are not heavens joyes as valiant

[lotesse]

So I'm pretty deep in work on my Honors thesis on the stories in the Donkeyskin tale-type. It's been much easier since I swallowed my doubts last week and committed myself to a feminist analysis. I have a tendency to get very anxious about my feminist readings, and to want to hedge, but the truth of the matter is that I really do experience Shakespeare and fairy tales as feminist pieces, albeit ones with problems sometimes. It's so much easier to tear down than to build up - I think my life would be simpler if I could just bully myself into buying the "Princess stories as tools of negative gender socialization" line, but it's just not how I feel, and I can't go against my gut like that. Princess stories were important to me as a little girl, and are important to me now, and that's not brainwashing and I can prove it!

Actually, I'm still sort of riding the high of figuring out that I can use Mary Wollstonecraft, and her analysis of the oppression of upper-class women through brutal, infantilizing "protection." Because I've got a Princess who runs away to become a scullery maid, and Wollstonecraft allows me to read that as a narrative of finding strength. And I like strength in my Princesses.

The little cat really, really wants to sleep on my laptop. Right now we've compromised on him laying his chin over the upper right hand corner, so that I have to reach under him every time I want to get to the delete button. It makes typing fairly interesting.

I sort of can't believe that Supernatural starts up again in two days. I'm excited, and a little bit terrified. I have no idea where we're going now, and I love it, but oh boys. I get very nervy on their behalf. Also, Sammy had better still be psychic, because I get off on powers!Sam embarrassingly hard.

Cat now covering half the keyboard. Must sign off. I love you all, fandom.

Comments

[deirdre-c.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. Robin McKinley's Deerskin is a retelling of that fable and it's one of my favorite novels. I'm guessing you've seen it, but just in case I wanted to throw it out there for you (not even for use academically, just to read for fun).

[lotesse]

Oh yeah. I'm actually trying to decide whether I want to use popular adaptations or not - there's this really cracktronic musical film by Jaques Demy from the 70s starring Catherine Deneuve that's almost too weird not to include.

(by the way, I watched "Things that make you go hmm" bout half an hour ago and failed to come back to fb. But I did love it. So.)

[schoolpsychnerd]

I actually just found Donkeyskin on youtube. Actually it was a part of an anime fairytale series I watched a lot growing up. They call it "coat of many colors". I just thought it was interesting and it reminded me of you.