For my short analysis project I am interested in taking a look at Shaggy Dog Stories. Specifically, I want to center around the use of language in the stories. The research question that I settled on after being given time last week to work on it in class was as follows:
"What role does imaginative language play in the telling of Shaggy Dog Stories?"
I feel that this question provides me with a wealth of data for my short analysis project. First, there is no shortage of imagination being used in any of the stories that we read in class/for homework. I plan on examining the more fantastic elements (a panda in a restaurant, a piece of string that can maneuver its way to a bar stool, etc) and see how the language used to present these ideas manipulates our conventional ways of thought.
I believe that the more imaginative the story, the more humorous the payoff. I don't plan on making that my focus, per se, but I do think that the most popular stories in class will have higher levels of imaginative language involved. Off the top of my head I can say that some of the least popular stories did little to engage our imaginations (the story about chess players comes to mind). As a fan of the silly and absurd I think that this kind of research is right up my alley, and I think it could bring many elements of shaggy dog stories to light in the process.
I don't think I will have any trouble mustering up 1000 words for this project. I believe that there will be so much data to work with, and so many conclusions that can be drawn from said data, that I will want to exceed the limit. Of course, for the sake of my own sanity as well as for Dr. Chandler's, I will not go beyond the limit. That, itself, would be ridiculous.
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