Musings on Romance Fiction from an Academic Perspective
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Trials & Tribulations of a Travelling Scholar
After we've given you a summary of the romance and chick lit panels at the Feminism & Popular Culture conference, which was held in Newcastle in June, here are some visual impressions of my trip to the north of England. Enjoy!
So are the pigeons there as a visual metaphor for chick lit, or is it that pigeons are really flying dinosaurs, which makes them pretty close to being tiny dragons?
Ask your average paleontologist who is familiar with the phylogeny of vertebrates and they will probably tell you that yes, birds (avians) are dinosaurs. Using proper terminology, birds are avian dinosaurs [...] Like all other reptiles, birds have scales (feathers are produced by tissues similar to those that produce scales, and birds have scales on their feet). Also, birds lay eggs like other reptiles. (University of Berkeley)
Damn your eyes Schwab, just when we were getting to the exciting bit to be continued comes up. Unfair.
This is called a cliffhanger, Wendy. *g* I'm so mean, I know. *ggg*
So are the pigeons there as a visual metaphor for chick lit,
No, no, they stand for our romance panel -- because they were obviously courting. Or rather the male pigeon was strutting around the female pigeon in order to impress her. In the rain. I say he still needs to work on his timing ...
or is it that pigeons are really flying dinosaurs, which makes them pretty close to being tiny dragons?
Cool. I didn't know that!
The pigeons were doing their courting dance in front of the statue of St. George and the dragon. A wartime memorial, but still, if you take that other aspect of St. George into consideration (i.e. not just the dragonslaying part, but also the virgin-maiden rescue), it struck me as a fitting place for romance after all. :)
Damn your eyes Schwab, just when we were getting to the exciting bit to be continued comes up. Unfair.
ReplyDeleteSo are the pigeons there as a visual metaphor for chick lit, or is it that pigeons are really flying dinosaurs, which makes them pretty close to being tiny dragons?
ReplyDeleteAsk your average paleontologist who is familiar with the phylogeny of vertebrates and they will probably tell you that yes, birds (avians) are dinosaurs. Using proper terminology, birds are avian dinosaurs [...] Like all other reptiles, birds have scales (feathers are produced by tissues similar to those that produce scales, and birds have scales on their feet). Also, birds lay eggs like other reptiles. (University of Berkeley)
Damn your eyes Schwab, just when we were getting to the exciting bit to be continued comes up. Unfair.
ReplyDeleteThis is called a cliffhanger, Wendy. *g* I'm so mean, I know. *ggg*
So are the pigeons there as a visual metaphor for chick lit,
No, no, they stand for our romance panel -- because they were obviously courting. Or rather the male pigeon was strutting around the female pigeon in order to impress her. In the rain. I say he still needs to work on his timing ...
or is it that pigeons are really flying dinosaurs, which makes them pretty close to being tiny dragons?
Cool. I didn't know that!
The pigeons were doing their courting dance in front of the statue of St. George and the dragon. A wartime memorial, but still, if you take that other aspect of St. George into consideration (i.e. not just the dragonslaying part, but also the virgin-maiden rescue), it struck me as a fitting place for romance after all. :)