Norweigan

Abstract

Alf Proysen’s Mrs Pepperpot stories compose a large and manifold material covering a plethora of editions, media, languages, and illustrations. Focusing on how Proysen presented the stories in Norway in an interplay between various media and editions from the midst of the 1950s, this article discusses Proysen’s work in light of Peter Lunenfeld’s notion of “unfinished business”. Originally developed to grapple with computer technology in the era of digital culture, the notion of the “unfinished” also seems as an appropriate perspective on Proysen’s artistic strategy when developing and presenting his Mrs Pepperpot. The article argues that Proysen’s constant reworkings of the stories for new media and editions may have played an important part in developing the Mrs Pepperpot stories as they allowed Proysen to explore and experiment with his little old lady through sound, text, and illustration. Keywords: Alf Proysen; Mrs Pepperpot; children’s literature; Peter Lunenfeld; unfinished Alf Proysen; Mrs Pepperpot; children’s literature; Peter Lunenfeld; unfinished