My prospective thesis is that unlike tragedies, the romantic and ekphrastic elements of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale lend a trueness of life to the play, suggesting that those supernatural elements are the reason why the play is unexpectedly realistic.
I found a great group on goodreads called Shakespeare Fans that has read through and talked about many of Shakespeare's plays, so I would definitely suggest checking it out. One of the contributors to The Winter's Tale discussion used a lot of great resources and seemed very knowledgeable about the subject. I messaged him on goodreads with my thesis and an explanation of what I'm thinking about the paper. This was a couple of days ago, and he hasn't responded yet, but I hope that he will! When he does, I'll post about it!
I like your tweethis! I think it's interesting because Dr. Burton said that this play was kind of unrealistic, but the very same elements that make it unrealistic also make it realistic. I REALLY like this idea. You're turning the typical thinking on its head.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think you have something in common with Bailey's thesis (or one version of hers). You might discuss it with her. Right now the ecphrastic (or ekphrastic) isn't clear since it's a foreign term. Also, there are strong leanings toward tragedy being more realistic than comedy (at least in its' verisimilitude regarding suffering, as well as the emotional development of the character and the way audiences relate to his/her tragic flaw). Comedy lacks these compelling and more realistic components (as does Romance). How will you counter that?
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