Thanks to the collegial support of Jane and Kay, I, Michael, was able to explore aspects of Mother Goose and nursery rhymes that had been of importance to me for a number of years. Despite the relative maturity of my research in this area, collaborating with colleagues and graduate students on the Eclipse Project allowed me to see familiar material in new ways and to make several fresh and (I think) exciting discoveries. The points I've raised in my paper about the deep iconography of the Mother Goose figure, and its significance for nineteenth American audiences, were directly nurtured and enhanced by the collaborative theatre of the Eclipse project.

I found it particularly helpful to listen to Jane's and Rebecca's perceptions of 20th century figurations of Mother Goose, both for the underlying paradigms they so clearly share with 19th century figuration and for the subtle shifts in cultural orientation they suggest. I discover, I am more firmly engaged by the possibility of better understanding the 19th century for having been offered a clearer perspective on the 20th. In this respect, as in others, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be "Eclipsed" and refreshed by the collective experience. As the first phase of Eclipse passes, I am excited about the growth potential of the project and the project's potential to begin to engage the growth of others.