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Group Presentation

• 150 points (15% of total grade).
• Fay Sleeping Beauty Must Die.pdf  

 

Directions:

Each group will give a 10-15 minute presentation on one of the assigned critical readings. The presentation should:

1. Identify the thesis and central claims in the article/chapter. 

•  Fay notes the odd shift in Sleeping Beauty from a sleep plot to a cannibalism plot and wants to track the narrative to find out how it got there
• Perrault uses substitution to operate as motor of narrative, drawing the story out, and to drive the tale
• Women who withdraw from societal and narrative order must die

 

1. Give an example of the way the author supports these claims.
1. There are  a series of substitutions in the story: the main substitution of the sleep plot for the cannibalism plot (the sleeping curse to the cannibalistic mother in law) and a series of small substitutions in the story (death curse for a sleeping curse, prince for a king, sleeping beauty for the ogress)
   
   
• Sleeping Beauty and the Ogress strongly resemble each other; both are paradoxical (sleeping beauty is alive yet dead, the ogress destroys her own legacy by wanting to eat her family) both are “narcissistic” and isolated, and both have the power to alter the narrative (Sleeping Beauty’s death would end the story prematurely). 
• The analysis of these claims are that women who withdraw from society are dangerous, and must die. The Sleeping Beauty technically dies once she is awakened after 100 years of sleep and is transformed from a withdrawn sleeping girl into a wife, mother and Queen. Likewise, the Ogress isolates herself from society in breaking from its norms and thus dies a terrible death. 
  
2. Evaluate the argument. Is it strong? Does it use strong evidence? How does it relate with other scholarship we have read in this class?
1. Overall, Fay has a strong argument.
   She uses several examples throughout the story to demonstrate this.
   
• Not only does she give these examples, but she analyzes them as well
• After much explanation, and several examples, we are convinced that substitutes throughout the story are essential in not only drawing the plot out, but also in giving “hidden” meanings to the text.
2. Examples Fay uses

• (pg. 266) - "In terms of the narrative progression hiding the princess once again prolongs the story long enough indeed for her to bear two children. Even the naming of the children follows the mechanism of substitution that fuels the narrative: the first Aurore and the second Jour. The names are chosen for both their metaphoric and metonymic power"
• (pg. 260) - "...noting similarities between the character and the spurned wife in "Sole, Luna e Talia." Jean Morgan maintains that the narative incongruites result from Perraults twin desire to remain true to his source and adhere to liteary rules of bienseances." - pg 260 

1. Relations to other scholarships
1. In relation to other tales:
   
   • Fay includes in article how Sleeping Beauty in the wood alludes to the constant reminder of gendered norms and social order.
• In Perrault's tale not only do we see that if a woman doesn't remain or withdraws herself  from social order, she must die but also  the reoccurring theme that in order to gain her inheritance she must marry or be saved by a man.
1. Post the material for the presentation on the class wiki.
2. Sign up for group BELOW by putting name and WSU email on group page. Limit: 3 people per group. 

 

 

Dayna Hearod  eu6205@wayne.edu
Shacoya Harrison   Ev4083@wayne.edu

Jacquelyn Richards   fa0141@wayne.edu