The Game-changers (part 5): Scholarship and Criticism (and one outlier)

When my students search for research, I always feel like they manage to find papers on par with Calvin's!

This entry should probably be much longer than it's going to be, as I've been guided by wonderful scholars and mentors at Bethany College, West Virginia University and by brilliant, supportive colleagues and friends at my current institution -- but these are the works I really remember, and return to, as touchstones in my research. I do want to note, however, that books are really nothing next to those amazing folks who have helped me to understand them, apply them, and keep going! I think those folks know how grateful I am to them, but consider this my general reminder - and sincere thank you! - before we dive into the books!

I'm going to start with the most unpopular title first. A professor gave me Paglia's work in undergrad because I was very enamored of gender studies. [I still am, but they feel like too much of a minefield for me to live there. Better to try to outrun my man-eating tigers on the page!] I know that her theories are out of favor, but what her work taught me was that academic writing can be passionate and beautiful as well as dry and informative. I know that my own writing has yet to ascend to those heights, but I think lovely phrases are a fine thing to aspire to!

I got the pleasure of hearing Dr. Kincaid speak once and his pleasant, irreverent manner quite matched the fun he seemed to be having in his book! What he taught me was that (1) much of what we consider "current" or "modern" issues can be traced back to the Victorians and (2) academic work can be both funny and fun!

This is one of the texts I used while writing my dissertation and I hope it isn't petty to admit that I'm incredibly jealous of its wonderful insights and wish that I had been clever enough to write it myself. It traces the proliferation of Victorian products and advertising and demonstrates how those products and their appeals shaped beliefs about race, empire, gender, and the monarchy - just to name a few. A stellar example of what scholarship should look like!

I love the clear, comprehensive, and original work of Sharon Macdonald and I wish I had the money to own the many works she has edited and contributed to. I discovered her work through another collection, Theorizing Museums, and then used this volume for the bulk of my dissertation. It's a wonderful introduction to the work going on in museum studies, as well as a general history of museums, world's fairs, and exhibitions.

If I was a cannier - and far more organized - scholar, my dissertation might have looked something like this! I discovered this book during an independent study and it radically altered the course of my scholarship, gave me a new appreciation of Mr. Dickens, and is still shaping my current work. Thanks to a wonderful professor who gave me the opportunity to travel abroad and a wonderful colleague who saw me safe into the labyrinth of London, I have even been to Albertopolis! 

[Time for a fun side story: When my mom heard I was going to London for research, she insisted on meeting me there. Thank goodness she knows me better than I know myself! I was in a small fishing village in Wales when she landed in Manchester and somehow she convinced a cab to take her there, tipping him some $200 for the effort. When I returned from the workshop to get my hotel key, the girl at the desk said, "Oh, your mum has the key, dear." Now, I didn't even know I had a mum, exactly, but I burst into happy tears that I was no longer traveling alone and that my diet of meat, meat, meat [much like the Monty Python song spam, spam, spam] would soon be supplemented, because I knew mom would help me find actual food! We enjoyed a once in a lifetime trip, complete with my anxiety attacks, mom's breezy confidence, and a great time in Dublin before take off. We did not see hedgehogs in the park, so we probably need to plan a return trip!]

I'm including Mr. Peart here because he doesn't fit with any of my other entries, and because I think he would like to be elevated into the company of scholars! Also, I've been writing about he and his bandmates for a long time now and I still take comfort from this strange, painful travel memoir, even if I do have bones to pick about how he writes about fans (who do you think is buying this book, Neil?) and the fact that his wealth allowed him a coping strategy foreign to those of us who are not rock stars... I once presented a comparison of this work to Tennyson's In Memoriam to a a room of Victorian poetry scholars. Terrible idea. Terrible. But I had fun -- and isn't that ultimately what my particular scholarship has always been about? Need proof? Check out my latest piece here!