Adventures of a librarian
Hi everyone! I’m aware that for the last couple of weeks I’ve come back on the blog with very little explanation for my long absence or of my reasons for choosing to return right now. I’m also aware that my content has changed quite a lot; for a start, I never used to write book… Continue reading Why did I leave the blog? (and some fun facts)
The prospect of spending a term studying sad things was always something that I looked forward to with some trepidation, not least because I am fundamentally not a serious person and would much rather be reading theories of comedy than of tragedy, much rather be analysing laughter than tears. Only studying the tragic was always… Continue reading Studying Tragedy in a pandemic
Today I write in defence of my subject. Not “English” or “English Literature” itself, but literature and art in all its forms. Only for a little while, of course, for we cannot spend forever apologising. But neither can we sit here mute against the tide of condemnation, of tweets telling us that our subject is… Continue reading In defence of my subject
Help. There are thirteen optional papers and I need to choose two. It’s like on those dating shows, you know, where they introduce all the potential matches at the start. Start by identifying your dealbreakers. I can guarantee there will be some – maybe you don’t date smokers, or people who don’t want kids, or… Continue reading How to find your perfect match (academically)
Apart from a few posts about admissions tests and subject choice (and one about interview technique which I intended to write last year but will now have to wait until the next round of interviews in December) I have deliberately not made this blog hugely Cambridge-focused because I want it to be relevant to everyone… Continue reading Cambridge English – one year on
I was in Year 7 when my English teacher read a poem I had written as a homework assignment for her and told me I was a poet. No, I’m not joking; those were her words. Whether or not they were true (there are times when I believe her and times when I definitely don’t)… Continue reading Creative academic: balancing an English degree with creativity
I get a lot of people asking me this, so I thought I’d do a quick blog post on it. (Quick because I’ve been busy settling in at university all week without much time to write) Whether you’re at the stage of thinking English might be a possibility or whether you’re having a serious subject… Continue reading Should I study English Literature?
A couple of weeks ago, having had my place at Cambridge University confirmed (yay), I was sent my reading list. Having accidentally looked at the full faculty reading list before my own pre-term one, my feelings on seeing it were mixed. On the one hand, I was glad that what I had to read was… Continue reading How to tackle your reading list
It’s that time of year again. Personal statement writing time. The time when you go through your past reading and panic because you know nothing about 20th century plays, or the Metaphysical poets, or anything older than the 19th century apart from Shakespeare. Well, fear not. I’ve been there, and I came out the other… Continue reading How to write a personal statement for an English degree
The Literature Lighthouse 