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Jul. 25th, 2010 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bardic_ladyToday was better than yesterday. I'm still very much in the doldrums about my MA essay though.
Have taken my little bit of research, that Kate Percy is really Elizabeth Mortimer, and turned up not much at all. Obviously, Lady Mortimer-Percy being a medieval woman, I didn't expect hoards of info, but no info is not promising. Also, I just don't CARE that much. I'm not excited at all, which I definitely was about my other idea. Besides, I'm honestly not a focus focus focus minutiae person, so having a topic that's about an inch wide doesn't interest me much in a spend-nine-months-of-your-life kind of way.
So I'm looking into other ideas, things that might actually interest me on that level. The problem is that I now know that I need to already have my topic completely narrowed down and basically in a thesis statement before I present it to my advisor. And I have to be ready to do that in two weeks or less. O hai thar stress.
Right now, what I would like to do is a paper about the process of editing Shakespeare for production, specifically from the director/dramaturg's perspective. Here are my difficulties:
1. I need an angle, why is this paper different from all other papers? (Because this paper we dip twice and read in a recliner while eating lousy crackers)
2. It's a process paper, not necessarily a research paper. Is there a way to make it a research paper? Well, maybe. Probably by focusing on a specific production. But there are Problems with that. Namely, I would need to be able to contact the director/dramaturg, most likely. There would have to be available promptbooks. Now, to me, the obvious answer is UPS's Midsummer because, o hai, I was the dramaturg, contacting the director is easy, the text, both cut and un, is on the wiki, it's all tied up with a bow! BUT. My advisor doesn't like it. She might well consider it a retread which is like unto the kiss of death to her. Also, I don't think she really considers my work on Midsummer real work. (I don't know.)
3. If I don't focus on a specific production, how do I narrow the topic sufficiently for my nitpicky advisor? What's my angle?
Much as I'd love it to be punctuation, I'm not sure that any published text, up to and including the Shakespeare in Production series Cambridge has (though they are excellent for production histories), is actually reliable in terms of punctuation. (I'm a total demon for punctuation in Shakespeare, but I don't really want to do an MA essay on semicolons in Cymbeline. I don't really want to do any kind of paper on Cymbeline, but that's neither here nor there) Having determined that, despite their extensive notes on textual changes, even the Arden editions change punctuation without shame, I have no faith in editorial punctuation at all.
What other narrowing factors are there? Well, obviously, pick a play, any play. But then do I compare multiple editions? Multiple promptbooks? Could I even get multiple promptbooks? Theatres are notoriously bad about archiving things like that, but that's a rant for a different time.
Does anyone else have thoughts on this? I need to work it out and I haven't much time.
Have taken my little bit of research, that Kate Percy is really Elizabeth Mortimer, and turned up not much at all. Obviously, Lady Mortimer-Percy being a medieval woman, I didn't expect hoards of info, but no info is not promising. Also, I just don't CARE that much. I'm not excited at all, which I definitely was about my other idea. Besides, I'm honestly not a focus focus focus minutiae person, so having a topic that's about an inch wide doesn't interest me much in a spend-nine-months-of-your-life kind of way.
So I'm looking into other ideas, things that might actually interest me on that level. The problem is that I now know that I need to already have my topic completely narrowed down and basically in a thesis statement before I present it to my advisor. And I have to be ready to do that in two weeks or less. O hai thar stress.
Right now, what I would like to do is a paper about the process of editing Shakespeare for production, specifically from the director/dramaturg's perspective. Here are my difficulties:
1. I need an angle, why is this paper different from all other papers? (Because this paper we dip twice and read in a recliner while eating lousy crackers)
2. It's a process paper, not necessarily a research paper. Is there a way to make it a research paper? Well, maybe. Probably by focusing on a specific production. But there are Problems with that. Namely, I would need to be able to contact the director/dramaturg, most likely. There would have to be available promptbooks. Now, to me, the obvious answer is UPS's Midsummer because, o hai, I was the dramaturg, contacting the director is easy, the text, both cut and un, is on the wiki, it's all tied up with a bow! BUT. My advisor doesn't like it. She might well consider it a retread which is like unto the kiss of death to her. Also, I don't think she really considers my work on Midsummer real work. (I don't know.)
3. If I don't focus on a specific production, how do I narrow the topic sufficiently for my nitpicky advisor? What's my angle?
Much as I'd love it to be punctuation, I'm not sure that any published text, up to and including the Shakespeare in Production series Cambridge has (though they are excellent for production histories), is actually reliable in terms of punctuation. (I'm a total demon for punctuation in Shakespeare, but I don't really want to do an MA essay on semicolons in Cymbeline. I don't really want to do any kind of paper on Cymbeline, but that's neither here nor there) Having determined that, despite their extensive notes on textual changes, even the Arden editions change punctuation without shame, I have no faith in editorial punctuation at all.
What other narrowing factors are there? Well, obviously, pick a play, any play. But then do I compare multiple editions? Multiple promptbooks? Could I even get multiple promptbooks? Theatres are notoriously bad about archiving things like that, but that's a rant for a different time.
Does anyone else have thoughts on this? I need to work it out and I haven't much time.
no subject
Date: 7/25/10 08:54 am (UTC)(but when I read about the 18th / 19th century pageant productions..whoa...waterfalls, dance numbers?! Ooh just glanced over and saw the BF has "the Romantics on Shakespeare" edited by Bate, wonder what they thot of there contemproraries edits and additions)
How bout Confirmation of MY thesis that Charles Marowitz is a complete asshole with his textual,conceptual rape of the plays? (I got a couple books on him I can send as I keep threatening to burn them)
If you pick one particular play you could put out general calls to any number of regional companies and community colleges etc, I ve worked for several that kept the scripts the actors didnt pay to take home. That would get you the dialog edits at least to create an over view of modern approaches to teh play.
Wow a whole thesis paper on...punctuation. No nO it sounds fascinating,... really. ;) I only pay attention I must admit once Im cast in the role. Ive read em all in different editions but didnt note the punctuation during recreational readings. *lazy actress is lazy*
*reminds herself to check in with more educated actor/director coworkers to see if theres a book on punctuation and how fascinating it is, shudders remembering teh wankery afoot at the theater during the reading of the Hamlet 'Bad' Quarto*
you could work thru Ibsen or Strindberg or another non English speaking playwright focusing on translations thru the years, quality, viewpoints reflecting period or culture of teh translator?
no subject
Date: 7/25/10 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 7/25/10 09:32 pm (UTC)