CU Boulder Comp Lit

[Enzian]

Just got a mass e-mail from the Grad Program Assistant that says a lot of things (including an unfortunately worded "your application has been accepted" followed by "and is being reviewed") but notably that they plan to announce decisions the week of March 5-9.

Figured I'd post in case somebody missed it.

Update your spreadsheets accordingly.

[wintergirl]

I applied to their English Lit program and got a similar email. My first heart attack of the season!

Mine says: "The committees will “hopefully” be meeting the 2nd to 3rd week in February and notification from them should be to you by no later than March 15th."

I wish all my programs sent these ETDs--but my heart would definitely give out if I received 12 emails like that. ; )

Edited January 27, 2012 by bespeckled

[Enzian]

Just denied via e-mail. Good luck!

[Ryzhaya]

Just received my acceptance to the Comp Lit MA program with a TA-ship. Super excited because it's the best funding news I've heard so far. Any and all information on the program (or the university and town in general) would be most welcome!

Sorry you weren't accepted, Enzian, and congrats on the UNC admit with funding - - as a fellow Slavic-type, I hope we'll be seeing each other at conferences soon

[Enzian]

Awesome, congratulations! I might try again once I finish up the MA. Do you mind if I ask if you're coming straight from a BA and what your interests are?

Thanks re: UNC -- I'm super excited and if I see you at a conference (I'll be looking for the talking black cat, a la Bulgakov's Бегемот) I'll wave sheepishly.

[Ryzhaya]

So glad you recognized Бегемот! That book was the whole reason I started studying Russian. Besides being interested in Bulgakov (obviously), I'm interested in 20th Century Russian lit in general (particularly Soviet-Jewish authors), the history of Jewish thought, literary theory (especially Bakhtin), and representations of space and the body in literature. And yeah, I applied straight from my B.A., not counting my two very productive years of waiting tables after graduation What about you?

[pelevinfan]

So glad you recognized Бегемот! That book was the whole reason I started studying Russian. Besides being interested in Bulgakov (obviously), I'm interested in 20th Century Russian lit in general (particularly Soviet-Jewish authors), the history of Jewish thought, literary theory (especially Bakhtin), and representations of space and the body in literature. And yeah, I applied straight from my B.A., not counting my two very productive years of waiting tables after graduation What about you?

Okay, so I am SUCH a lurker on this thread because

a) I don't do comp lit

I didn't apply to CU Boulder

So what am I doing here? I guess procrastinating studying for finals. I don't know, I guess it's kind of creepy. BUT I couldn't resist posting after reading your response, Ryzhaya! It seems that people with the same interests as mine are few and far between, but I, too, am interested in 20th Century Russian lit in general, and Soviet-Jewish authors in particular! To date, it hasn't been my primary research interest, but I've kept a paper on representations of time in Mandelstam on the back burner for a couple of years now. I've been focusing mainly on science fiction and fantasy, and obviously Master and Margarita fits in quite nicely :-) I haven't done theory yet (my undergrad isn't too keen on it), but I'm really looking forward to it in grad school. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say that I think that both your Бегемот picture, as well as your interests, are awesome. Ты просто молодец!

*edit to apologize for using ты; somehow, this forum just seems to warrant it. No offense meant!

Edited March 8, 2012 by pelevinfan

[Ryzhaya]

Большое спасибо! (And I always feel weirder using вы with my peers anyway - we're all friends here ). And I'm so glad you commented, because I've certainly been creeping on your posts and wondering where our interests might overlap. And I must say it's nice to see someone with similar interests getting into a PhD program at Yale!

I've only read Жизнь насекомых by Pelevin - - what is your #1 must-read by him? Also, have you read much of Tat'yana Tolstaya? I adore her stuff, and she certainly seems to fit your interests, especially Кысь.

Ahhh it's so nice to nerd out on stuff that's actually in my field - - no offense to all you English folks!

[pelevinfan]

Большое спасибо! (And I always feel weirder using вы with my peers anyway - we're all friends here ). And I'm so glad you commented, because I've certainly been creeping on your posts and wondering where our interests might overlap. And I must say it's nice to see someone with similar interests getting into a PhD program at Yale!

I've only read Жизнь насекомых by Pelevin - - what is your #1 must-read by him? Also, have you read much of Tat'yana Tolstaya? I adore her stuff, and she certainly seems to fit your interests, especially Кысь.

Ahhh it's so nice to nerd out on stuff that's actually in my field - - no offense to all you English folks!

My number one Pelevin must-read would definitely be Омон Ра. It is the first novel he wrote (earlier short stories), and it doesn't have all that much to do with his current work. However, to me, that book is just incredible. Every time I read it, I get something completely different out of it. I personally would steer away from the newer stuff - I haven't had a chance to read Ананасная вода для прекрасной дамы yet, but I haven't heard great things - but in general I prefer his novels to his short stories. I'm currently reading Священная Книга Оборотня and it is WONDERFUL. If I didn't know who the author is, though, I would think it a Sorokin piece - it is really quite vulgar.

I have read some Tolstaya, but unfortunately not Кысь. It's on my reading list for the summer, though!

I hate to clog up the forum, so if you would like to continue to nerd out (yes please!) feel free to PM me.

Oh, and as far as getting into Yale goes, I'm about 80% sure they're going to realize their mistake and rescind my offer any day now...

[Enzian]

So glad you recognized Бегемот! That book was the whole reason I started studying Russian. Besides being interested in Bulgakov (obviously), I'm interested in 20th Century Russian lit in general (particularly Soviet-Jewish authors), the history of Jewish thought, literary theory (especially Bakhtin), and representations of space and the body in literature. And yeah, I applied straight from my B.A., not counting my two very productive years of waiting tables after graduation What about you?

Yeah, 20th Century (post)socialist lit -- but really I just mean USSR and Balkan -- and collective memory, nationalism, etc. I'm sort of reformulating now that I know I'll be in a regional studies MA program and not a lit PhD so who knows where I'll be in two years.

Have you two read Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate (Жизнь и Судьба)? Grossman, obviously, is a Soviet-Jewish writer and his Viktor Shtrum character seems to be him writing about becoming aware of his Jewish heritage by way of the events of WWII. Probably you both already knew this, I was just excited to have something germane to add to the conversation.

[pelevinfan]

Did not know that! I've been a resident of Strugatsky land for so long now, I haven't had much time to branch out of sci-fi and fantasy. And on Grossman goes to my reading list!

*edit to say that, in my defense, I've had the podcast version of Life and Fate sitting on my computer for the past three months. Well, now it just went to the top of my list for things to listen to while at work!

Edited March 8, 2012 by pelevinfan

[Enzian]

I should add the caveat that I'm only a hundred or so pages in. But...still. And there's a podcast?!

[Bayo]

Out of curiosity, with whom did you apply to work with at UNC, Enzian?

I showed no aptitude for the language, but I took my fair share of lit classes in the Slavic department.

[pelevinfan]

Bayo - yay for lit classes in the Slavic department! My dept. is actually primarily lit, so I'm always happy when people outside of the major take advantage of Slavic lit courses.

I should add the caveat that I'm only a hundred or so pages in. But...still. And there's a podcast?!

Yep! BBC Radio did a series back in September. I think I found the link on the SRAS Facebook page or something.

[Enzian]

Out of curiosity, with whom did you apply to work with at UNC, Enzian?

I showed no aptitude for the language, but I took my fair share of lit classes in the Slavic department.

No one in particular, as idiotic as that sounds. There are very few institutions that offer beginning Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian at the MA level so I just applied to a bunch that seemed appealing. I'm kind of a Slavics noob and naively hoped to go straight to a (comp) lit PhD but since I've been shut out it looks like I'll have a very welcome two-year opportunity to dig into BCS and Slavic lit before taking a second shot at PhD applications. But, to feebly answer your question, I'm pretty excited about Jenkins and Dzumhur.

...among others.

[Ryzhaya]

Hooray for Vasily Grossman! I think he definitely deserves to be more widely read. I'm hoping some day to expand on an essay I wrote on a short story of his (Старый учитель - - which is absolutely heartbreaking and will make you cry on the bus in front of everyone) and some other short works by Ehrenburg and Rybakov. And I am also currently reading Жизнь и судьба (about 50 pages in) - - what a bizarre coincidence! I'm hoping to follow it up with Rybakov's Тяжёлый Ресок if I still have the emotional strength - - those two right in a row could be a bit much.

[Enzian]

Heavy Sand is basically the coolest title ever.

[pelevinfan]

Well, after over a month of searching this forum, looks like a found my fellow Slavic nerds! Glad to finally meet you all :-)

And Enzian, do you have your heart set on comp lit programs? I know that, in the Slavic department at least, my undergrad institution encourages our grad students to take BCS (or Polish or Czech), and I know that my future institution has ways of offering it as well. Though BCS wasn't originally a priority of mine, I've sort of fallen in love with it and now I'm glad that I'm ending up somewhere that is really supportive of it.