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ahembree

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Posts posted by ahembree

    Last resort MA

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Well, as another poster stated [on a different thread] there is no backup at the grad level: if you applied to PhD programs and didn't get in, then most likely, an MA should have been your first choice rather than a last-minute backup...And please remember that it is insulting to those that applied to MA's as first choices that you refer to MA's as backup degrees. In fact, most MA and PhD programs have the same deadlines and a lot of applicants apply to both so that they do not end up in such a predicament.

    .

    Yikes! I hope I didn't come off as offensive to people applying solely to MA programs. That was not at all my intention. What I neglected to mention was that I had no idea that funded MA programs even existed (as opposed to unfunded ones) until well into the application process. I in no way mean that an MA is an inferior degree. In fact, I should have found more funded MA's to begin with, as I would love the chance to refine my interests further. I guess the phrase "last resort" is really the issue. The fault lies with me for waiting though, not with MA programs being MA programs.

    Last resort MA

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Update: I noticed an acceptance for Villanova's Master's in English just went up. The deadline for funded apps is tomorrow, as far as I can tell, so I'm really curious to know if there is a rolling admissions policy. In the past, the program seems to have notified in late March.

    If the post was in error, totally cool. If not, awesome! Feel free to PM me if you like, as I'd love to know if there has been some kind of change in how the department evaluates apps. In the wake Ph.D-ejection, a funded M.A. is starting to look like a great port in the storm...

    Lit, Rhet, Comp - Chat Thread

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I keep getting calls from some Tacoma, Washington number. Something about redeeming a cruise giveaway blahblah. At least I didn't apply to any schools near there. If it isn't that it's my alma mater asking for donations, which I find hilarious. Still, every time I wonder, "What if one of my POI's used to live in this area code and it's his/her cell? And, "like an Alzheimer's patient," I pick up the phone...

    http://www.myspace.com/video/dan/lewis-black-candy-corn/7264713

    Movie Adaptations?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I agree! There have been some pretty cool Shakespeare film interpretations recently. That one and Anthony Hopkin's Titus (the Marcus/Lavinia scene especially was interesting) have been my favorites.

    I LOVE Anthony Hopkins. He was perfect for the role. I also remember enjoying Colin Firth's Iago in Othello, but that was ages ago.

    Movie Adaptations?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I remember being very disappointed by the Jim Caviezel (sp?) version of The Count of Monte Cristo. It may well have been an entertaining movie on its own, but it essentially butchered a very intricately orchestrated revenge tragedy. I love the BBC Sherlock (why aren't there more episodes?!) as well.

    For some reason I couldn't finish Everything is Illuminated. I may have actually misplaced it. After seeing the film I wish I had, as I really enjoyed it. Also I thought Tom Hanks was spot on for Thomas Schell in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

    I recently saw Ian McKellan's Richard III on Netflix, which I thought was a pretty cool character study on his part.

    Anyone want to claim that NYU?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    ...if anything let's just agree that chances for the remaining spots are much much slimmer now. So basically the same position we've been in: despair.

    On the bright side, it does not appear that wait list notifications have trickled out yet. Hope springs infernal. Also interesting to note that (based on admissions page estimates), Forum users seem to make up around 2/3 of the incoming class.

    Critical Theory Reading List

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I'm excited to see someone else interested in Performance Studies! Check out David Bevington's Murder Most Foul, which I am enjoying right now. Also, David Kastan's Shakespeare After Theory is an interesting read so far. Obviously I'm a little bent toward the bard, but I would really like to read more about contemporary works as well. I'm particularly interested in identity creation, i.e. how a writer, director and actor create in different ways with the same text. Anyone have good recommendations?

    how do you justify studying literature?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted · Edited by ahembree

    How does one defend capital-T Theory, which dominates the discipline? Literary theory has gone beyond mere close reading and has now encompassed other "texts" beyond the literary (a good thing, in my opinion, as "literariness" is very diaphanous). The general populace, as well as academics in a variety of fields, castigate Theory for being inherently political, poorly-argued, and fiendishly faddish.

    What do you think? :blink:

    Sometime around my Sophomore or Junior year, I decided that Critical Theory was a realm reserved for brilliant people who didn't know how to write. I can chalk this up primarily to a lack of exposure, but also to the fact that I had (and still have) the opinion that a reader stands more to gain from great fiction, poetry or media than from a densely articulated theory.

    That being said, the primary reason I want a Ph.D. is to teach. One need not read the Norton Anthology of Criticism to write the next great American novel, but teaching occupies a different set of goals. My favorite professors presented each lecture/seminar as an argument to attack or defend. They were able to do that because they had spent years/decades teaching themselves new ways to think, read and write about literature, language, film, etc. Theory provides a lens, changeable, it is true, but nevertheless a new way of understanding. I wouldn't want to appear before any audience, of students or peers, without that capability. Thus, Critical Theory will be a major focus for me.

    Comparative Lit vs. Traditional Lit Program

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I was once encouraged by a grad student to go the comparative route rather than traditional, and I have to admit that I am still toying with the idea. Nevertheless, I am afraid that my language preparation is not quite adequate. I double-majored in English/Italian, but it will have been two years since my last Italian class when I enter a program. I feel confident that I can get back into form fairly quickly, but I feel much less confident about any second foreign language. Most comp lit programs I have seen require two foreign languages, and the only other experience I have is with Latin in high school. As most of my interests are Renaissance forward, that wouldn't really lend itself to a dissertation. I would be all about delving into French or German, as both would be very useful for philosophy/critical theory, but I'm not sure applying with little/no expertise in a second language is advisable.

    In summation, I guess I'm aiming for more of an English Ph.D. with a comparative focus. Some departments play very nicely with each other, so I'm not sure if I need to take the comparative plunge to meet my needs. If anyone has thoughts about the language requirement, though, I would love to hear them. I was also unaware that comp lit's prospects were much better job-wise.

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