you cut your own heart out without saying “ow.”

0 Responses to “progress report”

  1. prosewitch

    I’m running into similar problems with my paper, actually. Well, I am 8 pages in and haven’t timed it, but I’m shooting for 10 or 11 what with the remainder of analysis and conclusion I have to do. I totally hear you on the summarizing-folktale-scholarship point, though.

    I end up talking about Propp briefly, since I figure some folks might not have read him, and then I bring in a bit of Holbek too (with quickie refs to Luthi and Zipes). It’s just… how much folktale scholarship knowledge can we assume the general ICFA audience has? Arg…

    • Marie Brennan

      Seven minutes was about two and a half single-spaced pages — a bit less, I suppose. 10 or 11, assuming you mean double-spaced, sounds about right-ish.

      I basically set up and then shoot down the Tale-Type Index and the Motif Index as being useful for identifying why The Darkangel feels like a fairy tale, then spend a little more time on Propp before setting him aside, too. I’ve left it in there for now; if I’m over time, then I’ll probably shove out Aarne and Thompson, and leave Propp in unless he absolutely has to go.

    • ninja_turbo

      I’d say that your average ICFA attendee has at least a B.A. in liberal arts, with an informal but geekish-level knowledge of folktales.

      However, I’d say that the audience of a panel focusing on folktale/fairy tales will have some background. Perhaps they’ll be familiar with a bit of Zipes, but I’d say that you’d want to at least give a short summary version of any essential theoretical tools/approaches.

  2. lowellboyslash

    Jacob H. Grimm on a…

    Ghost ship?
    Gumball?
    Gargoyle?
    Gigabyte?
    Gas tank?
    Galley?
    Giblet?
    Gong?
    Garter belt?

    …Golden bough?

  3. deadboxoffice

    How about “Jacob H. Grimm on a Graham Cracker”?

    I’ve thought a lot about the alliteration of Grim(m).

    -Shawn

  4. Anonymous

    jtnFeuCJlTDXMVmF

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