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Aesopic Voices: Reframing Truthin Twentieth-century Folklore,Fairy Tales and FablesInternational ConferenceUniversity of Melbourne21-23 February 2008Organised by Philip Morrissey and Gert Reifarth |
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Welcome... to the world of Aesopics...What do artists do when political, social or religious circumstances are hostile to truth and open discussion? One possibility is for them to seek refuge in the realm of the Aesopic. Aesop (pictured above) is said to have written fables in the sixth Century B.C. to veil his opinions, and writers 26 Centuries later continue to use and develop his method. In symbolic and coded terms, they write fairy tales and fables, and employ myths and elements of folklore. New forms of discourse emerged, where political realities and social truths were referred to in symbolic and coded terms rather than explicitly mentioned, and where, concurrently, these realities and truths were re-framed and re-contextualized. Protest and subversion found a new voice. The paths to the Aesopic were varied and open. Authors could write new fairy tales and fables, or rewrite old ones; they could retell old folktales or traditional stories and relate them to the present situation; elements of old tales could be merged with modern counterparts in narrative art forms; traditional symbols or figures could feature in otherwise thoroughly contemporary writing, storytelling and artistic practice. A modern Aesop might look like R.G. Handschuh's man (in the painting on the right) - distressed but colourful, cunning and also very much audible. We invite papers about this Aesopic form of discourse in the twentieth century all around the world (see link 'Call for Papers'). The conference will commence on the evening of Wednesday 20 February with a film screening and discussion, following a welcome drink. |
Rolf Georg Handschuh: Der Schrei (The scream) (1991/92) www.rghea.de |
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