Dr. Old Bill

This past semester I read an essay by her about homosexual themes in Henry James' The Pupil. I was initially shocked (in a bad way) by the brutal frankness of her language, but realized after the fact that it's so damn memorable that it is worthy of admiration. I'm not a big fan of theory to begin with (in that I don't like the tendency to retroactively apply new theoretical constructs to old works), but Stockton's breakdown of The Pupil was so bold and stark that it's impossible to look at the novella without thinking of some of her assertions.

Off-topic, but...have you read any Kathryn Bond Stockton? I think she has a few essays in that ballpark.

Yeah, it's one of those good-yet-bad situations. It's good in that there will theoretically be more slots available for the rest of us, but bad in that it is for legitimate reasons: the job market is quite bad. Not as bad as in other fields, mind you...but still bad. I'm glad that I've had a fair amount of life and work experience already. It has given me the valuable skill of being able to adapt quite well. The way I see it, I'll be in grad school for five or six years, getting paid to study the whole time, and will come out with a Ph.D. This makes the process sound simplistic, but at the core of it, barring poor performance or other program-affecting issues, it really is a "secure job" for five or so years. Sure, the "pay" isn't great, but it's a job...in a field I love, no less. And when I come out of it, I will have a Ph.D. Whether this degree allows me to get a job in academia is a blend of luck, patience, and a personal willingness to adapt to and/or accept something below what might be preferable. And I can do that. But if there simply aren't any jobs in academia? I figure that having a Ph.D. in English can be used in a variety of fields, whether for arts organizations, non-profits, think groups, consultancy groups, publishing houses, journals, prep schools, various administrative organizations... It will sure as hell put me ahead of where I'd be with just a B.A., and possibly / probably with just a M.A. So yes. The job market sucks. And as usual, each of us has had to decide whether or not going down this path is worthwhile. I do believe that an awareness of market considerations when going into the process should promote a spirit of adaptability all the way through, however. Statistically speaking, even among those of us who manage to get accepted to a Ph.D. program and also manage to complete it, only around half of us will wind up getting a tenure track job. Strangely enough, I don't find those odds too daunting though, especially when I'm open to a wider range of possibilities than just a career in academia (though that is, by far, my first preference at this time).

^ What Fancypants said. I suspect that publications from other fields can help an application. Getting stuff published (even if it's poetry or lower-level writing) shows that you've been through the publication cycle, so to speak: you've assembled something for submission, sent it off, bore the waiting period, and (probably) experienced rejection. Usually more than once. It demonstrates a unique kind of experience that, frankly, some people are just not cut out for. Some people take rejection really hard...as in "questioning one's self-worth" hard. For an adcomm to see that you have, in fact, gone through the cycle and are still soldiering on goes some way toward confirming your resiliency. I don't think a C.V. matters too much, but for my own part I'm glad I had the opportunity to list a bunch of non-academic publications. There's a solid chance that it won't have any effect on an adcomm's decision about me as an applicant, but there's also a chance that it could. And that latter chance makes it worthwhile.

I would venture to guess (with the usual "blind leading the blind" caveat) that a manuscript in circulation doesn't carry a lot of weight. After all, even bad manuscripts can be in circulation. Yet I would mention it on your C.V., simply with "in circulation" in brackets above any of your other publications. That's just what I would do though. Two cents and all that.

No. I was whining about it over the summer and early autumn, particularly after reading such lengthy and informative threads from years past. It's probably just an anomaly this year. Then again, it's possible that all the (justifiable) doom and gloom over the state of the industry has finally started to dissuade a lot of would-be graduate applicants. At my current college, I've only come across one other person who is applying to English Ph.D. programs. I don't socialize much, given the age gap, and the distance I live from campus, but I still find it odd that I haven't come across more graduate hopefuls, given the relative prestige of my school.

Mine are all formatted thus: “Poem Title,” Journal, no. 19, September 2011 I probably looked at a style guide for reference at the time, but can't recall specifically.

*feverishly starts on an 18th application*

Considering that their application window doesn't close for another three weeks, I'm thinking not. They don't, to the best of my knowledge, do rolling admissions.

Proflorax, that's admirable beyond words. Seriously. Part of the reason I say that is that I think I will be one of those scholars / educators who doesn't address current issues like these, unless it is by way of relating it to whatever material I happen to be teaching at the time...which, given the "history repeating" nature of human conflict, is always quite possible. I had a great, albeit small, research seminar this past semester entitled "The Role of the Child in Victorian America." It was ostensibly focused on literature, and we did indeed read several important mid-19th century thematically child-oriented works, like Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little Women, The Lamplighter, What Maisie Knew etc., but the professor (who is fantastic, I might add) made a point of tying a lot of the issues revolving around children in these works to contemporary issues, such as Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, the South Korean ferry disaster etc. In fact, much of our coursework consisted of "response papers" that could be about anything within the spectrum of childhood studies and related literature. As a class, we even attended a panel discussion my college held on the topic of rape and sexual abuse on campus. I was initially a bit miffed about this, as I wanted to deal with the literature we were in the process of reading...but let me tell you, it was a real eye opener to hear the canned, artificial, pre-fab responses of college admin to recent concerns. It was appalling, really, and I realized that things were a lot uglier under the surface than I suspected. And I attend a top, prestigious college! I can only imagine what lurks beneath the surface of similar institutions...not to mention "lesser" colleges. All of these things need to be discussed. Perhaps they need to be discussed ad nauseum, or at least until change DOES occur. The problem we face as current or future scholars and professors is one of balancing relevances, for lack of a better term. The key will be tying present-day concerns into the work we are teaching, and I suppose the better question is should we be? I think the answer to that is "yes," though I suspect that "no" is equally valid and defensible. It comes down to whether one believes that literature is its own thing and current events is another. If we choose to build a bridge between the two, I think our classes can potentially benefit in numerous ways. Yet there is a certain undeniable "safety" in teaching literature as a thing apart from contemporary society, and as the world in our lifetimes will likely have periods where it gets worse than it is now, as well as periods where it is better, I can't really blame professors who choose to teach the discipline in a vacuum.

I had so many application expenses that Visa filed for fee waivers.

Go for it! My only caveat is that you probably shouldn't get too belligerent or specific in your venting, as you never know if an adcomm member will be reading. I make a point of tacitly imagining that anything I write on the Internet could be read by anyone, anywhere, at any time. Not as an ego-stroke, but as a way of remaining civil. I'm very bad at being "political," so I just keep everything open and honest, but slightly discretionary...just in case. Then again, I've probably posted more than anyone else here over the past six months, so I'm probably screwed anyway. P.S.: Welcome, Inkgraduate!

Oh no no...not in the least, little Bat! My comment probably needed a .gif. In fact, had I not been posting rather speedily, I would have posted a .gif of Elaine from Seinfeld saying "Get out!" while pushing Jerry (I did a brief, one-minute search and couldn't find anything suitable, alas). In all honesty (detached from the whole "in-the-process" thing), that's not a bad tactic by adcomms anyhow. If you can't grab the reader with the intro and give them something to take away from the reading with the conclusion, you're probably not a good academic writer. Broad statement, I know, but when you think about it, you see it's mostly true...

Yes, I think MollifiedMolloy's point is a good one. I only list my "relevant" work experience (which is basically two jobs), but the C.V. gives me a chance to list a boatload of poetry publications...which I can only sort of hint at in my SOP without it sounding too MFA-ish. If I didn't include those, it would be a pretty short C.V., really, given that my career plans only shifted in this direction at the end of 2011. If it was a true, "full" C.V., it would be several pages long...but since it's geared toward getting into grad school, it just has stuff that is pertinent to that goal.

For what it's worth, I didn't list months for work experience...just the year. I think it's standard practice to do that on C.V.s I included months on publications though.

Wow. It sure would have saved me a lot of time if I'd known that only two pages of my WS count. What if the last page just has a couple of sentences? Must they be amazing sentences? Seriously though, I wonder how typical that is. It strikes me as a bit dismissive, really.

Not "traditional" historical fiction, but boy do I ever love the Baroque Trilogy by Neal Stephenson. Basically, it tracks a few interrelated stories from the mid-17th to early 18th centuries. Isaac Newton is a character, as are several other personages from that time period. A lot of it is about the formation of natural philosophy -- the first "scientists," really. But a major subplot features a vagabond and his various hijinks amidst other historical happenings. I've read and enjoyed everything by Stephenson, so I'm biased, but since the three books can (in theory) be read independently, start with Quicksilver and see how you like it.

What's wrong with using a typewriter? If it was good enough for Steinbeck, it's good enough for me! Besides, I just recently upgraded: Yeah, I don't know why I made it sound like it would take a lot of time to learn. The trick will be to train myself though, or else I'll invariably start slipping back into MLA habits. Not a bad thing, but if I'm going to do a hybrid MLA / Chicago style, I'd rather do it deliberately!

Funnily enough, I just double-checked my assigned reading list for next semester and THREE of the works on the Modern Library list are on there. Progress!

I must say, generally speaking I far prefer footnotes over endnotes in a text I'm interested in reading. I hate having to flip (or scroll) to the end every time I come across something that needs explanation. However, if there's .pdf on Blackboard that I'm only reading because I have to, I always have a moment of minor bliss when I see that the final four pages are all endnotes. In terms of style, I think Chicago is superior to MLA, but I've never actually used it personally. Assuming I get in somewhere, that's one of my to-do lists for next summer: gain a comprehensive knowledge of Chicago style.

Yeah. This. Totally. I mean, I've always been fairly "well-read," considering that my life until the age of 30 was surrounded by non-literary (and even non-literate!) people. I always had a taste for literary classics. AND YET...there's so much I need to read! I'm constantly encountering books that I feel I really ought to have read by now. It's daunting, really, though also a bit exciting, because it means that it will take all of us a hell of a long time (read: never) to effectively "run out" of important or interesting books to read... I died a little inside when I looked at Queennight's Modern Library link. I've read maybe 1/3 of those novels.

As silly as it sounds, this gave me a big ol' smile. Seriously, this process makes the most insignificant elements seem monumental...

Their Eyes Were Looking At God, the "In Other Words" series version of Their Eyes Were Watching God! Found right next to Stowe's Uncle John's Cabin and Alcott's Tiny Women. (Sorry, if an English major can't tease another English major about a minor typo, who can?) Yeah, I'm between books right now, but read quite a few novels this past semester. Jane Eyre and Northanger Abbey were a couple of "should-have-read-earlier" novels that I quite enjoyed, while Henry James' short story / novella "The Pupil" turned out to be my favorite of his works so far. Wasn't too big on What Maisie Knew, however. As for things I'm planning on reading for pleasure... Believe it or not, I'm actually going to set aside time to read Sidney's A Defence of Poetry. It's short, and it's something I should have read by now already. And a former professor of mine, who I've pretty much become friends with, told me I should "treat myself" over break by reading it. So I probably will! Beyond that, I've got a lot of books I want to get to at some point, so I'll probably just pick one and go with it. Indeed, Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of those books. So maybe I'll give it a shot! My library is starting to fill up with more books that I haven't read than ones I have, so I've got to remedy that somehow. Mind you, a quick glance at my courses for next semester reveals 21 required texts so far (four out of five courses reporting). So maybe I should get a head start on those...

Thanks! It's funny...it feels like they've been "done" for a long while, but realistically, until that emeritus uploaded his final letter this morning, I couldn't legitimately say they were complete... I'm doing a low-carb thing right now, BUT I just chugged an Atkins shake...so that's something!

The emeritus LOR-writer I mentioned the other day has now uploaded his one missing letter, which means that all of my LORs are now in. Huzzah! So unless I screwed something up, like sending a scanned transcript when a program wants a hard copy or something, my applications are officially 100% complete and ready to be pored over.