Studying English Literature!

Sorry this is a bit late, work has been manic.

In today's post i'm going to talk about some of the common misconceptions about studying English Literature at degree level.

1. So you're just gonna read books for three years then

When I first said to people at sixth form that I was going to study English Literature at uni, I first discovered what people really thought of it. A few people, mainly those going off to do science, said to me "oh, so you're just gonna read books for three years then". It was so annoying, like my degree was being reduced to that of a book club. Yeah that's what we do, we turn up to seminars say whether we enjoyed it or not and then just leave! Seminars would literally last about 5 minutes if that's all we did.

When I studied a module called Contemporary Writing last semester, I literally wanted to drag along all of the people that said that we just talked about books and see if they could understand a word of it. In that module we talked about history, psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics etc. Seriously, one week we had a lecture in which the lecturer just basically said money doesn't exist. Seriously it was my weekly mind-blowing session.

2. English is an easy subject

Ha ha ha, no. Read 20 pages of literary theory and then some back and try and say it is easy. Seriously literary theory has got be the hardest module I have had to do so far. To be honest, I still don't fully understand half of it. Never before have I wanted to bash my head on the table than when trying to work out what the heck the Structuralists were going on about! As with every subject there are easy bits and there are hard bits.

3. You'll never get a job with that

One of the good things about English Literature is that you can do pretty much anything with it. One of the reasons that I chose to do it was because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. English allows me to keep my options open. Also just because I'm studying English does not mean that I want to be an English teacher!! Seriously if I hear that one more time, I'm going to scream!

4. You're hardly ever in uni!

Yes that's right! I only have nine hours contact time, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the time I simply sit there and do nothing. With English Literature there is only so much that they can teach you and a lot such you have to do independently. The rest of my time is taken up with reading, researching, writing essays etc.

5. What's your favourite book

It is another one of those questions that Literature students hate being asked. How people think that because you read lots of books you will suddenly know what your favourite book is I will never know. By favourite this month will not necessarily be the same as it was last month and it definitely won't be the same as this time next year! Also, this is usually an icebreaker at the start of the semester and honestly every time we have to do it, I forget every book I have ever read!


6. So you've read every classic book

Normally they look horrified when you say that you've never read Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Personally I don't normally like classics, the only one I've liked so far is Great Expectations. And quite frankly, after reading Northanger Abbey, I decided that I'd read enough Jane Austen to last a lifetime! I am of the very unpopular opinion that once you have read one Jane Austen novel you have pretty much read them all! Seriously, it's like assuming that all history students love studying Romans or that all psychology students love Freud.

7. So you want to be a writer

As well as not wanting to be a teacher, I also don't want to be a writer! I like writing the odd short story every once in a while. However, that does not been that I am the next Dickens, I'm not deluded. I'm never going to be able to produce an international best seller, I'll leave that to somebody that actually knows what they are doing!


So hopefully this has given you a view of what it's really like to study English Literature.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

Favourite Places in York!

Studying in York means that I spend a lot of time there and I enjoy getting away from university and work. I love going to these places just to get away from the stress of assignments.

Minster Gardens

I can't really say that one of favourite places is the minster itself as I have never actually been in it. However, I do love to go to the minster gardens. It is a great place to read when the weather is nice. Also it gives you an amazing view of the minster. I've lot count of the number of times I have taken photos of it!

Museum Gardens

I first went into the museum gardens in first semester of first year at uni. It is lovely and the right mixture between being busy and quite peaceful. I went there a lot in second semester of first year as the weather got better. It is another great place to go to read. Also it's great because you see a lot of squirrels!


River Ouse

It is another place that I like to go to sit. It's lovely, especially during the spring and summer, when you can watch the rowers going by. It is another place that I love to read when the weather permits it.

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Southwold

A few week ago I went with my family on holiday to Southwold. This is something we have done every year for the past 5 years now. I love it!

Gun Hill

Gun hill is a really nice place to go. You often see children climbing on the old guns for a photo opportunity. However, mostly we go down there for the cafe. It is lovely, has lots seating, is dog friendly and you get a lovely view of the sea.

Church

As weird as it sounds the church in Southwold is a real good place to visit. It is a nice quiet place to get away from other tourists and is nice to walk through and explore.

Lighthouse

The lighthouse is iconic to Southwold. A few years ago I went on the lighthouse tour and although the stairs were at times terrifying, it was really lovely. You get to learn more about the lighthouse and Southwold in general and offers some great views.

The Pier

The pier in Southwold is great for exploring. It has some cute little shops and a cafe that does great cake. However, I must say that the thing that I loved the most when I was a kid was waiting for the waterclock to start. But for some reason I didn't take a picture of it!

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

September Books 2016!

I took a bit of a break from reading before going back to uni, but I have read quite a lot since i have been back to uni. Also I have been reading a lot of literary theory. Sorry in advance!

Introduction to Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader - Nigel Wood and David Lodge
14th September - 15th September

I was told to read this before I started my literary theory module at uni. I have to say it was a good introduction and I am glad I read it. However, that doesn't mean that literary theory isn't melted my brain at the moment!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling
17th September - 17th September

This was the complete opposite to the last text and required very little brain power which was quite nice to be honest. It was a selection of short stories by J.K. Rowling that are aimed at kids who have read the Harry Potter series. I quite enjoyed them despite that fact I am not a kid anymore.

The Critique of Judgement - Immanuel Kant
19th September - 20th September

This was another one that constantly made my head hurt reading it. I have never studied any Kant before and he is a really eloquent writer. However, I do sometimes find his subject matter quite hard to understand.

Culture and Anarchy - Matthew Arnold
19th September - 22nd September

I have to say that I found Arnold even harder to understand than Kant and that is saying something! It took me ages to get my head around. To be honest I am still not sure if I fully understand it. It is one of those texts that is hard to even understand what the basic points of it are.

Without You - Yesenia Vargas
18th September - 24th September

This one took me quite a while to get through because I had so much to read for uni. However, it is a really lovely story and it definitely grew on me as I got further into it. Also it is free on Kindle, which is always good.

The Metaphoric & Metonymic Poles - Roman Jakobson
26th September - 26th September

This is quite a short piece in the Lodge and Wood theory book discussing one of the elements that Jakobson discusses. I have to say I definitely understand the Russian Formalists a lot better than Kant and Arnold! However, it was definitely still extremely challenging!

Bullet in the Brain - Tobias Woolf
28th September - 28th September

This was a short story that I had to study for one of my modules on film adaptations. It was really short and not very descriptive. As a result it was really easy to understand and it was really good to be able to discuss in the seminar how it would have to be changed to adapt it for screen.

The Theory of the Formal Method - Boris Eichenbaum

29th September - 29th September

I think that I found Eichenbaum's description and critique of Jakobson a lot easier to understand. I don't quite know why I just think that he put it into simpler terms which was lovely.

Linguistics and Poetics - Roman Jakobson
30th September - 30th September

This was the bigger section of the Jakobson part of Lodge's and Wood's book. It was really interesting talking about the fundamental parts of linguistics. Also it was really good as he kept bringing in diagrams and examples to support what he is saying. However, it did get more complicated towards the end.

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Butterfly Cakes!

Butterfly cakes have been something that I have always baked. Whenever I bake them it always reminds me of when I used to bake them with my mum when I was little.

I use a simple recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible and it is a really good thing to bake whatever your age.

Ingredients

For the cakes:

100g Softened Butter
100g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
100g Self-Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder

For the icing:

175g Softened Butter
350g Icing Sugar

Steps

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (180 fan oven) and place the cake cases into the tin.

Step 2

Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3

Fill the cake cases and bake for 15-20 minutes. However, keep an eye on them as mine could have done with a few minutes less. Allow them to cool on a cooling rack.

Step 4

To make the icing, beat the butter and gradually add the icing stage until well blended.

Step 5

Cut a slice from the top of each cake and cut the slice in half. Then pipe a swirl of butter cream into the centre of the cake. Finally place the cake slices on top and dust with icing sugar.

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Aldeburgh

On Tuesday I went with my family to Aldeburgh, a coastal town in Suffolk. We looked around the town and then went on a lovely walk. 

How I managed to get these photos of Poppy is beyond me considering she finds it hard to stay still for more than two seconds.

It was lovely that you could look one way and see a pebble beach and the sea. It was also great that you could look the other way and see greenery and wilderness.

Although I prefer a sandy beach, like that at Southwold. However the pebbly beach of Aldeburgh is lovely and the sculpture makes it even nicer. 

Top 5 Book to Film Adaptations!

When reading for pleasure I really enjoy reading a variety of books, especially young adult fiction. I have read a lot especially over the last two years. There is nothing I love better than watching some of my favourite books become really good film. Likewise I love watching films and then choosing to read the book afterwards.

1. If I stay - Gayle Forman

I believe I first watched this film in the cinema and really enjoyed it. It tells the story of Mia who is involved in the traffic accident with her parents and brother. She has to choose between life and death. The general idea of it makes it sound really depressing. However, we are given flashbacks to important parts in her life which gives an insight into Mia as a person, as well as her family. This allows you to realise how much she has to lose. All in all the film adaptation as very good and definitely includes all the major elements of the book. I read the book in my first semester at university and really enjoyed it. I have since read the sequel and also found that really enjoyable.

2. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

I first read The Fault in Our Stars in my second year of sixth form. My friends recommending that I needed to read it. This was mainly to prove that I wasn't made of stone and that I did have a heart. Although I didn't cry at the film or the book, I did really enjoy both of them. I felt that the both the book and the film addressed a range of issues effectively. I love the fact that although the book covers a lot, the film does not feel as though it has cut or glossed over part of it. This is something that often annoys me about films in general. It is also one of the reasons why the divergent series did not make it into this post. This is because a lot of things were cut or even worse changed.

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Although not one of my favourite books, it can't be denied that the film adaptation for this is rather good. Once again it is able to condense the main areas of the book, including all of the major themes, without losing importance of Charlie's narration and perspective.

4. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

I have to say that this is one of the only book to film adaptations where the film is better than the book. It is one of the only time where a lot of the book being left is definitely not a bad thing. Although I like the concept of the book, in practice it definitely lasted too long and became extremely boring. However, the film is something that I can watch over and over again and still enjoy it.

5. Harry Potter Series - J. K. Rowling

It is one of the best series of films that were originally books. It includes all of the essence of J.K Rowling's writing and condenses a lot of action effectively. Also the acting is amazing and it has stood the test of time.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)