2011 MMLA Convention; A Literary Shelter for Misfit Dolls- Proposal

For Those interested; my panel proposal, deadline now July 11, 2011. Please email proposals for papers to me at etsag1998@aol.com;

Ellen Tsagaris/M/MLA Revised Proposal



A Literary Shelter for Misfit Dolls; Exploring Doll Play

Dolls have existed since the Stone Age and appear often in literature, but the significance of doll play has not been addressed. “Literary Dolls” are often bedraggled objects that resemble inhabitants of Rudolph’s Island of Misfit Toys. Yet, children love them because, like them, their dolls are imperfect. Laura’s doll in Little House in the Big Woods, a handkerchief wrapped corncob, is both an object of pity and a beloved toy. Dicken’s Jenny Wren repairs dolls to find the perfect form her own crippled body denies her. Papers could address how dolls provide companionship, why children prefer simple dolls or “misfit” dolls, how imaginative children create dolls out of anything, how dolls become ritual objects, etc..