Thought฀Catchers.฀An฀Artist฀Talk ADELHEID MERS Introduction This introduction could be a pre- or post-amble to »Thought Catchers.« It could also be an extended footnote, placed at its »hinge«, as you will see in a moment. »Thought Catchers« is a »Kunststück,« not in the sense of a piece of art, but rather of acrobatics. It performs. This is indicated by its subtitle, »an artist talk«. Formally, it is a ring composition. It emerged as such, fully formed. I recognized its structure because I read Mary Douglas’ book, Thinking in Circles (Douglas s (Douglas 2007), which she opens by speaking about her motivation to write it, citing the disrespect the form receives, either because it is not recognized as meaningful, or because it is perceived as outdated. It is perceived as outdated because it is assumed to be grounded in oral tra- dition. The form has withered away with the rise of writing and associat- ed linear thinking. Here is a sketch of the structure of my text, an intro- duction (Straw Star), followed by descending sections on the left, con- nected by a hinge to the ascending sections on the right, completing the circle with a »latch« that attach- es it to the introduction. Sections on the left and right are parallel, mean- ing their content is related: Diagram of Thought Catchers as ring composition (2017) © Adelheid Mers. Brought to you by | De Gruyter / TCS Authenticated Download Date | 10/19/17 5:24 PM