Oh, life and its confusions
Most of mine are self-inflicted, to be fair.* But we have to get preliminary proposals in for MA funding to the lecturer organising it by the 2nd, and I'm torn between two fields, and the lecturer for the other field isn't even HERE this term. I could just not apply for funding, since it's practically a 'lottery' anyway (lecturer's words, not mine), and leave it for a nice couple of months not having to worry about it - but then, yeah, money is nice.
So it looks like I'll be studying Roman epic or The Epic of Gilgamesh. Let's look at those two, shall we?
Roman Epic
This looks like a good, sensible choice. I already know Latin, I get on really well with the lecturer who'd probably end up being my superviser, and I love relating literature to its historical context and finding connections. I could study the Aeneid, going further into Aeneas's Daddy Issues explored in this year's dissertation, and about how Pallas and Lausus of book 10 fit into them, and then develop it even further into a PhD about Daddy Issues of the Ancient World. I could study the Metamorphoses and detail just how Ovid rocks, or even the Tristia, and bum myself out for a year. I could study some obscure Roman epic like Statius and have aforementioned superviser love me forever for taking on his pet subject.
Yeah. Roman Epic seems like a good solid choice. But then there is:
The Epic of Gilgamesh
I studied this for Traditions of Epic in my first year. Even though I didn't bother to read it till the very end of the course, it's kinda awesome. It predates Homer by about 1000 years and is about Gilgamesh (picture Samuel L Jackson) and his best mate Enkidu (picture Bill Bailey) and their wacky adventures facing giant monsters, horny goddesses who can raise zombies and the COW OF DEATH. OK, it's the Cow of Heaven, but its role is totally a Cow of Death. It brings plague and stuff.
I'd really love to study it in closer detail - like, why does Gilgamesh face the monsters he does? There's evidence he was a real king, what legacy are they imbuing him with? Did people believe these things really happened? Plus, there's the huge undertone of Gilgamesh's fear of death (he even goes down to the Underworld to try to kick Death in the crotch at one point) which I'm such a sucker for. And again, it leads into the much wider field of PhD possibilities in Babylonian epic, like all their flood myths. Seriously, they have like three.
Plus, Gilgamesh would look reeeeaaally good on a funding application. It's not so common as an area of study, and Durham would be perfect for it, because we've got one of the experts on it teaching here, they offer Akkadian as a language (a language deader than Latin!! Where you translate CUNEIFORM!! Off TABLETS!!!!) and the Oriental Museum which has a bunch of original Akkadian tablets where [naive]I could totally get a job once my PhD is over[/naive].
I don't know. Right now, Gilgamesh is edging out in front as NEW and EXCITING, but Roman epic connects far better to what I'm studying now and would probably have more opportunities for further study.
GAAARGH. Why does the Gilgamesh lecturer have to be away??
And my other source of confusion? So I just a got a link to a clip of the Twilight movie, which supposedly contained *~*~*TEH SPARKLES*~*~*. Now, I can't wait to see Edward Sparklepire Up, because I think it's going to fill me with enough LOLz to carry me through to the New Year.
Yet just before we hit that bit in the clip... I closed the window. Because I realised I don't want it spoiled for me. I want to see it first on the huge screen, in all its high-def widescreen sparkle glory, for full LOL impact.
But... this is a new sensation. Not wanting to have the movie experience of Twilight ruined for me.
I may have to shower when I get home.
*Hang on, I'm being fair to life? Well, let's hope it repays the favour. You know, some day.
PS: Just found this site, Photoshop Disasters - the single greatest website for anyone who's ever looked at a model in a magazine and sadly put down a cookie.
So it looks like I'll be studying Roman epic or The Epic of Gilgamesh. Let's look at those two, shall we?
Roman Epic
This looks like a good, sensible choice. I already know Latin, I get on really well with the lecturer who'd probably end up being my superviser, and I love relating literature to its historical context and finding connections. I could study the Aeneid, going further into Aeneas's Daddy Issues explored in this year's dissertation, and about how Pallas and Lausus of book 10 fit into them, and then develop it even further into a PhD about Daddy Issues of the Ancient World. I could study the Metamorphoses and detail just how Ovid rocks, or even the Tristia, and bum myself out for a year. I could study some obscure Roman epic like Statius and have aforementioned superviser love me forever for taking on his pet subject.
Yeah. Roman Epic seems like a good solid choice. But then there is:
The Epic of Gilgamesh
I studied this for Traditions of Epic in my first year. Even though I didn't bother to read it till the very end of the course, it's kinda awesome. It predates Homer by about 1000 years and is about Gilgamesh (picture Samuel L Jackson) and his best mate Enkidu (picture Bill Bailey) and their wacky adventures facing giant monsters, horny goddesses who can raise zombies and the COW OF DEATH. OK, it's the Cow of Heaven, but its role is totally a Cow of Death. It brings plague and stuff.
I'd really love to study it in closer detail - like, why does Gilgamesh face the monsters he does? There's evidence he was a real king, what legacy are they imbuing him with? Did people believe these things really happened? Plus, there's the huge undertone of Gilgamesh's fear of death (he even goes down to the Underworld to try to kick Death in the crotch at one point) which I'm such a sucker for. And again, it leads into the much wider field of PhD possibilities in Babylonian epic, like all their flood myths. Seriously, they have like three.
Plus, Gilgamesh would look reeeeaaally good on a funding application. It's not so common as an area of study, and Durham would be perfect for it, because we've got one of the experts on it teaching here, they offer Akkadian as a language (a language deader than Latin!! Where you translate CUNEIFORM!! Off TABLETS!!!!) and the Oriental Museum which has a bunch of original Akkadian tablets where [naive]I could totally get a job once my PhD is over[/naive].
I don't know. Right now, Gilgamesh is edging out in front as NEW and EXCITING, but Roman epic connects far better to what I'm studying now and would probably have more opportunities for further study.
GAAARGH. Why does the Gilgamesh lecturer have to be away??
And my other source of confusion? So I just a got a link to a clip of the Twilight movie, which supposedly contained *~*~*TEH SPARKLES*~*~*. Now, I can't wait to see Edward Sparklepire Up, because I think it's going to fill me with enough LOLz to carry me through to the New Year.
Yet just before we hit that bit in the clip... I closed the window. Because I realised I don't want it spoiled for me. I want to see it first on the huge screen, in all its high-def widescreen sparkle glory, for full LOL impact.
But... this is a new sensation. Not wanting to have the movie experience of Twilight ruined for me.
I may have to shower when I get home.
*Hang on, I'm being fair to life? Well, let's hope it repays the favour. You know, some day.
PS: Just found this site, Photoshop Disasters - the single greatest website for anyone who's ever looked at a model in a magazine and sadly put down a cookie.