Hi Everyone,
My name is Caterina Reed and I am an MA English student graduating this May (*crossing my fingers*). I have a BA in Comparative Literature from Stony Brook (with minors in Classics, Medieval Studies, and English). One random fact about me is that I took a couple years of Latin and independently learned Ancient Greek. Towards the end of my Bachelor’s and throughout my Master’s my interests have shifted to contemporary (feminist) literature with a focus on re-mixing, authenticity, and memories. I also love all things digital from learning new software to blogging to social media (though I don’t spend much time on Snapchat and Twitter). I’m glad that I will have the chance to explore my interests in technology and how it plays out with literature and rhetoric.
Looking forward to having great conversations with you all!
Welcome Caterina! Thanks for sharing your interests with us–great list! I have tried hard to “get into” Snapchat but have a hard time wrapping my head around it. The role of memory regarding the digital environs is such a very rich field to play in.
Random fact: Love the quote by Mark Frost, who won my heart by liking one of my Tweets once. Are you a Twin Peaks fan?
Thanks Professor Davidson! That is really awesome that he liked one of your tweets! I am a Twin Peaks fan, though I have not had time to watch the new episodes.
Hi Caterina!
It’s nice to (digitally) meet you! I’m the other student taking this class as an independent study.
Your abilities to learn languages and not spend too much time on Twitter are impressive!
Caitlin
Hi Caitlin,
Nice to “meet” you too! Looking forward to having many e-conversations 🙂
Caterina
Caterina,
Nice to meet you! You mention “contemporary (feminist) literature with a focus on re-mixing, authenticity, and memories.” I would love to hear more! Who are you reading? And what specifically are you considering with memory? I wrote a paper in my M.A. on collective memory and learned so much.
Looking forward to having class “with” you,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
For my undergraduate thesis I focused on female masculinity and youth culture (American and German). I used mostly Judith Butler’s and Jack Halberstam’s works (particularly “Gaga Feminism”). I wrote about re-mixing (and how it can be viewed as plagiarism) in Axolotl Roadkill (a German text). The main focus of that thesis was really about girls/young women and homosociality/homosexuality (many popular novels focus on how young men struggle with sexuality, but not young women).
Anyway, for my MA thesis, I’m focusing on the Hunger Games and the Handmaid’s Tale and how memories are transformative. I am writing a bit about how the preservation of memory affects cultural history/society (I’m using mostly Aleida Assmann). I’m still finishing it up…so I’m hoping it will be polished and ready soon 🙂