Please join us for the next installment in our "No More Than A Page" series. This series gives an opportunity for faculty and advanced graduate students to receive feedback on their research in process. Presenters provide attendees with a one-page summary of their current research and attendees engage in a lively discussion.
This month features a presentation by Evan DeCarlo, a graduate student in English and winner of last year's Iles Award.
Evan's project incorporates theory and methods from the folkloristic study of legendry in order to reimagine certain popular mass media hoax narratives as productive sites for the examination of legend structure, transmission, and aesthetics -- along with participatory culture. The question of authenticity has often plagued cultural studies, even leading to the outright dismissal of many materials labeled derisively as "fakelore" and "invented tradition." Conversely, this study of hoax-lore seeks to expand (rather than delimit) the generic parameters of legendry in an attempt to answer the fundamental question, "What exactly rings so true about a well-told lie?"
Case studies include:
The covert guerilla marketing campaign for the popular The Blair Witch Project motion picture.
The spread of the mysterious “Ever Dream This Man?” poster.
The proliferation of the “Slender Man” icon.
This in-person event is free and open to the public.
Download Evan's one page of research in the PDF here:
The Humanities Institute and its related centers host a wide range of events, from intense discussions of works in progress to cutting-edge presentations from world-known scholars, artists, activists and everything in between.
We value in-person engagement at our events as we strive to amplify the energy in the room. But we also recognize the fact that not all our guests will be able to visit our space. Zoom access will be available to this event upon request. If you wish to have such access, or you would like to request other accommodations for this event, please send your request to Connor Behm: behm.42@osu.edu.
