feb 2012 sussex centre for folklore, fairy tales and fantasy newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy newsletter Feb 2012TRANSCRIPT
Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy tales and Fantasy
Newsletter February 2012
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Inside this Issue
New Sussex Centre Assistant .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .3
Images of Witches: History, Fairy Tales, Films .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .3
Folklore and Fantasy Conference .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .5
After Grimm: Fairy Tales and the Art of Story-Telling Conference .. .. .. .. .6
Snow White and the Huntsman .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .7
Tolkien: The Forest and the City .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .8
Grimm Bicentenary Celebrations . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .9
From Fata to Fairies .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11
Westerman: A Fantastic Literary Discovery . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11
We’re on Facebook .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..1�
Home and Away: Bill Gray against Frank Gray . .. .. .. .. .. .. ..1�
The Fairy Tale Vanguard .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..13
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Images of Witches: History, Fairy Tales, Films Evening Public Lecture
WILLem De BLéCourT, Honorary re-search Fellow at the Huizinga Institute,
Amsterdam, author of Werewolves and co-author of Cultural Approaches to the History of Medicine: Mediating Medicine in Early Modern and Modern Europe, Beyond the Witch Trials: Witchcraft and Magic in Enlightenment Europe and Witchcraft Continued: Popular Magic in Modern Europe, will present a public lecture on ‘Images of Witches’.
The Mitre Lecture Theatre, 5.15 – 6.30 p.m. Wednesday 21 March.
For tickets (£5/£2 concessions) contact [email protected].
New Sussex Centre AssistantHeather Robbins
HeLLo AND WeLCome to �01� at the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and
Fantasy. I’m Heather robbins and I am absolutely delighted to introduce myself as the new assistant at the Centre.
Coming straight from my role as commission-ing editor at Phillimore publishing house, I hope to make my mark producing these newsletters, a high-quality journal and smooth-running and popular events for the Centre.
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
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Folklore and Fantasy ConferenceFriday 13th - Sunday 15th April 2012
THe FoLkLore SoCIeTy and the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy
are delighted to announce a joint conference on ‘Folklore and Fantasy’ at the university of Chich-ester on Friday 13th to Sunday 15th April �01�.
many folktales are closely related to the fantas-tic – through subject matter, content and impulse. Folklore often deals with the fantastic, or turns to the supernatural to provide explanations for extraordinary events. Similarly, folklore has long been a major source of inspiration for fantasy lit-erature, from authors like kevin Crossley-Holland and Angela Carter and graphic novelists like Neil Gaiman and Bill Willingham who take on and re-present traditional stories, to authors like Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper and kate Thompson who draw on established tropes, to authors such as J.r.r. Tolkien, Susanna Clarke and Terry Pratchett who invent their own folk traditions.
This three-day conference will explore, investi-gate and celebrate the relationship between folklore and fantasy. The Call for Papers deadline has passed and there has been an exceptionally strong range of proposals.
The conference will begin at � p.m. on Friday 13 April with AGm for FLS members. This is fol-lowed by The Folklore Society Presidential Lecture by mr robert mcDowall: all welcome.
Folklore and Fantasy conference papers will begin at around �.00 p.m. Conference fees include lunch on Saturday and Sunday and refreshments between sessions.
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There will be a conference dinner on Friday evening: optional but pre-booking essential.
All participants are required to pay the conference fees. reduced rates for: speakers, FLS members, stu-dents, staff of university of Chichester, pensioners and unwaged.
Accommodation is not provided but a list of hotels is available on request.
Ticket prices:
For more details go to http://sussexfolktalecentre.org/
folklore-and-fantasy. For the booking form and list of hotels, e-mail
[email protected] or tel. 00�� (0)�07 86� 856�.
reduced rate Standard rate reduced rate Standard rate paid in advance paid in advance paid on arrival paid on arrival
ALL 3 DAyS including £90 £100 £100 £110Conference Dinner
3 days without £65 £75 £75 £85conference dinner
DAy rATeS
Friday including £�5 £55 £55 £60Conference Dinner
Friday without £�0 £30 £30 £�0Conference Dinner
Saturday £35 £�5 £�5 £60
Sunday £�0 £30 £30 £�0
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After Grimm:Fairy Tales and the Art of Story-Telling ConferenceThursday 6th – Saturday 8th September 2012
kINGSToN uNIVerSITy AND Chichester university present a conference to celebrate the
bicentenary of the publication of the first volume of the Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
This three-day conference will explore the trajectory of the Grimm phenomenon in the english-speaking world. The bicentenary will also be celebrated through story-telling events, read-ings, a creative writing prize and an exhibition of illustrations.
The Call for Papers has now passed, and we have received over 80 proposals. This multi-disciplinary conference has welcomed contributions from any disciplinary perspective including proposals to read creative work, screen films, mount performances and exhibit visual work.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Professor Donald Haase, Neil Philip, Professor marina Warner and Professor Jack Zipes.
Enquiries:Prof Bill Gray: [email protected]
Dr Andrew Teverson (kingston university): [email protected]
Go to our website for more information.
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Snow White and the HuntsmanProfessor Bill Gray becomes Hollywood’s Mythic and Folklore Consultant
our oWN ProFeSSor Bill Gray has taken on the role of consultant on the set of univer-
sal Studios’ ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’. The movie gives the plot of ‘Snow White’ an
action-packed Hollywood twist as the eponymous heroine trains in the art of war with the huntsman who had been dispatched to kill her.
The film stars Twilight’s kristen Stewart as Snow White, Thor’s Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron as the evil Queen. The official website can be found here.
Jack Zipes on Hollywood Fairy talesIs this dark twist a return to the more ‘authentic’, pre-Disney versions of fairy tales? you’ll have to watch the movie to decide for yourself, but Jack Zipes’ opinion on Hollywood’s fairy-tale films can be found at www.Salon.com
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Tolkien: The Forest and the CityFormer Sussex Centre Assistant Dr Jane Carroll to present paper
Former SuSSex CeNTre Assistant Dr Jane Carroll will present a paper called ‘on the
edge of ruin: unexpected Pleasures in unexpect-ed Places in The Lord of the rings’ at the School of english, Trinity College Dublin’s Conference on ‘Tolkien: The Forest and the City’. The conference will run on �1st – ��nd September �01�.
Registration and Fee:Conference registration fee of €50 will cover conference pack, reception, tea and coffee, and a discount on the conference proceedings volume to be published by Four Courts Press.
For conference program and registration forms, please contact Dr H. Conrad-o’Briain at [email protected]
For more information visit the School of english, Trinity College Dublin’s website.
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Grimm Bicentenary CelebrationsThe Deutsche Märchen-Straße
THe GermAN FAIry TALe route is a 600km route from Hanau to Bremen connect-
ing various tourist attractions and regions linked to the stories and lives of the Brothers Grimm.
Passing through various scenic regions, including eight nature parks, the route takes in such towns and cities as Hanau, Steinau, marburg and kassel.
Several places along the Fairy Tale route are connected with the fairy tales themselves, such as the House of Little Red Riding Hood; a Snow White Museum; the birthplace of Dorothea Vieh-mann; the hill (Hoher meissner) where Mother Hulda is said to have resided; Sababurg Castle, referred to as the Sleeping Beauty Castle; the town of Hamelin, of Pied Piper fame; a museum devoted to fairy tales and local legends (Deutsches Märchen- und Wesersagenmuseum); and the city of Bremen, which is famous by the Town Musi-cians of Bremen.
The original Children’s and Household Tales can be found in kassel and in �005 this collection was added to the uNeSCo World Document Heritage List. Numerous picturesque medieval towns on the route include Alsfeld, Hann, Fritzlar and Hameln.
The �00th anniversary of the first publication of Children’s and Household Tales by the Grimm brothers will be observed in �01�-13 with a series of events. many other events, open-air festivals, exhibits, and performances dealing with the topic of fairy tales are held annually.
Visit the Deutsche märchen-Straße website here.
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Beyond the Border: Wales International Story-telling Festival
CeLeBrATe �00 yeArS of Grimm s Fairy Tales with performers from across europe, in-
cluding storytelling and circus from Switzerland, storytelling and puppetry from munich, and our specially commissioned revival of the acclaimed The Three Snake Leaves by the uk s Company of Storytellers (see above). other themes for this year include The Silk road and myths and Legends of Celtic Britain.
For tickets and the full line-up go to www.beyondtheborder.com.
Grimm Bicentenary CelebrationsContinued...
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In Other News ...
WestermanA Fantastic Literary Discovery
A NeW ‘rIPPING’ adventure from the pen of the great Percy F. Westerman has been found
by Portsmouth-based Westerman specialist Nigel Gossop during work late last year on a Westerman reminiscence project in Wareham, Dorset.
The book, entitled At Their Country’s Call, is in the form of two bound and author-annotated publishers typescripts, probably from the Glasgow-based publisher Blackie and Son Limited. until now, it was generally accepted that Percy F. Wester-man wrote �0 stories of the Great War, but this story makes it �1 and brings the overall number of books written by Percy F. Westerman to a stagger-ing 175 books.
Details of the story are be kept under wraps until the second Westerman Seminar being held at Ports-mouth Grammar School on Saturday 11 Febru-ary where a synopsis of the story will be available to delegates.
Details of the seminar can be obtained from Nigel Gossop at [email protected]
From Fata to Fairies
From FATA To Fairies: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Antiquities to the Present
Day is the new book of the Lausanne university conference of the same name. A review will appear in the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy journal ... watch this space.
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We’re on Facebook!
THe SuSSex CeNTre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy is now on Facebook! Here
you can be kept up to date with news and events, talk with other members of the group and others attending the same events as you, comment on our activities and keep your events organised in your Facebook calendar.
you can find our page here and rSVP for events here:
Images of Witches public lecture Folklore and Fantasy conferenceAfter Grimm conference.
Home and AwayBill Gray in Head-to-Head against Frank GrayMonday 27 February at 5 p.m. in room M57, Grand Parade in central Brighton.
CHICHeSTer uNIVerSITy Are holding the first of a series of joint cross-disciplinary
arts and humanities research seminars with the university of Brighton.It’s called ‘Home and Away’ and is supported by AHrC funding.
This story of a literary power struggle begins with Professor Gray’s academic paper, ‘The Incomplete Fairy Tales of robert Louis Stevenson’ (given in edinburgh at the �00� rLS Conference and later published in the Journal of Stevenson Studies; see the Guardian’s article on this paper) in which Gray argues for the authenticity of Stevenson’s ‘volume of märchen’ rather than Colvin’s mangled version
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(Island Nights’ entertainments) which has been the canonical version for 1�0 years. only with the New edinburgh edition of Stevenson’s Works will the original collection appear as Stevenson wanted.
Dr Frank Gray, Director of Screen Archive South east, university of Brighton, will then present Archives and the making of History. This talk will explore the issues of the inclusion or exclusion of historical objects from public collections and pub-lished histories by looking a number of films made in Sussex in the late 1930s.
The Fairy Tale Vanguard
THIS CoNFereNCe, HeLD at St Peter’s Abbey, Ghent (Belgium) on mon �0 – Wed
�� August �01�, intends to re-examine the fairy tale in ways that will shed light on the genre’s position within the conservative and innovative forces that make up for the historical development of literatures.
more specifically, we will take off from the idea that throughout its history, the fairy tale has provided authors with a space in which they could engage in literary experimentation and self-consciously reflect on contemporary trends in the literary field. As a result, it was often tied up with or even constituted literary vanguard impulses.
We can at least partially explain this phenomenon by considering the general traits of the genre itself: as fantastic narrative par excellence, the fairy tale has tended to ostentatiously distance itself from more realistic modes of experience and representation.
more details about the conference and its Call for Papers (deadline 1 mar) can be found here:
http://www.fairytale.ugent.be/
