Study Resources

Othering a Guest   Shan Morgain.

(The Self and the Other: Swansea, 10 October 2014)

Actually managed to get the pics to work this time. All went well except for having to climb THREE flights of stairs because no one fixed the lift.

Matt Wall chaired my panel and sent me feedback. I won’t give all the detail but here are the main points:

You presented with considerable authority and passion for your subject, you used humour and had a style that was informative, while inviting and informal.

The visuals/slides that you used were informative and nicely designed, while there was a little trouble with the software at the beginning of the talk, you overcame this well.  [groan]

Matt thought I should have made my concept of othering more specific.  The 20 mins time limit is a tyranny! but the criticism is an important one. Perhaps a quick image display next time.

Even more interesting Matt questioned me on whether the othering of Guest was by academic or popular response? I did not know how to answer at first which shows how good the question was.  I returned to it later, and explained that the attitudes I had seen were in the Introduction sections of the Mabinogi books, including popular translations. So although the othering is at its core, academic, there are readers ‘in the wild’ who do read introductions and ould be influenced by them. Also key points like Guest being an English upper class lady are on many websites where the Mabinogi is briefly  introduced.

Thanks Matt for a generous review and thoughtful critique.

Dwy iaith, dau ddiwylliant? / Two languages, two cultures?
Sept 6 Council Chamber, National Library of Wales.
Coordinator: Mary Constantine.

Finally my first presentation this time round in my second postgrad life. Very nice to return to CAWCS at Aberystwyth as a (junior) presenter. With dear John at my side of course.

The hotel was rubbish, the dinner booked on arrival was not at all as ordered. No breakfast in the morning, most unpleasant man who when we left (on time) at 9am ordered us to go which we were glad to do. Then we got in early, tested my presentation images, all worked fine. But no breakfast did mean being tired as the long morning passed. When it was my turn the tech stubbornly refused to run! No carefully prepped pics. Embarrassing.

Everyone was extremely kind about it, and understood. In the end my little piece “Here Be Dragons” on the bridging between two languages and its challenges, was well received.  M. Wynne Thomas turned out to be not at all a stuffed shirt trailing titles, but a canny and generous elder statesman. Mary Constantine was strikingly efficient and welcoming. The debate was fascinating; it reminded me of early feminist days when we felt so grateful of chances to get together. Good to feel less isolated.

My conference diary 2015 until the summer, updated. Abstracts will be uploaded both here and on Academia.edu
I’m aiming to complete my general review of Mabinogi scholarship summer 2015 which will generate lots for the site. In the autumn I will move to more focus on my own theories. However these are already leaking into my presentations.

Thurs 19 FEB. 3pm. SWANSEA MEMO (Centre for Mediaeval and Early Modern Research) Director: Prof. Daniel Power. Reading group for mediaevalists.
A triadic prompt for discussion. 1) The Mabinogi. 2) Rhiannon as ‘Tour Guide’ to my research. 3) This website as a research tool, why and how. More info.

Sat 28 FEB Sun 1st MARCH: BRISTOL Conference ‘Rule and Recreation.’
Presenting Sat. 10.45 ‘Exemplars and Shadowplay’ Mabinogi as exemplar of lordly rule; polarity of ideals and cautionary models.

Sat and Sun 20-22 MARCH: FALMOUTH. Conference, ACSIB (Association of Celtic Students of Ireland and Britain). Celtic Studies. Presenting ‘The Mystery of the Three Matriarchs of Britain.’ (Day/ time TBC)

Fri MARCH 27-29: GREGYNOG Conference, AWWE (Assoc. Welsh Writing in English) ‘The Country and the City.’ Presenting ‘Mabinogi Man: Pwyll and Manawydan.’ (Day/ time TBC)

Sat Sun APRIL 11/12 LONDON UCL Conference, EMICS (Early Medieval Interdisciplinary Conference Series). ‘Stories and Storytelling in the Medieval World.’ Presenting Sat PM ‘The oldest prose stories of Britain: the Mabinogi as political project.’

Fri/Sat 17/18 APRIL OXFORD, St. Edmund’s hall. Conference, Medium Aevum. ‘Colour.’ Presenting Sat. 10:45 ‘The Golden Thread: an example of Mabinogi subtlety.’

Fri – Mon 1-4 MAY LONDON Conference. ‘Medieval London and the World.’ Presenting ‘In Defence of the London Ravens’ Defense: deconstructing a deconstruction.'(Day/ time TBC)

Tues JULY 7 LEEDS IMC (International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds) “The Use and Abuse of the Middle Ages in Modern Society.” Presenting Tues 7th panel 4.30-6.00 “The Once and Future Mabinogi”