Ms Alice Gibson

Research project: The Philosophical Fable: Case Studies

Abstract

This project is an examination of the fable from a philosophical perspective. It addresses an aporia in modern genre theory, in which the fable's tendency to veer onto philosophical terrains, and the reasons underlying this, have been overlooked in the efforts made to provide a characterisation of the fable, both in classical scholarship and in the field of comparative literature.

It attempts to put the 'philosophical fable' center stage, setting out an overview of the status of contemporary debate concerning the fable in its more general form, allowing me to situate my more specific enquiry. The study then examines the important instances where philosophy and the fable have converged, focusing largely on Leopardi's "La Ginestra" and Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", and throughout seeks to uncover the characteristics of the philosophical fable, which lend it its emancipatory power, striving to ultimately reveal the anatomy of a philosophical tool at our disposal.

  • Research degree: PhD
  • Title of project: The Philosophical Fable: Case Studies
  • Research supervisor: Professor Howard Caygill

Biography

A particular area of interest in my academic studies to date has been in the aesthetics of resistance, which has led to me to study Adorno, Kafka, Agamben, Sartre and Camus and to organise and participate in conferences associated with this broad theme. My career to date has been that of an Information Professional working in archives and a number of libraries in Higher Education Institutions.

Areas of research interest

  • Continental Philosophy
  • Aesthetics
  • Feminism

Qualifications

  • MA, Cultural and Critical Theory (Philosophy), University of Brighton
  • BA Hons, Humanities, University of Brighton
  • Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)

Funding or awards received

  • The British Society of Aesthetics Travel Stipend
  • The British Society for Literature and Science (BSLS) Postgraduate Conference Bursary
  • Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts (SLSA) Travel Award
  • Awards from Kingston University's Graduate Research School Activity Fund