Monday, August 16, 2010

Reality...Check

I've spent so much time this summer doing what feels like nothing.

It involves a lot of reading, quite a bit of writing, loads of manuscript formatting to send stories out, dog walking, reading interesting blogs, playing mafia wars on facebook, eating, writing this blog...these sorts of things.

Today is the first day however that I can register for my course for the next year. Which will be my final year. I have three modules left to do in order to obtain a degree: A sociology research module, a cognitive psychology module, and a basic literature module just to make up the numbers.

I do love literature but it might be weird studying it. Will it make me feel completely inadequate as a writer? The module is being revised but as far as I know it'll still have Shakespeare (Hamlet - which I've never actually read before, and am kind of looking forward to, even though I know the basic premise of the story), Ibsen (A Doll's House, which I read when I was 18 or so and have long since forgotten) and Yeats (Bleugh - moany old git of a poet who never stopped bloody complaining), plus a few others.

One of the reasons I didn't study it before is that there isn't an awful lot that a Literature degree leads to - except teaching, and I think I'd rather blow my head off than be a teacher in the existing education system at least. Hence the sociology and psychology - though seeing as there are no jobs going at all these days, I could probably put down on my CV that I have a degree in advanced nuclear engineering and still be told I'm under qualified to work at a checkout.

And then of course there's the fact that assignment deadlines tend to be in mid December, mid February and early April. With a newborn baby, that will be interesting. I might not have much time to focus on doing anything but scraping a bare minimum of marks in Lit, as it's the other two modules which will count toward my final degree marks.

I really should try to get a headstart, and start reading Hamlet or something now. But I have several books from the library that I really want to read first, like H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, and a book about the science behind Star Trek. And then there are loads of other things to do as well, like write. And pick a fantasy football team. And....and....and...

So I might as well enjoy doing nothing and feeling little baby kicks and stuff while I can....as I may be very busy over the Winter! 

2 comments:

Clone said...

Don't be afraid of Shakespeare, the guy was a hooligan with a quill. I always imagine I'm reading a soap written by a plumber, and it seems to make more sense.
c.f: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext00/0ws2610.txt

Also, how many of "his plays" did he just straight jack?

I'm surprised they actually think there is anything to learn from the poser, there has to have been better playwrights since.

Just googled Ibsen, feminist play eh? it wasn't read at my school, will while away a bit of "work" anyway: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2542/2542-h/2542-h.htm

Yeats has a few actually: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/y#a1719

Go Gutenberg!

Joleen said...

Ah yes, Gutenberg will definitely be handy. Though I actually have Shakespeare & Ibsen already & we can't get away from Yeats here (again, bleugh).

I suppose studying Shakespeare is like studying Freud in Psychology. Everyone knows Freud was wrong, but since he was one of the first to start looking at the subject, we have to consider his opinion all the same. Shakespeare was such a prolific writer we just hae to go there...