(I apologize in advance for what turned out to be a really long response that kind of answers your question but mostly rambles. Feel free to stop reading at any point.)
That’s great (Re: your senior thesis and grad school plans). At the moment I’m in my third year of grad school, which involves studying for my impending comprehensive exams (eek). If the exams go well, I’ll be due to submit a proposal for the dissertation in a few months.
I don’t know yet what my argument will be. You might remember from one of my previous posts that I’m interested in the Revolution in British literature from 1789 to 1914, but I think for the dissertation I would probably focus on the high Victorian period.
As you’re probably aware, literary critics that write about British literature of the 1790s often discuss the significance of the Revolution to the genre of Gothic fiction in particular (e.g., “terror” in both the political and supernatural sense). In fact, yours truly wrote a lengthy seminar paper on Ann Radcliffe’s sympathies toward the Revolution in *The Mysteries of Udolpho* of 1794 (see my recent journal entry, if you care to know a few details).
But, anyway, I’m also interested in the Gothic elements of the Victorians’ treatment of the Revolution. There’s some bizarre stuff out there. Have you ever read *Zanoni* (1842) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton? It’s a story about the occult (Bulwer-Lytton was a card-carrying Rosicrucian) set during the Revolution. Of course, this guy is the one responsible for the sentence “It was a dark and stormy night,” so you can imagine what kind of literary merit the novel offers. Still - interesting.
I’m also determined to somehow discuss Camille Desmoulins, who always seems to make a cameo in these novels. The Victorians tend to be fans of his. Not a surprise, but - what strikes me is *why* they like him, which has less to do with politics and more to do with gender and domesticity. As Claretie puts it, “l’amour de sa femme, le roman de sa vie, fait oublier même la réalité de son histoire.”
I’d be interested to hear more about your senior thesis. Also, you’ve probably already applied to your MA program, but if you want any general grad school advice, I’d be happy to answer your questions.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2011-11-08 11:31 pm (UTC)That’s great (Re: your senior thesis and grad school plans). At the moment I’m in my third year of grad school, which involves studying for my impending comprehensive exams (eek). If the exams go well, I’ll be due to submit a proposal for the dissertation in a few months.
I don’t know yet what my argument will be. You might remember from one of my previous posts that I’m interested in the Revolution in British literature from 1789 to 1914, but I think for the dissertation I would probably focus on the high Victorian period.
As you’re probably aware, literary critics that write about British literature of the 1790s often discuss the significance of the Revolution to the genre of Gothic fiction in particular (e.g., “terror” in both the political and supernatural sense). In fact, yours truly wrote a lengthy seminar paper on Ann Radcliffe’s sympathies toward the Revolution in *The Mysteries of Udolpho* of 1794 (see my recent journal entry, if you care to know a few details).
But, anyway, I’m also interested in the Gothic elements of the Victorians’ treatment of the Revolution. There’s some bizarre stuff out there. Have you ever read *Zanoni* (1842) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton? It’s a story about the occult (Bulwer-Lytton was a card-carrying Rosicrucian) set during the Revolution. Of course, this guy is the one responsible for the sentence “It was a dark and stormy night,” so you can imagine what kind of literary merit the novel offers. Still - interesting.
I’m also determined to somehow discuss Camille Desmoulins, who always seems to make a cameo in these novels. The Victorians tend to be fans of his. Not a surprise, but - what strikes me is *why* they like him, which has less to do with politics and more to do with gender and domesticity. As Claretie puts it, “l’amour de sa femme, le roman de sa vie, fait oublier même la réalité de son histoire.”
I’d be interested to hear more about your senior thesis. Also, you’ve probably already applied to your MA program, but if you want any general grad school advice, I’d be happy to answer your questions.