Is a PhD like a HT bus?

Three weeks of being ill with some vague virus that has seen me hover between work and home trying to shake a rather persistent bug has seen some good. I have finally translated Til Kildrene! by Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen into English from Danish with the help of translating software, and when that doesn't seem to make sense a Danish dictionary. I wanted to read what Olden-Jørgensen was presenting to his audience about source criticism and the use of artefacts. All I could find was wikipedia references from what looked like the same original source.

In the Epilogue (page 84) I found this gem that I think relates not just to scientific research also to my PhD. I have taken a few stop-offs on the journey to explore other interesting research, and have at times been gripped by the feeling 'I may be on wrong bus' or worse, 'I shouldn't have got on!' Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the journey.

A scientific text should be short, be like a HT bus: First, you get in the front after having verified number and destination. Then you sit down and take the journey through the city, which is not necessarily the shortest, but a sure path to the goal. You are not disturbed by suddenly driving through neighborhoods you did not expect to pass through, and above all, are not gripped by the feeling of having taken the wrong bus. In due time the arrival and success of the journey is announced by the driver, and you can leisurely exit the bus. Olden-Jorgensen, 2001.

I have enjoyed reading the book and wonder why there is a store of knowledge that we do not/cannot access because it needs to be translated.

Comments

Judged by the audience.

I started this blog as a way to reflect on intriguing aspects of my research. I wonder about who is reading this blog? It is nice to get emails and the occasional comment. I ponder about the regular visitor from Slovenia and am delighted that I was discovered by Heyne family members quite by accident. The most visited posts are: A PhD! What's in it for me? Sept 12,2010 Teaching in the blood Oct 19, 2010 Rosalie's Reward Oct 16, 2010 Tassie Tales Aug 15, 2010 Toxic Friendships Jun 19, 2010 Producing a poster - AARE Conference Oct 24, 2010 So... how popular are the Grimms? March 6 2011

My Thesis - what's it about?

I am always thrilled to be contacted by those who by chance find my blog. I have been blogging for three years and am hoping to complete my first draft by the end of the year. I thought it timely to re-publish what has already been published. The following is from my presentation at the University of Kassel, Germany. In 1904 Olga Ernst, a pupil teacher, wrote Fairy Tales from the Land of the Wattle. Although she was just sixteen years old, Ernst was one of a small group of writers in Australia who attempted to nationalise the fairytale towards the end of the nineteenth century, signalling quite clearly that they intended to affix the elves and fairies of Europe onto the Australian landscape aiming to fill a void that was keenly felt by the children of emigrants and the Australian-born children of emigrants. (Walker, 1988) The beginnings of the Australian bush fantasy genre can be linked with the desire to bring the comfortable and familiar into the new and distinctly non

A new audience for 'old' Australian fairy tales?

The Internet offers collaborative possibilities as well as the ease of sharing. This blog, maintained as a writing tool for five years, has shared research that may not appear in my thesis. It also explored the personal narrative of a PhD journey as well as my relationship with Ernst’s work. Interested relatives and other acquaintances interstate and overseas discovered my blog through search engines. They have added to the research data available in State and Lutheran archival records and made personal papers and photographs available. Patterson and Lindberg (1991) claim that, ‘the private papers of authors and artists are important to the cause of learning’ (218) on two levels: one to allow insight and understanding about, the creative process of the author and at another as the ‘cultural heritage’ of how an author’s work has shaped or reflected for the reader, their environment. Relatives who have contacted me through my blog have offered further insight through their anecdotes, p

Early Australian fairy tales

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