Postgraduate Research Projects at the Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction
Zoe Mitchell: Hag
Mitchell’s debut poetry Collection inspired by witches is accompanied by a critical thesis considering the presentation of witches in women’s poetry. Close study of this
Dominika Nycz: Wise-man to Wizard: Tracking the Literary Development of the Wizard
This project takes a diachronic approach to look at how the wizard has evolved from its linguistic origins as the wise-man into the modern literary
Francesca Bihet: Folklore, Fighting and Fairies
This project explores the changes in the treatment of fairies by Folklore Society members and how far these reflect wider academic and folkloric trends. It
Joanna Coleman: Demons, Daemons and Frogs: Animal Transformation in Contemporary Narrative
This project investigates how becoming-animal storytelling locates us in the natural world. The topic will be explored from two perspectives, first an eco-critical analysis of
Victoria Leslie: The erotics of water: folk creatures and femininity in 19th-century Northern Europe
This project seeks to understand the myriad meanings and seductions of the water sprite in 19th-century culture. It will examine how stories about water sprites
Peter Whittick: Death, Resurrection and the Flesh of the Imagination: A Critical and Creative Exploration of Cultural Dyslexia with regards to Nature
This project develops an eco-critical perspective for the reading of portrayals of nature in literature and applies it to the fiction of David Almond. The
Elizabeth Rainey: The Art of Storytelling in Emirati Society
This project features Emirati oral poetry and compares its unique voice with universal themes such as family, tribe, country, love, war, beauty, work and faith,
Rose Williamson: A Historical and Literary Analysis of Grain and Bread Motifs in Folk and Fairy Tales
This project seeks to create a greater understanding of folk and fairy tales through the symbolism of food, with a preliminary focus on grains and
Other projected outputs of the Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction include:
Digital Resources
An online, multilingual, multi-authored, annotated bibliographic index consisting of links to primary sources of folktales, fairy tales and fantasy works available in the public domain,
Events
Proposed regular events include a series of research seminars, public lectures, exhibitions and performances at the University of Chichester on aspects of folklore, fairy tales
Publications
Proposed publications include: an online newsletter – or you can sign up for our mailing list here, a twice-yearly hard copy journal *Gramarye* (also expected
International Research Network
One of the key purposes of the Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction is to strengthen the international network of researchers working