The Circus as Metaphor

The Circus as Metaphor is a book in search of a publisher.

The story behind the book is this: On the Monday prior to my Thursday evening dissertation orals, it occurred to me that I did not know what I had been studying for five years. That was a shocking realization. I knew the details. I had written my dissertation and done other projects, all of which my dissertation committee would be familiar with. Still, I did not have a way of summarizing the focus of my study.

Later that same day it hit me, a realization both shocking and amusing: FOR FIVE YEARS I HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE CIRCUS!

I went to the library and checked out every book on the circus that I could find. I took slides of acrobats, tight rope walkers and clowns. Overnight processing of the slides (this is long before PowerPoint) gave me the time I needed to create the presentation I then made to my committee.

What follows is that presentation. Over the years, I have tried to get permission for the use of the photos used in the presentation. Every time I tried, it proved too arduous a task. A would-be publisher would have that task. Still, I have yet to see a book about the circus that offers the point of view offered here.