Discipline Awareness Project:
ENGLISH LITERATURE
Amy Glen
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GMU Resources The sky is the limit for the resources available to English majors - not only do English majors have access to the numerous books, microfiche, and other resources on campus, but online databases, and an interlibrary loan system with other universities allows English majors access to a wide range of resources. The liaison librarian English majors should contact is Jen Stevens. Info guides available to English majors range in topic from creative writing to graphic novels and comic books to language and literature and so on. Discipline specific databases can be found under the subject tabs folklore, foreign languages, and literature and language. The Writing Center and the English Society are helpful student groups and advisors and professors are here to help guide students.
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In the field of English there are many different associations and groups that practitioners in this field can join. It should be noted, however, that there are many different sub-fields within the field of English (ex: poetry writing, juvenile literary criticism, etc.) and that there is not a one-size-fits-all group that encompasses all of these sub-fields. The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) promotes writing talent, the education of English teachers, and supports university programs. For a membership fee of $75, members can become a part of this group, vote or run in the annual governing body elections, or apply for the jobs, writing contests, and scholarships offered by this group. The Modern Language Association (MLA) aims to assist writers with scholarly writing. Annual membership fees depend on an individual’s status as a student or their yearly income. Elections are held annually, and there are jobs available through MLA. Both organizations have clear guidelines and standards.
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There are many different databases and journals in the field of English. The Journal of Narrative Technique, now renamed the Journal of Narrative Theory, is a widely acclaimed journal that explores the role of narrative in different types of writing. Databases and journals allow practitioners in the field of English to stay up to date with current research trends and debates. Databases and journals are important in that they allow scholars from across the globe to share their work with others, which can contribute to the knowledge and research of others.
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My Text: Magee, William H. “Instrument of
Growth: The Courtship and Marriage Plot in Jane
Austen’s Novels.”
Professor William H. Magee of The University of Calgary (207) explores the typical nineteenth century courtship and marriage plot of romantic stories and how it applied to the works of Jane Austen. Magee states that Jane Austen’s “gradual enlargement of the courtship and marriage plot” changed and evolved (198). The change and evolution of the courtship and marriage plot in Austen’s novels can be explored through her “variable pattern for detailing the growth of successive heroines” (198). Magee’s inquiry of the importance of the courtship and marriage plot is supported and answered with the close comparative examination of Austen’s novels Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. Scholars in the field of English study and explore a vast array of topics. Some topics include detailed study of writing or rhetoric, linguistics, folklore, oral culture & storytelling, and literary analysis. Scholars tend to disagree on the function of an English department - for example, some believe linguistics is a field of its own that does not belong in the English department. Other scholars may challenge the views of others who interpret a text or story differently than they do. A common problem in the field of English is determining how research findings can impact others and how research can have a global perspective - this problem is also common amongst other fields in the humanities.
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Other Texts: “Hamilton on the Louisiana Purchase: A Newly Identified Editorial from the New-York Evening Post.” The William and Mary Quarterly 12.2 (1955): 268-281. Web. 9 July 2015.
The Hamilton article (field of History) uses carefully selected primary and secondary sources to discuss Hamilton’s involvement in the Louisiana Purchase. The writers of this article have addressed the common issue (stated in inquiry four) of determining how their research can affect others through providing readers with cited sources and offering an interpretation of these sources. The Phillips article about the Crusades uses past history to talk about Pope Urban II’s call for crusaders and modern history to show how religion has continually been used as a means to justify holy war. This detailed explanation of how religion has been used to justify war affects readers by helping them understand the long history of holy wars and how the concept of wars in the name of religion transcends religious barriers.
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The Phillips article does have headings, which helps with transitions. Although I do not see footnotes or a bibliography, it is clear that a number of primary and secondary sources must have been used to provide such a thorough analysis. It is my guess that citations are elsewhere in the journal. The personal I is not needed and active voice is used. The language is fairly informal, and the length is great. There are no specific jargon keywords used in this text, yet a reader new to this field would probably get more out of this text if they were familiarized with the history of the Crusades and the concept of justifiable holy wars.
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The similarities and differences between members of my group The fields of English, History and Religion are all compatible fields that correlate well with one another. All three fields go about scholarly research the same way - primary and secondary sources are used to support a scholar’s position on an argument, and in-text citations are well used to support the argument being made. All three fields strive to be objective and provide a relatively balanced argument. The main differences between these fields is the subject matter of each field - these fields, however, often overlap one another. A main difference between these fields is the citation styles used. The field of English uses MLA citation style while the field of History uses Chicago-style citation. The field of Religion, on the other hand, is flexible with citation styles, and MLA, APA and Chicago-style are all acceptable forms of citation. Gina is very interested in history and focuses mainly on colonial history and history of exploration. While she mainly focuses on historical themes and the historic method of research, she sometimes encounters religion when studying colonial history (shift from Anglican Church to new denominations of Christianity). Jim is interested in religious studies and focuses on how the example of the justification of holy war in the Crusades is a lasting trend that continues to impact people today. My interests in the field of English includes British literature (Jane Austen and Charles Dickens are two of my favorites), creative writing, and eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century literature. When conducting research on a literary work, I have to take into consideration the historic and religious viewpoints that impacted the author. For example, in Jane Austen novels, you will often hear references to history (ex: Fanny Price of Mansfield Park) and religion (ex: Michaelmas celebration in Pride & Prejudice).
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A working definition of scholarship in the field of English Scholarship in the field of English is about understanding the human condition through the study of written and orally spoken works. Scholars in the field of English try to help others understand different cultures, different viewpoints, the past and present, and the change and evolution of the human perspective through an objective lens. Scholarship in the field of History is about understanding the human past and its impact on people today. Scholarship in the field of religion is about understanding the changing and evolving history of religion throughout history and how it impacts our understanding our understanding of religion today.
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“Line Dance.” Sketch drawing. The Jane Austen Evening. Society for Manners & Merriment, n.d. Web. 15 July 2015. http://janeaustenevening.org/pictures/linedanceclear.gif Magee, William H. “Instrument of Growth: The Courtship and Marriage Plot in Jane Austen’s Novels.” The Journal of Narrative Technique 17.2 (1987): 198-208. Web. 13 July 2015. http://www.jstor.org.mutex.gmu.edu/stable/30225182 Phillips, Jonathan. “Call of the Crusades.” History Today 59.11 (2009): 10-17. Web. 10 July 2015. http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/202817323
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