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"Into the Unknown": Masquerading Fear in Over the Garden Wall

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

In Cartoon Network's first animated mini-series Over the Garden Wall, the main protagonist, Wirt, faces his fears while journeying through the fantastical world of the Unknown with his younger half-brother Greg. Wirt has a range of internal and external fears which can be categorized in two ways: the unknown, which is marked by elements of the fantastic and often physical threat to self; and the mundane, which is an internalized, anxiety-based fear marked by low self-esteem and avoidance. This presentation seeks to complicate Farah Mendelsohn’s ideas of liminal fantasy by analyzing how the show masquerades as an intrusion fantasy, and via the exploration of different types of fear.

Start Date

13-4-2021 10:00 AM

End Date

13-4-2021 11:00 AM

Faculty Advisor

Brooke Wonders

Department

Department of Languages and Literatures

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

Comments

This entry was part of the following session of the event:

  • Session title: Interpretations & Environmental Science; Tuesday, April 13, 2021; 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.; Moderator: Suzanne Freedman.

Electronic copy is not available through UNI ScholarWorks.

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Apr 13th, 10:00 AM Apr 13th, 11:00 AM

"Into the Unknown": Masquerading Fear in Over the Garden Wall

In Cartoon Network's first animated mini-series Over the Garden Wall, the main protagonist, Wirt, faces his fears while journeying through the fantastical world of the Unknown with his younger half-brother Greg. Wirt has a range of internal and external fears which can be categorized in two ways: the unknown, which is marked by elements of the fantastic and often physical threat to self; and the mundane, which is an internalized, anxiety-based fear marked by low self-esteem and avoidance. This presentation seeks to complicate Farah Mendelsohn’s ideas of liminal fantasy by analyzing how the show masquerades as an intrusion fantasy, and via the exploration of different types of fear.