James, Paula

Dr. Paula James is Senior Lecturer at the Open University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Southampton. She has published a book, articles and chapters on Apuleius’ ancient novel, The Golden Ass, the material for her Ph.D. dissertation. She is known internationally for her work on Apuleius.

Role of the Parrot in Selected Texts From Ovid to Jean Rhys

2006 0-7734-5574-4
This book features the efforts of a group of academics from diverse disciplines that have been working together to highlight the presence of the parrot in selected texts across the centuries. Their common purpose is to demonstrate that fictional parrots invariably function as more than decoration, comedy or badges denoting the eccentricity of their human owners. These versatile and talented birds function as markers for subtle literary techniques. Using the parrot as an interpretative tool the focus is on a range of narrative strategies and metaphorical meanings employed by the authors in question and argue that these are embodied in the attributes of the speaking bird who figures significantly in each work.