Thesis Theater Recording
Event Announcement
On May 18, 2017, at 7pm EDT, recent graduate of Signum University’s M.A. in Language & Literature Kat Sas will discuss her thesis, “‘We’re All Stories in the End’: The Place of Doctor Who in the Fairy Tale Tradition.”
Thesis Abstract
More than one fan of Doctor Who, and even several writers of the show itself, have called the long-running series “a fairy tale.” Previous scholarship, however, has focused merely on the show’s allusions to the established canon of fairy tales or made vague references to its sometimes whimsical tone. This essay proposes instead that Doctor Who’s status as a fairy tale results from its emulation of the traditional structure, ethics, and artistic mood of the genre.
Beginning with the historical and literary context of the fairy tales, the essay traces Doctor Who’s adaptation of the form and function of the genre, using its themes, tropes, and techniques to become one of the most beloved and influential examples of the literary fairy tale existing today.
About the Presenter
Katherine Sas currently works in academic administration at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She earned her B.A. in English Literature from Messiah College and has recently completed her master’s degree in English from Signum University, specializing in Imaginative Literature. She has published essays in More Doctor Who and Philosophy and Harry Potter for Nerds II, presented papers at Mythmoot conferences and the CS Lewis and Inklings Society Conference, and participated in several Signum panels on film and TV. She currently blogs about imaginative storytelling in all mediums at ravingsanity, and co-hosts a TV podcast on Doctor Who, the Buffyverse, and Battlestar Galactica called Kat and Curt’s TV Review.
