After graduating from my English language and literature degree I started working as an auditor/accountant and now I currently work in data monitoring and evaluation.

English isn't my native language so because of my language skills I write reports, project proposals, help in translation and project implementation. I doubt I'll ever work in education I'm happy with my career path, I want to do an MA in English language because I love it and I think it would boost my language skills especially on my cv. I also want to do an MBA in the future to complicated the rest of my skills.

The question is: is it worth it? or should I do an MA in journalism instead? or do I skip this and go for the MBA?

Can anyone name memoirs where there is a theme of tracking down a desire whose object is mysterious and unclear -- until it is finally located and understood? That is, the author feels "I want something, but I don't know what..." and goes off hunting for this restless something, until it finally becomes clear what the desire is all about?

What are good books on the treatment of magic and witchcraft in European fiction in the late 18th and early 19th centuries? I'm hoping, ideally, for a survey that would outline how the Romantics' treatment of such subjects differed from earlier treatments, that might include some kind of statistical analysis that would indicate whether these subjects became more popular at the time (and if so by how much), and that would offer a chronological survey of the relevant texts in at least France, Germany, and Britain. But please recommend any studies that cover even a small part of this field. Thanks!

Dying for someone, dying saving someone (eg. rescue from drowning), or being killed/harmed/driven out for others (sacrificial practices, pharmakos) are common motifs in stories with countless examples.

As a subcategory, I'm interested in instances of "being executed so that somebody convicted may be redeemed". The story of Damon and Pythias springs to mind first as a near-perfect fit (except that the "substitute" does not get executed in the end). I don't want to spoil anything, but in A Tale of Two Cities, something similar takes place. But even more famous than these is, of course, the execution of Jesus; the Christian variant qualifies due to the doctrine of substitutionary atonement (as Jesus is said to be executed with the result that believers are cleared from original sin), and the Muslim version qualifies in that somebody is said to have taken Jesus' place on the cross to save him from being executed. But I'm even more specifically looking for figures who willingly accept being executed for others. This would probably involve some sort of deal that is struck (like in Damon and Pythias), some anti-Faustian bargain, or as in A Tale of Two Cities, a device of disguise and resemblance.

What examples can you think of this? Popular and classic media are all welcome. Are there resources you can direct me to? Thank you very much.

Dear native English speakers,

When reading a story, would you appreciate a more explicit translation of references that seem unclear at first glance, such as references to a foreign culture? That is what I (a Dutch university lecturer) am trying to find out. Would you please help me by taking this survey? https://rug.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV\_9FU0zmIZWgZkOTc

It contains 5 short (anonymous) general questions and 3 questions about different text fragments in English. Estimated answering time: 10 minutes. I’ll raffle two £20 (or €25) book vouchers among the first 20 participants. If you’d like to be considered for this, please leave your email address in the last comment box.

Thank you!

During your time in your program, was there anyone in your group who was genuinely bad, who you wondered how they could've been accepted, and seemed to reduce the credibility of the program, but everyone, including the professors, just forged ahead and pretended not to notice and never addressed it in any way?

Asking for a friend.

I’m a writer with no formal education in literature or creative writing. I have very little confidence in my ability to write and understand fiction. I read a good amount but I want to read more and read better. One way to learn to write is to reverse engineer good literature but I struggle with it. For example, I recently read Rock Springs by Richard Ford and loved it: the stories and the characters stayed with me and affected me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what made the stories so good. In this scenario, I “felt” the piece of work was good but couldn’t tell why. Another scenario is when I read a piece of work and it doesn’t affect me at all, and I can’t tell why the heck it’s supposed to be good: this happens mostly with some MFA or experimental fiction in lit mags.

How can I get better at analysing fiction?

It's evident that Holden Caulfield's hat holds a lot of importance. However, I was wondering if the color had any significance. I know that the hat is likely red because he values individuality and wants to isolate himself from his world of "phonies" by standing out. However, I also think Holden's hat is red because both of his siblings, Allie and Phoebe, have red hair. By wearing the hat, he can resemble his siblings and connect with them even when they are away. It adds to the confidence he receives whenever he wears the hat. But I'm not sure if this is a valid "theory." What do you guys think?

Hi everyone! I just read fathers and sons and bazarov was really insufferable. Do you guys think turgenev was trying to mock/make a caricature of nihilism with Bazarov?

Hi all,

I'm not sure where else to post this, but I thought the topic is somewhat relevant to the sub and I hoped there would be people like me who might be able to help.

I'm writing my masters dissertation in Comparative Literature. I've done a fair amount of research, have a general idea of the structure of my essay, but I just can't write. I freeze. I sit in front of my laptop all day, doing anything but write - even when I know what I want to write.

Sometimes I'll write down the basic idea, or just a phrase. But it always seems unsatisfactory, it's never what I really want to say. I question myself and every sentence I write, and so I re-write, try another approach, a fresh perspective. But I just can't advance. I keep thinking what the text looks like, what the readers will think, and whether my point comes across okay. And I just get stuck.

This has been a problem forever with me. Eventually I hit a "eureka" moment and find the sentence I was looking for, but it's just not a sustainable method of writing. I take ages just to get a sentence down. I realised it's been a month and I have a blank page for my dissertation.

This doesn't only happen with academic work. I've tried writing less serious stuff, even for a private/unknown blog that no one would read, just thoughts and ideas on literature, and I still can't do it.

Has anyone here felt the same? I think it's a form of anxiety over how I come across, how the idea comes across too. I'm always trying to perfect the sentence even though it ultimately makes no difference and adds nothing to my point. But my brain gets stuck and I can't move on.

Does anyone here have any tips? Is this just writer's block pure and simple? Isn this a common problem in academia and students?

Thank you everyone.

Howdy Everyone,

I am currently an undergraduate English major who has become enthralled by the works of Alexander Pope. This 18th-century poet and satirist, in my opinion, seems to be one of the greatest English literature figures in history. I am currently starting to go through my college library’s section of Pope books and I am wanting to know if anyone can suggest books, resources, scholars, or essays that would be beneficial to me in studying this great poet. I am currently reading his pastorals and epistles. I want to learn more about this amazing writer. I am an aspiring Pope scholar who wants to bring the spotlight back to this outstanding literary giant.

How does one effectively become “a student of Pope”?

Basically I'm talking about gaps that exist by virtue of the fact that no description can be exhaustive. As a simplistic (and intentionally ridiculous) example, take the sentence, "The guy got hit by a car." The car could be any car; it could be a white Honda Civic, or it could be a hot pink Aston Martin convertible with the top down, blasting Gregorian chants on the radio, driven by a dog in sunglasses. The text doesn't say.

I'm fascinated by that "possibility space"--the ways that authors manipulate it and write around it, and the ways readers fill in those gaps (or don't). Thinking about texts this way, as thin webs of specificity stretched across an infinite expanse of ambiguity, trips me out in the same way as trying to wrap my head around matter being 99% empty space. Can you recommend any writers/works that tackle what's "missing" in writing?*

*I'm already aware of deconstruction and poststructuralism more broadly, but specific recommendations in that wheelhouse would also be appreciated!

edit: hey, thank you everyone for responding so graciously to an odd question oddly posed. I've got a lot to read now but please keep the recommendations coming!

Hi! Im student of Russian history and im curious if there is some russian author from 19.-20 centhury who wrote erotic poems/novels/etc. Just someone like Russian De Sade or anything even a bit similar! (I think there probably is not someone like this from Russia but i still have hope)

I’ve recently graduated with my literature degree, and while I became really adept at analysing and annotating poetry and short stories, I really struggled with doing the same for longer form texts. I tried using different approaches, but I just couldn’t find anything that seemed to work well for me.

When the text I’m analysing is over a, or a few, pages, I can utilise my pattern recognition skills incredibly well, because everything I need is in front of me. But once I move on to novels, I just have sheets of notes or hundreds of little sticky tabs which, even if I assign things to them, just feel very tangled and messy in my head, as I can’t see the context for all the detail.

Does anyone have any advice for how to solve this, or help make a little more order from the chaos?

Hi Everyone. I just wanted to add a note to see if others are in the same situation as I am. I got my MA in 2017 and left school to work and live my life for a bit. I've reached a level of stability that makes it a good time for me to revisit my intellectual goals and resume my journey towards a PhD. Hoping to apply to some programs this coming fall and to matriculate in the fall of 2025. Cheers, happy to be back, and best of luck to all. Scared shitless, but oh well.

Hi

I'm teaching in the English department at a European university, and I am starting to grow tired of some of the books that we assign to our students year after year. In particular, I want to renew the reading list for my course in children's literature, aimed at first-year EFL teacher students. I don't read much English literature in this genre in my spare time, so I thought I could turn to colleagues on Reddit to see if they have some suggestions. :)

The criteria for books in this course are that they must be English language, appropriate for children age 8-12, and ideally should be a starting point for discussing some core themes of childhood and society in the US, UK, or other English speaking country.

Some of the books we have previously assigned include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Harry Potter, several books by Roald Dahl. These are all very popular among my students. I just feel that when they come to a university, they should have an opportunity to discover something other, ideally more substantial (not to disparage the quality of any of the books mentioned above - they were all selected for a reason) than the best-sellers at the regular book store. It would also be great if I could update the course with something more recent. Classics will always have a place in the course, but I find it difficult to replace the lighter stuff.

I know this is personal choice and preferance but What is a book or series that you would count as a classic? Doesn't matter on age, Something that has had an impact on you and left an impression and should be talked about for years, maybe something that is thought provoking and philosophical, something you'll be recommending in years

I’m thinking of getting the Oxford classics ones

I have completed my masters in English literature and I'm keen on pursuing academia and research. I have no idea how to do any of it or what books to refer to. I'm the first from my family and was not guided. Can someone please share how I can get my PhD done and how to go about it. The information online is confusing. (I'm from India) I have no idea what to expect wrt PhD and how to go about it with research. I feel left behind because my peers have better careers and are sorted with things due to their background. Thanks!

Hello! I'm a big literature fan. And in school I have read a play by Shakespeare and a few poems and prose. I've read some classic lit books, especially Jane Austen. Now, I enrolled in a distance course in literature but I live in a place where people don't really have much mastery in English lit so I don't have much of guidance. My school teachers were amazing but I dont have any contact with them. So what do you suggest I start with? What books, what extra material as in the commentary or guides do I use?

I'm not too sure if this is the best place to ask this but I'm interested in reading more about trends or patterns or situations in literature where love or desire or some form of optimism comes out of the abject or abject spaces and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations or through lines to follow? I greatly appreciate any recommendations and help.

hello! I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me advice on where my research interests might fall in the literary theory world, and give some suggestions on related topics I should look into. I am going to be applying to English MA programs in the fall, and I want to prepare to explain my interests in a formal way.

I wrote my undergrad thesis on a Shirley Jackson novel, which lead me to writing about Gothic literature, the Female Gothic, the uncanny, and psychoanalysis.

going into the future, I really would like to continue working with Gothic fiction. I love incorporating gender studies with the Female Gothic, but I also would love to explore the American Gothic too. I am not really that interested in 18th and 19th century Gothic beyond having a grasp on the genre’s origins. I loved using the uncanny in my thesis, but I am not particularly attached to psychoanalysis.

so would this just be considered 20th century American lit with a concentration in the Gothic? maybe paired with gender studies? what is too much description, and what is not enough?

if anyone has any examples of research, essays, or novels I should check out on 20th century Gothic, that would be so helpful as well. my thesis on Shirley Jackson was a great starting point, but I just don’t know who and what else to turn to now.

Hello! I am applying to creative writing & American lit masters programs this year. I ultimately want to teach community college— the creative writing options open you up to more jobs it seems which is a nice safety net, but they also seem wildly more competitive. So I’ll be doing 5 or 6 apps on each end.

I would love to hear what English Lit schools people would recommend. I am in CA and willing to move anywhere. I would love to be funded, but willing to pay a little out of pocket (probably would cap out at 40k total). Getting my masters, even from just an academic achievement standpoint, is important to me.

Things I want out of the school include that price piece, a good amount of reputation, and just high quality professors. I am a UC Berkeley grad and been in proposal writing & marketing for 6 years.

All advice is welcomed!!! Making a mass spreadsheet of all recommends.

I rarely use physical books nowadays, and get most of my research material online. Many of the books I need to quote are pirated ebooks, sometimes from pirate publishers that do a great job and can be easily found online (epublibre, for instance). What should I do? It would take me ages to get the print books and locate all those goddamn quotes without control+f. Sometimes the books are not even available at all.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has faced this issue. What have you guys done?

I'm writing an essay on the legacy of Nazi ideology (just for fun, it was going to be a blog post, actually...), I'm reading a lot of stuff and sometimes I forget to make a note of something interesting. I seem to recall that after the war ended and Nazi atrocities came to the light, Thomas Mann said or wrote something very heartbreaking along the lines "Now I don't even know if it's possible to write literature in German anymore, even at the best case we'll have to start it again from scratch." Which seems to be in line with a lot of things he wrote, but I just can't find this quote anywhere. Is it real at all, or I misremembered something?

Mind you, I'm aware of the lengths these two went to affiliate their work with Renaissance Italians and Alexandrian Greeks and French Symbolists and Chinese poets, etc. I'm just wondering if, when all is said and done, I may proceed in my study of them by assuming that one was, in his prosody, an Imagist Browning and the other a Modernist Tennyson.

I’ve just read Eagleton’s Introduction. What should I read next?

Also: are you aware of any marxist reading of fantasy literature?

I'm looking for word-of-mouth information about CSULB's English MA program. I was just accepted. I can't find much information at all about the program outside their website. Does anyone on here have information about the program (courses, PhD placement, professional development)?

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I graduated in 2020 from UC Berkeley with a BA in Anthropology (summa cum laude). I think obtaining the MA in English is my best option because of my undergraduate major and because I have been out of school for a while. Eventually, I want to get a PhD. I endured some unforeseen hardships this cycle, so I only applied to this program... wondering if I should just try to apply to funded/more "well-known" programs this coming cycle. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hello, I need some resources/articles on what textual analysis is and how to conduct textual analysis. Can textual analysis be considered as a method or do I need to combine with a theory?