grad school prep reading list

[la_mod]

Coming from the 2018 venting thread to make a new thread (per the suggestion of @unicornsarereal) about what books we all plan to read in the coming months to prepare for entering a grad program. 

Mine are mostly canonical Modernist texts, but I’m also planning on reading “The Limits of Critique” by Rita Felski, which I’ve been told is a great read for any aspiring scholar. 

What about y’all? 

[punctilious]

I think my husband has a few things he wants to read:

• We Have Never Been Modern by Bruno Latour
• Getting back up to speed on Russian, using The New Penguin Russian Course and the Russian texts we own (novels, short stories, a book on Putin, etc.)
• I saw suggestions for a couple theory overview texts that he may pick up: The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory and Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction
• Perhaps not this summer, but he'll probably pick up French for Reading (as previously recommended by @a_sort_of_fractious_angel, I believe) to work on his second language requirement
• I think Harvard sends out its reading list for the General Exam sometime over the summer, so he'll probably get started on that, too!

Excited to hear what other people are thinking!

[LexHex]

During my M.A. program, I picked up an old Norton Anthology of Literary Theory, and those little blurbs before each excerpt made the difference between night and day for me.

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

 

10 minutes ago, punctilious said:

I think my husband has a few things he wants to read:

• We Have Never Been Modern by Bruno Latour
• Getting back up to speed on Russian, using The New Penguin Russian Course and the Russian texts we own (novels, short stories, a book on Putin, etc.)
• I saw suggestions for a couple theory overview texts that he may pick up: The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory and Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction
• Perhaps not this summer, but he'll probably pick up French for Reading (as previously recommended by @a_sort_of_fractious_angel, I believe) to work on his second language requirement
• I think Harvard sends out its reading list for the General Exam sometime over the summer, so he'll probably get started on that, too!

Excited to hear what other people are thinking!

The French Book is a life saver. May I recommend, @punctilious, Richard J. Lane's Global Literary Theory to you guys - used it for my MA theory seminar. It combines excerpts with overviews and I found it SO useful for learning theory "broadly" as well as discovering authors/texts relevant to my particular projects. Norton is good too, although I cannot remember much that anthology touches on "newer" stuff. 

I'm going to bookmark this thread and come back to it once I've decided where I'm going. Until then, I'll be reading Paul Jay's Global Matters.

[punctilious]

15 minutes ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

 

The French Book is a life saver. May I recommend, @punctilious, Richard J. Lane's Global Literary Theory to you guys - used it for my MA theory seminar. It combines excerpts with overviews and I found it SO useful for learning theory "broadly" as well as discovering authors/texts relevant to my particular projects. Norton is good too, although I cannot remember much that anthology touches on "newer" stuff. 

I'm going to bookmark this thread and come back to it once I've decided where I'm going. Until then, I'll be reading Paul Jay's Global Matters.

Thank you so much! Just put it in my amazon cart haha.

[la_mod]

50 minutes ago, punctilious said:

I think my husband has a few things he wants to read:

• We Have Never Been Modern by Bruno Latour
• Getting back up to speed on Russian, using The New Penguin Russian Course and the Russian texts we own (novels, short stories, a book on Putin, etc.)
• I saw suggestions for a couple theory overview texts that he may pick up: The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory and Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction
• Perhaps not this summer, but he'll probably pick up French for Reading (as previously recommended by @a_sort_of_fractious_angel, I believe) to work on his second language requirement
• I think Harvard sends out its reading list for the General Exam sometime over the summer, so he'll probably get started on that, too!

Excited to hear what other people are thinking!

Ah, I'm so happy to see that people like The new Penguin Russian Course! I'm starting from scratch with Russian and this is the book I've recently picked up (I plan on supplementing it by hanging around my boyfriend's family, ha). French will be my other language and I'm definitely going to get French for Reading too!

Any other suggestions from anyone about learning / improving on languages?

[punctilious]

19 minutes ago, la_mod said:

Ah, I'm so happy to see that people like The new Penguin Russian Course! I'm starting from scratch with Russian and this is the book I've recently picked up (I plan on supplementing it by hanging around my boyfriend's family, ha). French will be my other language and I'm definitely going to get French for Reading too!

Any other suggestions from anyone about learning / improving on languages?

Awesome! To be clear, we have 2-3 years of college Russian and study abroad in St. Petersburg under our belts, so we're using it a bit more like a refresher course--I can't exactly speak to how it'll be for a beginner. But Russian is just wonderful, and if you have native speakers around, that of course is a huge advantage!

[JustPoesieAlong]

I've been building a "dissertation reading list," and trying to prioritize what I need to read over the summer from that. Mostly filling the gaps for early modern primary texts--and wondering if I am the only incoming early modernist who hasn't read X, Y, Z, etc.--and trying to make sure I know who's doing what work in my specialization interest. 

[nichts]

1 hour ago, la_mod said:

Any other suggestions from anyone about learning / improving on languages?

It's great that you're learning Russian! The first few months with a Slavic language are tough. You'll have to sludge through grammar exercises and drill vocab every day. There's just no way around it. I would try not to get distracted by the materials and language-learning commentary online and instead find only a few resources that work for you (a grammar textbook and electronic flashcards at first; newspaper and radio stream later on). If you can't find flashcards specific to your textbook, you can make them yourself through a free app called Anki. I recommend this over memrise, as their decks vary in quality and can be difficult to stick with, and especially over Duolingo, which slows your progress so you see more ads. When a case gives you trouble, try looking at different declension tables, reading explanations from a more technical textbook (focused on linguistics rather than fluency), or organizing the information in different ways until it makes sense. Finally, if you plan to use a language outside of reading, pronunciation is key. You can speak quickly, you can have perfect grammar, but none of it matters if a native speaker can't make out your words. Speak words aloud as you learn them, and once you gain some confidence, start putting on Russian radio at the house. Passive listening can help.

@punctilious Have you seen the Russian cinema wiki? I came across it just two days ago.

[la_mod]

37 minutes ago, Jožin z bažin said:

It's great that you're learning Russian! The first few months with a Slavic language are tough. You'll have to sludge through grammar exercises and drill vocab every day. There's just no way around it. I would try not to get distracted by the materials and language-learning commentary online and instead find only a few resources that work for you (a grammar textbook and electronic flashcards at first; newspaper and radio stream later on).

Thanks! Have you ever used Lingvist? 

[punctilious]

41 minutes ago, Jožin z bažin said:

@punctilious Have you seen the Russian cinema wiki? I came across it just two days ago.

WOW. I had never seen this, it's awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!

[nichts]

25 minutes ago, la_mod said:

Thanks! Have you ever used Lingvist? 

Glad to help! Afraid not. I should probably qualify my earlier post and say this all depends on how you learn. For me, online resources were a distraction, and learning platforms make it easy to get excited about a language only to lose your momentum within the month. Languages don't have to be hard, but they do require a lot of dedication, so find something reliable and build a routine around it if you can. Something like Lingvist might be right for you. Best of luck and feel free to reach out if you have other questions.

@punctilious Most welcome!

[CulturalCriminal]

4 hours ago, la_mod said:

I’m also planning on reading “The Limits of Critique” by Rita Felski,

Reading Felski is always a good idea, even if you aren't operating within her methodology/framework.

I would say don't overlook the values of reading recent scholarly articles or books that are highly valued in your prospective fields/methodologies. Don't be that person in the first grad class talking about something that has been overly played out or not reflective of the current dialogues.

For me, my reading list is mostly crit theory/cultural studies focused (trying to fill whatever gaps I have and expand on my database of summary and quotes). As I'm getting deeper and deeper into the space/place hole, I'm trying to read people who are often discussed by geographers but are rarely mentioned in literary or cultural studies criticism. Also, keeping up with the current novels or comics is always a struggle I try to meet, as I claim to be mostly interested in the contemporary.

That said, it is important to make room for just fun reading that isn't tied to your research interests. Same thing with film, comics, tv, games, etc that aren't tied to research interests. This is double true while you are in grad school; the occasional political satire novel or stand-up special can go along way when you spend all your time being hyper-engaged with Victorian drama. I actually have heard of folks doing research on their 2nd favorite subject, so that they could still causally engage with their first favorite subject in a manner that won't feel like work.

[LibraryLivingJT]

4 hours ago, punctilious said:

I think my husband has a few things he wants to read:

• We Have Never Been Modern by Bruno Latour
• Getting back up to speed on Russian, using The New Penguin Russian Course and the Russian texts we own (novels, short stories, a book on Putin, etc.)
• I saw suggestions for a couple theory overview texts that he may pick up: The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory and Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction
• Perhaps not this summer, but he'll probably pick up French for Reading (as previously recommended by @a_sort_of_fractious_angel, I believe) to work on his second language requirement
• I think Harvard sends out its reading list for the General Exam sometime over the summer, so he'll probably get started on that, too!

Excited to hear what other people are thinking!

Latour is a tough nut to crack, but new materialism isn't really my favorite theory.

[punctilious]

3 minutes ago, LibraryLivingJT said:

Latour is a tough nut to crack, but new materialism isn't really my favorite theory.

He quoted Latour in his SOP so he figures he probably should read more than just “The Berlin Key.” Haha. I think Latour is the theorist he’s most drawn to. 

[LibraryLivingJT]

Hey all! Very excited about this thread!

I plan to read:

Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram Kendi (he spoke at the campus where I teach last year, and it was amazing - looking forward to this book since a lot of my research and pedagogy focuses on racism).

The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee (some of this will be review for me, but some will be new - I have done a lot of work with Asian American lit and plan to continue to do so for my PhD)

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (been meaning to read this one forever)

Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen (the latest work of nonfiction by one of my favorite fiction writers and scholars).

Those are the ones I know I really want to read.

 

 

[LibraryLivingJT]

5 minutes ago, punctilious said:

He quoted Latour in his SOP so he figures he probably should read more than just “The Berlin Key.” Haha. I think Latour is the theorist he’s most drawn to. 

It's interesting stuff - read it in a class on "new" theory and criticism while getting my MA. I think he will like it!

[LibraryLivingJT]

4 minutes ago, LibraryLivingJT said:

Hey all! Very excited about this thread!

I plan to read:

Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram Kendi (he spoke at the campus where I teach last year, and it was amazing - looking forward to this book since a lot of my research and pedagogy focuses on racism).

The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee (some of this will be review for me, but some will be new - I have done a lot of work with Asian American lit and plan to continue to do so for my PhD)

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (been meaning to read this one forever)

Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen (the latest work of nonfiction by one of my favorite fiction writers and scholars).

Those are the ones I know I really want to read.

 

 

I'm also going to see about suggestions when I visit U of Delaware

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

57 minutes ago, LibraryLivingJT said:

Hey all! Very excited about this thread!

I plan to read:

Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram Kendi (he spoke at the campus where I teach last year, and it was amazing - looking forward to this book since a lot of my research and pedagogy focuses on racism).

The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee (some of this will be review for me, but some will be new - I have done a lot of work with Asian American lit and plan to continue to do so for my PhD)

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (been meaning to read this one forever)

Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen (the latest work of nonfiction by one of my favorite fiction writers and scholars).

Those are the ones I know I really want to read.

 

 

Ummm these all look fantastic and I shall be adding them to my list! Thanks for sharing, @LibraryLivingJT

[Dogfish Head]

I think I want to get through two huge novels that have been sitting on my book shelf for forever: Ulysses and The Brothers Karmakov. . 

[unicornsarereal]

Thanks @la_mod for actually starting this thread!

Seconding @LexHex with Norton's Literary Theory anthology; I'll be combing through that. And brushing up on major philosophers. Planning on doing some fluffier reading of The Cave and the Light and then diving into primary texts. Picked up Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins the other day as well. I'd LOVE to also organize the heck out of notes and research I've got for my intended dissertation topic from previous essays. 

 

[Crow T. Robot]

I'm planning on attacking:

• Capitalism and Desire by Todd McGowan (one of the most lucid explicators and imaginative appliers of Lacanian theory out there)
• Some Bataille--thinking about The Accursed Share and Literature and Evil
• A charitable hate read of The Democracy of Objects by Levi Bryant
• Our Aesthetic Categories by Sianne Ngai
• Something on the Russian Revolution--maybe Orlando Figes's A People's Tragedy?
• And, because I hate myself, Capital (Volume 1) and as much of Écrits as I can get through...

Re. catching up on theory reading, I'd definitely second @LexHex's suggestion on the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. I have a syllabus from an excellent theory class I took that used that book for all its readings if anyone is interested!

[CulturalCriminal]

4 hours ago, LibraryLivingJT said:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (been meaning to read this one forever)

Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen (the latest work of nonfiction by one of my favorite fiction writers and scholars).

Both fantastic and both have increasingly informed my own research. I would consider Nothing Ever Dies to be more of a highly successful piece of academic-level writing in American and Asian American Studies, that just so happens to be well written and read by non-profs.

[LibraryLivingJT]

4 hours ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

Ummm these all look fantastic and I shall be adding them to my list! Thanks for sharing, @LibraryLivingJT

Awesome! 

For great fiction, DEFINITELY check out Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Sympathizer - one of my recent favorites

[LibraryLivingJT]

37 minutes ago, CulturalCriminal said:

Both fantastic and both have increasingly informed my own research. I would consider Nothing Ever Dies to be more of a highly successful piece of academic-level writing in American and Asian American Studies, that just so happens to be well written and read by non-profs.

I love Nguyen's style so much, so I'm really looking forward to reading this one - glad to hear even more praise for it than I've already heard!