Roll Call 2019

[WildeThing]

I've noticed that many of us seem to have applied to the same schools, so our fates are intertwined. I was wondering what fields we're all in, since usually decisions are based on traditional categories (even when they're not exactly accurate). I figure this would be nice to know that way if you see that another Victorianist has been accepted somewhere you know if that's one less person to compete with or if they have probably taken your spot (though of course some places will take multiple students with the same specialization). Similarly, if a Medievalist is accepted at your top school, you can stress a bit less that they weren't REALLY competing with you directly.

So, what are y'all? How do you think schools will categorize you when making decisions?

[WildeThing]

I'm an African-Americanist (mostly 1865-1945), with shades of Postcolonialism and Critical Theory.

[Bopie5]

I'm a Feminist and Gender theorist, primarily in 20th-century poetry! Depending on whether departments are theory driven, genre driven, or period driven, I'll probably be lumped in with Feminist Theory, Poetics, or 20th-C. At Northwestern, I specifically requested the Poetics track, whereas for most other programs I emphasized Feminist/Gender theory.

[RaspyRay]

Hi all! Depending on the program, I'm either in a "literature and the environment" or colonial/postcolonial literature subfield. I'm into poco/eco, particularly in relation to 20th century Anglo/francophone literatures of West Africa, the Caribbean, and the US South. I'm coming from a Comp Lit M.A., but decided to apply to mostly English PhD programs. 

[CHAO_O]

Good Luck Everyone!

 

[illcounsel]

Hey all, 

I am Early Modern with a focus on Queer Theory and Ecocriticism. I applied to a mixture of MA and PhD programs (6 and 4).

Edited December 13, 2018 by illcounsel

[placeinspace]

I'm 20th century American through an urban/spatial and gender lens. I already have an MA so I applied to just PhD programs.

[CaffeineCardigan]

I do literature and the environment/ecocriticism with an interest in Transpacific studies and the ethics of space colonization. Let's do this thing! 

[kef5]

I'm a Medievalist with a focus on book history/material studies!

[brontebitch]

I'm a Victorianist with a focus on poetics, women writers, and reading (affective and cognitive theories of reading) !

[writeshere]

Hi, everyone! I'm an  Americanist with a particular emphasis on constructions of racial identity in the American novel as well as literary history and its engagement with popular culture between the wars (1918-1939; Harlem Renaissance and Lost Generation writers tend to be primary figures I focus on). 

[Matthew3957]

I am a ecocrit/posthumanist mostly interested in gender and 20th/21st century North American fiction.

[FiguresIII]

As I'm sure we all have, I've gone through some quite a few phases. As an undergrad, I was mostly interested in European modernism, queer theory, and critical theory (a la Ranciere, Jameson, Sianne Ngai).

I've since switched to modernist and contemporary novels from the Caribbean and the diaspora (primarily francophone for the moment, think: Glissant, Chamoiseau, Condé). I still love theory but I'm now broadly studying alternative temporalities across a range of fields (poco, Black Studies, queer theory, phenomenology).

I've applied to Comp Lit programs as well as English programs that seemed hospitable to what is in essence a comparative project... We'll see who will have me!

Edited December 14, 2018 by FiguresIII

[jusrain]

I'm probably going to be classified as a cultural studies candidate (which is worrisome for some of the English depts I'm applying to) but I'm focusing on Asian-American and African-American textual/visual culture, specifically Afro-Indian discourse. Not sure which pool(s) I'll be in!

Edited December 15, 2018 by swarthmawr

[Scarlet A+]

I'm applying to PhD programs and marketing myself as a 20th century Americanist, with sub interests in gender & sexuality theory and Southern literature. 

[lyonel_]

I am applying to PhD programs. My research interests are situated somewhere between the intersections of 20th/21st U.S. literature, continental philosophy, and critical legal studies. Those are probably some of the buzz-words that would be in my grad student profile *fingers crossed*

[jadeisokay]

I'm applying to comp lit and a film studies program. mostly wanting to do stuff with soviet modernism, filmmaking before and after the thaw, and notions of collective memory and war trauma. 

[havemybloodchild]

I'm interested in intersections of marginalization (mostly) in modern literature, with a focus on feminism and women's writing.  I think the novel that best sums up my interests is Ana Castillo's So Far from God, in which she discusses feminist issues and queerness, alongside Chicana identity and disability, amongst other topics.  I'm also fascinated by disability poetics, which is why I'm hoping I actually get into Ohio State this year (was wait listed last year)- they have a seminar on disability studies that I would be so happy to attend.

Edited December 16, 2018 by kendalldinniene

[The Wordsworthian]

I will most likely be classified as a Romanticist, but also largely interested in studying poetry and poetics as well as Queer literature. 

[BeachBum]

Hello everyone! Transatlantic modernism + digital humanities here!