Personal Blogs

7 October 2024

Three days in, and I feel that I’m getting behind!

This said, I’ve just made a couple of forum posts. One related to the notion of ‘the author’, the other was a summary of musicals I’ve recently seen. I have, however, tried to link my post to theme of the module. I even shared a link to a famous song from Kiss Me Kate. 

13 October 2024

Last night was our first tutorial. I made notes of a number of points and tips:

• Review Section 3.3 What your mark means, and Section 4.7 Using the Critics, both from the assessment guide. Another tip was to have a read of the English Literature Toolkit, which offers some comments about what an English essay is all about.
• From TMA 2 onwards, it is useful to connect your independent study to your essay and text choices. A point here is that you don’t (of course) have to do all the independent study options. Study strategically. Do what is useful for you.
• When writing your essay, beware of summarising articles or points that are shared by critics. It is more important to apply what they say within an argument. Use what you need to use to answer the question that is being asked.
• When looking for materials, consider the diversity of materials. If you’re discussing a play, you might want to consider productions of plays at different periods of time. This enables you to gain a wider perspective, which can be useful for discussing critical points of contrast.
• Use peer reviewed sources and articles, rather than using informal articles that you might find in blogs.
• If you find articles which present opposing views, choose your own position, and don’t be afraid to state what this is. How you relate to a text is important.
• Don’t make excessive notes. Make notes with a purpose, which is to help with answering of the assignment questions.
• Avoid generative AI. It makes things up, and it isn’t transparent about the sources it uses.
• Use the module glossary, which is a really useful resource, and read the optional Introducing Renaissance Rhetoric resource.
• When doing close reading, consider the effect of what is done; don’t just identify the technical effects that are applied.

A really useful tutorial!

With these summarised, it’s back to the tutor group forum, and then a brief look at the module materials to remind myself of where I got to, and the TMA 1 submission date. After then, it’ll be back to looking at the materials for the module that I’m chairing.

A quick update: I’ve emailed the Introducing Renaissance Rhetoric resource to my Kindle. As I’ve done this, I’ve written this short blog: Studying with the Kindle continued…  The convert option is really useful.

Another quick update, a few hours after the above edit: our tutor has sent a link to a useful site, the Writing Centre, which is a part of the Undergraduate arts and humanities study website (There is one of these for the Computing and IT programme, but I’ve not looked at it for a while).

The key resources have the following headings: writing for assessments, skills toolkits, Write now! (which appears to be a bunch of tips), Referencing and Developing academic English. 

Clicking into the Study Skills Workshops takes me to a page which presents a whole range of events I’ve never seen before; events that relate to academic practice, planning and researching, quoting and paraphrasing, and writing skills. It looks like there are loads of recordings available.

14 October 2024

I’ve been properly reading chapter 1, and I’ve looked ahead to the independent study materials for chapters 2 and 3. I’m starting to think about the independent study options, and there’s a lot that I want to do. I want to watch a Drama Online production of Titus Andronicus (and read the play at the same time), find out more about Thomas Kyd (I remember reading that he shared a room with Marlowe, and was a scribe as well as a playwright), and listen to the additional audio materials that are on the module website. Decisions decisions.

I need to properly read chapter 2.  I’ll try to do that tomorrow.

I also need to get back to my day job.

15 October 2024

I’ve had a proper go through of chapter 2, but I’ve not spent as much time on the activities as I should have done, but I can always go back to them if it looks like they might help with the TMAs. 

There’s some useful pointers to read the introduction of that Hattaway edition of As You Like It, particularly with respect to its interpretations.

I was curious about references to Johnson’s play Every Man in his Humour (Wikipedia). It looks like there isn’t a production of this available through Drama Online (there is only a production of Volpone, which I know nothing about).

I’m just about to go off-piste with respect to my independent study. Although I did mention that I might watch Titus Andronicus through Drama Online, I have booked to see Coriolanus tomorrow at The National. After hearing a rumour that it wasn’t very good, I’ve skim read some reviews and by the looks of it, it doesn’t sound too terrible.

Next up, the online materials for the following week, chapter 3, and the independent study activities.

16 October 2024

I’ve had a quick read of chapter 3, but it really is a quick read. I remember bits of it from the even quicker read through that I did over the summer. I know what I need to do next, which is read The Spanish Tragedy again. There’s a lot of action that I don’t really follow.

I went into one of the independent study activities; looking up Kyd’s biography in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, making a few notes. There was also a suggestion to read a bit of a biography of Marlowe, but there’s another bit of a study activity that I want to do. 

Kyd and Marlowe shared lodgings. Kyd was arrested (I think along with Marlowe) and was possibly tortured. He died in 1594, not long after getting out of prison. He was buried at St Mary Cole Church.

I looked this place up. It doesn’t exist anymore, having been destroyed in the great fire of London in 1666. There is, however, a plaque which is reminder of its location, which can be found on the corner of Poultry and Old Jewry, not too far from Bank underground station.

His biography suggested a few firsts: the first Machiavellian villain in a play, the first play within a play, and use of ‘robust blank verse’.

Another memory of my morning reading is that Shakespeare may have contributed a bit of text to a version of Kyd’s play. I haven’t got the connections and the detail secure in my head just yet.

In all this distant history, there’s some suggestion about Kyd may have written an earlier version of Hamlet, but I’ve heard that all this is speculation. I think we’ve got this to come in the module materials.

17 October 2024

Okay, I enjoyed the production of Coriolanus that I saw last night.

Pretending to be a grumpy critic, I did feel that the production didn’t really know what it wanted to be. It was broadly supposed to be set in a museum, but made use of video effects too, and there were these later scenes which I didn’t really understand where there were these weird costumes, and lots of fire going on in the background. The play was hugely political, in the sense that it was all about keeping people onside. I guess there’s a strong link to the dangers of the use of rhetoric. I’m glad I saw it. I’ve read a couple of reviews, and they’ve been mostly positive.

Anyway, back to the module materials. This morning, I went through the module team’s selected recordings of The Spanish Tragedy, making a bunch of notes. I’ve not (yet) read it properly, but I might have another listen of the Radio 3 production, and have a good read of the introductory notes. I really like Kyd’s use of language. I’m struck by the poetry he uses in the seduction scene in act 2. I do feel that I’m quite a long way away to really understanding it properly, but I’m making steps towards figuring it out.

I kind of want to watch Titus Andronicus, but it might leave me mildly traumatised, like the time I watched Dr Faustus. 

A final reflection: I’m really enjoying this first bit of the module, which made me have the opposing thought of ‘I’m really not looking forward to the part when we get to Austen’.

20 October 2024

On Friday 18 October, I took a trip to the 2024 arts and humanities study day, writing everything up yesterday evening. At around the same time of doing this, I also tried to get my lever arch file together. Over the last few days or so I’ve been trying to listen to The Spanish Tragedy. I’m still a long way from figuring out what is happening to whom.

22 October 2024

I’ve started to listen to the tutorial that I missed on the 17th. Its focus is on close reading and the use of the OED. I made a note of the first two points, before I had to stop; I’m too tired. It’s been a difficult day. Balancing work and study is challenging.

28 October 2024

My study continues to be fractured due to personal circumstances (I’ve been helping my mum). It has taken me three goes to listen to the second introductory tutorial, which was very helpful. It covered two things: close reading skills, and the use of the Oxford English Dictionary. On the subject of the dictionary and accessing resources from the OU library, our tutor directed us to a useful browser extension, which saves us from having to access article databases without having to go via the library website. After an earlier listen of the tutorial, I installed it. I’ll see how I go.

On the subject of close reading, I noted down the following points: first impressions, identification of words that led to the first impression, what words most significantly contribute towards the theme of a passage, consider the style of language, and to critically make use of checklists. Some other tips included try reading it out, try copying the text, and make use of the set text edition.

I picked up on the suggestion of the set text, and in my independent study time I’ve been reading through the introduction of As You Like It. It’s very dense and hard going, so I’m just skim reading it at the moment, just to get a feel for it. I don’t think I like it; it’s work.

A final note for today. I like the look of the forum activities that were started over the weekend. I think it was these that made me realise that I’ve got a whole lot of learning to do.

17 February 2024

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working through the two set text I’ve chosen to write about: The Custom of the Country, and The Age of Innocence. I really like these texts. I’ve been re-reading them using my Kindle, highlighting sections, and adding some notes when have some reflections. As I read, I find earlier notes. When I read them, they looks strange: I can see an earlier version of myself reading the book, figuring out the words, settings and characters. I see earlier ideas of where the plot is moving to.

18 February 2024

It’s editing day. I have a go to make sense of all my notes. I have a set of headings, which relate to the question, which have emerged from the various notes that I’ve made from my reading.

19 February 2024

Whilst in the middle of my workday, I have another go at editing up my assignment. Although I feel I could draw on some of the additional materials, I’m starting to be roughly happy with what I’ve managed to pull together. I need to think of my word count.

I go in hard, cutting two big paragraphs which I’m really pleased with. If they don’t progress an argument, or help to emphasise any significant points, or they are tangential to the main aim of the essay, the words should go.

That’s it. My TMA 3 has gone in. It’s not my best work, but I feel as if I’ve learnt some things, which is, of course, the point.

20 February 2024

It’s first thing in the morning, before getting stuck in with my day job. I start reading the second book on my Kindle. I notice that there a couple of books that I need, but I haven’t got. Although this isn’t my preferred method of study (although I am getting increasingly used to it), I download the texts and get reading.

21 February 2024

Again, first thing in the morning, I’m reading my Kindle again. I finish reading the first chapter of the second book, and read a couple of takes from the set text. A reflection that I had was: I’m not making as many notes as I have done with other modules I’ve studied. Instead, I’m adding notes directly to the text using my Kindle, and saving more bookmarks than I’ve ever done before. I feel as if I’m learning things, but I do need to sort my notes out, now that I’m more than half way through the module. It’s hard to believe that there’s just one more TMA, and the EMA to go.

Before starting work, I login to the module website, tick off all the bits that I’ve completed, and have a quick look at TMA 4. Some students are saying that there is an option where you write a fairy tale! (Not to be confused with a fairy story; that is something that is totally different).

11 December 2023

I’m surprised that so much time has passed since my last note. 

I’ve done a couple of things, and one thing has happened.

Technically, I’m up to date with the block reading (but I’ve read through the blocks quite quickly), and I’m behind with the online activities. I’m also ahead with my reading of my book club preference, The Age of Innocence, but I’m behind on all my quizzes.

There is a tutorial this morning, which I’m hoping to attend, along with another one that takes place this evening. I think I’m remaining committed to Blunden, since I feel frustrated with both The God of Small things, and Hotel World. I’m drawn to the Blunden TMA 2 question.

The thing that has happened is that I’ve got my TMA result back. I’m happy with the result, but I would have liked to get a higher score, of course. My tutor has given me some helpful pointers about my writing, which I’ll try to integrate into my writing. Two practical tips I remember are: always italicise titles (I thought I had done that), and make sure that you don’t end a paragraph with a quote. The point here is: if you do this, what is the point?

My next steps: back to the module materials – but mainly the online materials. But before I go there, I need to do my own TMA marking. There are always things to do!

15 December 2023

I try to attend an online tutorial, but I was scuppered by technology.

I gave the OU IT helpdesk a ring, and it was all about a clash of cookies, but I suspect it could have been resolved really simply. Essentially, bits of the OU websites was getting muddled with my two accounts: my tutor account, and my student account. When I logged into the module page to access a tutorial, it wouldn’t let me in to the live version, or let me view any of the recordings.

After deleting all my cookies, everything seemed to start working again, but by then, my tutorial had passed.

I’ve realised that similar things can occur if I don’t close my browser between browser sessions. Now I’m a lot the wiser.

Anyway, I attended a tutorial that covered Blunden, Smith and Roy all in one session. I made a whole bunch of notes. Although I’m ahead on my novel reading, I’m a bit behind on the online materials.

17 December 2023

A day of two halves: the first was listening to a tutorial about Blunden (where I made a bunch of notes), and then I got back to the module website. What I really liked about the tutorial was the focus on the close reading, which will stand me in good stead for the TMA. When it came to the website I cheekily ticked off the module materials that are related to Roy and Smith (although I have read the block chapters), and realised I’m up to week 10.

Here's a note to self: I must complete the online activities that relate to Blunden. There is an activity question which is about memoir, which I think I know how I’m going to answer. I need to look at all the other ones, of course.

19 December 2023

I’ve completed my three posts for TMA 2! I picked up a trick, which was the ability to search for fragments of text, in the ePub for Far from the madding crowd, and within the downloaded version of the Blunden text, which I have on my Kindle. This made it a lot easier to pick two passages.

I quickly eyeballed the assignment question again. For some reason, I though it was about memory rather than what was being asked. This makes me question my own memory.

I have a plan of action: to re-read the block materials that I’ve worked through, to complete the online activity about reviews (there might be something interesting in there I might be able to use), and then do a close reading of Blunden again, whilst referring to the online map which a fellow student has mentioned. There’s also something called a 2015 edition which the module team recommends.

I think I’ve got all my Christmas reading all sorted.

26 December 2023

Boxing day. I found a bit of quiet time in the morning where I did a bit of reading. There’s quite a lot to a chapter I’ve been reading in Undertones of War. I made quite a lot of highlights using my Kindle.

27 December 2023

Reading the online materials for Week 11, and watching the short video about Blunden. I’ve also started to look at John Greening’s 2015 edition of Undertones of War, and I’ve noticed a comprehensive notes page, cross references to the text, and a comprehensive introduction. I’ve sent the notes pages and the introduction to my Kindle. I made a note of a point that the presenter made which struck me as being quite useful, and relevant to the TMA question.

I did try to complete the activity that was about book reviews, but I didn’t get very far. I only found a couple, and none of the ones that were mentioned in the module materials. I found the library instructions pretty confusing, and I was wondering whether I was pushing the wrong buttons. This said, I’ve never really thought of the significance of book reviews. A point was made was that they were written in the context in which a book appears. This means that they offer a particularly useful perspective.

One of my other actions of the day was to ask my tutor a question. I think I’m happy with the passage that I’ve chosen, but I wanted to get a feel for whether I’ve chosen something that is too big, and whether I should choose a couple of paragraphs, rather than a whole chapter. I am, however, mindful that there is quite a big word count.

I’m starting to feel a bit more confident, even though I have a long way to go before putting the broad structure of the text in my head, but I don’t think I need to do this for the TMA.

28 December 2023

The notes pages from Greening is pretty useless without the actual text. I go to the Week 10 online materials, download the PDF version, and email it to my Kindle.

I’ve also found the online map, which I need to look at. This resource reminds me of a similar resource that was used with The Custom of the Country.

1 October 2023

The last thing I did yesterday was read though the first bit of the chapter about Wharton. I then had a cheeky look through some of the later chapters. I’m looking forward to the bit about Blunden.

I had a look at the learning journal document. I like how it is structured, but some of the headings need to be formatted.

It’s only a few more days to go before the official start date!

3 October 2023

Yesterday I got a bit ahead of myself, and started to read the introduction to the Blunden text, as well as a couple of the first section. I quite liked what I read. I’m also reminded to a recent BBC film; a biopic of Siegfried Sassoon.

Anyway, I’ve managed to get a printout of all the TMAs. For some weird reason, the printed text for TMAs 1 through 4 is smaller than the text for TMA 5. I have no idea why. I’ve also printed out the passages that form the basis of TMA 1. Another thing I’ve done is that I’ve emptied out an old A4 file.

4 October 2023

I’ve received an email notification of my place on a special study day that the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are running at the London School of Economics in a couple of weeks’ time. It is quite curious since there is a frustrating pause on face-to-face tuition at the moment.

27 October 2023

Quite a bit of time has passed since my last entry! I have been busy, though. I’ve attended a tutorial, and have written a bunch of notes. I attended the Arts and Humanities day school and have written a summary of what happened at that event. 

I’ve also managed to do quite a bit of reading of the module materials. I’ve got as far as the first chapter which is about Blunden, and I’m just about halfway through the Blunden text. I’m really appreciating it (I’m using this word, since ‘enjoying’ doesn’t really seem to be the right word, given the subject matter).

I’m managing to snatch various bits of time to commit to my studies, but I feel that my day job (it is a nuisance having a day job) seems to be always pulling me in various directions. There are all these reviews and consultations that present perpetual and frustrating challenges.

I’m hoping to attend a tutorial tomorrow if I can find the time.

I also need to commit to writing a few more forum posts about Hardy. I’ve written one, which I think counts for the TMA, but I’m finding it quite difficult to engage. I think it is because the forum activities are forcing me to do a bit of work, which I think is the point.

9 March 2023

Has it really been so long since I last got my head down and did a bit of proper study? The answer is yes; there have been a few things going on, including a lot of TMA marking for the modules that I’m teaching, and also helping out my mum and dad with a few things.

Anyway, today was TMA results day! I’m very happy, and dare I say it, surprised with my results. My tutor offered some helpful comments, which suggests that I should consider the wider themes within a text when writing a thematic essay. I need to re-read his comments to really take them on board.

10 March 2023

I have a day of leave, so I’m going to do a bit of study.

There was a bit of chat in the WhatApp group about an audio book of Dubliners. Not having a subscription to Audible, and not really wanting to go through the fuss of setting up and account, and then cancelling, I’ve discovered a site called LibriVox, which has the subtitle: Acoustical liberation of books in the public domain.

It turns out there’s a version of Dubliners which can be downloaded. I’m going to give this a go.

Onto the block about The Twentieth Century. Before I go there, I’m going to have a rummage around the module website, to see how far behind I am.

11 March 2023

A day of catching up. I’ve noted the date of the next TMA. I’ve realised I don’t have much time. I briefly read the TMA question, which will help me with my reading of Dubliners.

After reading first two chapters of the blocks, I start re-reading Dubliners (which I had read over the summer), with help from LibriVox. It is going in this time; I’m making sense of it.

I also listen to a documentary about the publication of Dubliners that I found on BBC Sounds. This was both interesting and helpful. One expert claimed that Joyce uses the word ‘confused’, only once, within each of his short stories. So far, this seems to be the case, except ‘confused’ doesn’t feature within the first story, The Sisters.

12 March 2023

It’s back to re-reading Dubliners. I begin with the story, Two Gallants.

13 March 2023

It’s tutorial day! I start the day with another story from Dubliners.

15 March 2023

It’s strike day, which means I’m in a position to do a bit of uninterrupted study.

I’m now up to the final short story, which is actually quite a long story. When I’m done, I’ll then make a choice about which story to choose for the TMA.

I went on a slight study diversion, and found a web page that shares what is described as James Joyce reading from Ulysses https://lithub.com/listen-to-the-first-ever-recording-of-james-joyce-reading-from-ulysses/

I’m heading away tomorrow for a short break. I am, however, going to take my study block, and also the reading supplement. I need to get things together quite quickly, since TMA 5 is coming up quite rapidly.

18 March 2023

I spent a quite a bit of quality time with my books. I think probably four or five hours in total. I finished rereading The Dead. I read through the last chapter of the block I needed for TMA 5, and then had a good read of the poems in the reading supplement, getting through most of them. 

I really liked the New York texts; they really spoke to me. Whilst I appreciated the structure of the sonnets, I really liked the poems by Langston Hughes.

19 March 2023

A few more readings to get through, which didn’t take too long. I think I’ve chosen my texts for TMA 5.

20 March 2023

I had a quick read through chapters 1 and 2. I ask my tutor a question, who immediately responds; he offers me a helpful steer, which I am really grateful about. My next step was to create two notes files, filled with notes I’ve pulled together from all the text. There’s one for the final TMA, and another one for the EMA.

My next step: tomorrow, I’ll dig into the text of the text I’ve chosen, relating words back to the words of TMA question. I’ll begin with Dubliners in the morning, and then I’ll have another look at the texts I think I have chosen for the second part of the question. I should then have a set of ideas that I can start to mould into my TMA 5 submission.

26 March 2023

TMA writing day. A couple of days earlier I had collated a whole bunch of notes into my Word file; I have section headings, quotes from the module materials, quotes from the Joyce story, quotes from the poems, and all the references sorted out.

I begin the day with a printout of all my notes. I re-read a short story for a final time, and discovered a couple of elements that I had missed. Letting things sit with me had helped: I’m starting to get an idea what modernism is all about. Although the ambiguity that some elements are presented can be frustrating, it also become fascinating too.

I move paragraphs about, delete a whole set of quotes, write some linking text, added a couple of new bits, and write a short conclusion. I’m nearly done. I edit up the introduction, and get the word count down. I’m slightly over, but it’s okay. It’s good to go.

I go back to the website, to see what next: Sam Selvon and Lonely Londoners. I work through the video materials, which I really enjoyed.