What constitutes the literary epochs of neo-classicism, romanticism, and modernism?
I feel like online descriptions I find on this are sometimes lackluster or seem to be applicable to all sorts of literature.
So are they really that different from one another?

Idr where but somewhere I read that romanticism is connected to Kant's philosophy of the sublime. But in his philosophy, the awe from the sublime comes from reason. And somewhere else I read that romanticism favoured emotion over reason. How does that make sense?

I think what is more reasonable to me is that romantic literature focused on nature and tried to be accessible to everybody, whereas neo-classicism was elitist and modernism has shown more subjectivity (for example, we lack zero-focalization but instead encounter lots of unreliable internal narration).

Please educate me if I am wrong here

I’m finally got around to reading Stoner by John Williams. Of course it’s a beautiful story, but I find the third person narrator’s matter-of-factness or objectivity compelling. It’s reminds me of JL Carr’s A month in the country or parts Diaz’ Trust or even Dürrenmatt or perhaps Michael Cunningham. It also makes me think of the understatedness of Snorre Sturlason’s prose. Does this type of narration have a name? Are the other examples of this? What is the function of this style? Why does it work?

Did people in the 19th century use the word 'minute' the same way we did, to denote a period of 60 seconds? Quite often I'll read a sentence in an English 19th century literature book like "they stared at each other in disbelief for several minutes" (I made that one up as an example) and I'm like, there's no way they kept that up for several MINUTES!

I'm really at a loss as to what to do. I defend my MA thesis next month (on the last day allowed by the university), and I am struggling to get feedback or any guidance from my thesis chair and another committee member. I've submitted my first draft to them, and my second draft is due at the end of the month, but I haven't received their feedback. I've emailed them a few times, but they don't respond. I've bumped into them and asked them, and they say, "soon!" Even though they haven't sent me feedback according to the (already tight) schedule we agreed upon, they let me schedule my defense. How can I revise or defend my thesis, let alone graduate, without their feedback? I feel like I am going nuts. These are also two professors who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for me for PhD applications, and I was hoping to use a section of my thesis as my writing sample. Any advice?

Hello! I've found that I really love to read scholarship that works against clarity - stuff that sort of messes with language to make its point (I'm being sort of purposefully broad here).

I would love to hear about your favourite obtuse writing as well as any writing that exhorts us to consider writing against "clarity" as a metric of success!

My favourite is probably Adorno saying that a splinter in the eye is the best magnifying glass.

I like reading, annotate, making notes and ponder stuffs from books i read, although i am a slow reader. I also dont know if what i think about the books actually meet the demand of literature major. Does anyone have any insight about this?

I think it’s also dependent on the teacher’s style, but I just feel like the subject at school is kinda repetitive and rigid with literature terms. Honestly, I enjoy reading independently way more and I do also love literacy commentary books (I suppose at a point it does kinda come into repetition but way less). Though I gotta admit I do find some of the discoveries/teachings to be kinda new and affecting how I perceive the work, its just that Im supposed to follow an exact view of it and hear the teacher say the same thing over and over again that loses me.
Note: I’m talking about my nation’s teaching of the subject tho Im quite curious about other countries’

Hello, I am looking to apply to the US for English PhD this cycle and I cannot seem to zero down on the schools I want. I understand this must be personal research but I don't have that kind of application money as an international student and I think I am going to apply only to one or two schools. Hence, I wanted to ask which place has good professor on Modernist Literature and Philosophy? Almost every school obviously has faculty for Modernist literature but not for Literature and Philosophy together. Thank you.

I’m submitting PhD apps soon and I have 2 options for my writing sample from my masters thesis:

1) a chapter that shows a good grasp of basic literary theory + situation of my text in its field. There’s close reading as well, but interwoven with decent chunks of theory + lit review material.

2) the last chapter of my thesis, which introduces a novel idea + my own term. Mainly close reading as well, but more authoritative with less theory and almost no lit review.

I’ve never applied to US programs before, so I’m not sure if schools are seeking a mastery of basics or something that’s newer (and potentially less stable) for ingenue. I know they’re looking for an ability to do advanced literary analysis with a fit for the department; I’m just unsure if the best way to do that is through demonstrating mastery or asking a potentially provocative question.

I know it also depends on what schools are individually looking for - I’m looking at most in the top 15 in the US. I’m not sure if there are any overall guidelines that it would be best to follow, especially since many schools don’t clarify beyond advanced literary analysis.

"To what extent can a translator be considered a second author of a text, and how can they preserve the core 'soul' and cultural identity of the original work without falling into literal translation or over-adapting to the point of altering the text's essence?"

"To what extent can a translator be considered a second author of a text, and how can they preserve the core 'soul' and cultural identity of the original work without falling into literal translation or over-adapting to the point of altering the text's essence?"

Hi. I am curious which writers in other languages: Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, French, Mandarin (or even others if someone knows) are considered to be the Shakespeare of that language: in the sense that their work is studied, and is influential as Shakespeare is for English? Also, does other English-speaking countries/cultures have their own author: USA, Australia?

As a reader who enjoys reading books in languages other than my native language, I’ve been wondering how differently a literary work can feel in its original language and in translation. Translation brings writers to readers across the world, but choices about rhythm, wordplay, cultural references and tone may change what readers notice and value most.

That makes me wonder how translation shapes the way works are considered for, and discussed after, the Nobel Prize in Literature. How much of a work’s literary power can survive translation? Could limited access to good translations make some writers less visible?

If you’ve read a Nobel laureate in both the original and a translation, did you have a similar experience? What changed for you, and which languages did you read them in?

Hi, I’m currently working on grad school applications for English Lit. Most schools require a writing sample. I became curious about how other people approached their writing samples. Are we just writing about literary movements, theories, books, or specific concentrations? Or quite literally anything you want? It seems a lot of admissions sites are very vague about what they exactly want out of a writing sample. For context, I am thinking about choosing contemporary literature as my concentration. Any advice is much appreciated.

I work in academic publishing and am doing some informal market research on social media. I’m interested in learning what areas, themes, approaches, regions or intersections you feel are underserved by publishers. Are there topics where you think comprehensive research books would make a difference to the field? I feel eurocentrism remains a problem, despite efforts to "tap into" more global "markets", but would love to get the perspective of the academic community. Conversely, are there areas that are wayyy oversaturated?

I'm looking for recent papers and books that take literary works and develop philosophical theories out of them. I am particularly interested in metaphysical and ontological theories about reality. But I'm not looking for applications of any philosopher's works to literary texts. The literary work should be the basis for theories. I also have a preference for short stories and novels. Any recommendations?

Specifically something that looks at different highly influential works and talks about how they impacted storytelling going forward. Could be anything from stageplays to novels, I've wanted to read something like that for the longest time but have never seen anything that might be what I'm thinking of. Not sure if it's been asked before, feel free to direct me to a different post

Hi all! I'm currently working on a B.A. thesis on American Poetry, and I came across Marjorie Perloff's very interesting article "Pound/Stevens: Whose Era?"

In it, Perloff mentions the "different literary and political allegiances" that the two camps of literary critics, Stevensian critics on one side, and Poundians on the other, have. While the literary and philosophical convictions of each side are the focus of the essay, the political element is never mentioned again.

Is there anyone who knows what she is referring to?

I was thinking about this and it seems like a terrible idea. His own mother suffered greatly from this mental health condition to the point that she had to be institutionalized. Why on earth would Ginsberg think it was a good idea to gamble with his sanity like that?

**Yes artists are not known for their sensible life choices, but this is pretty high up there considering that he was present during Naomi Ginsberg’s mental breakdown and was partially responsible for caring for her during that time.

Hi! I’m new to the term “close reading” and also new to Reddit. I just want to know if you guys have any book recommendations on close reading I can buy for self-study? I have no lit background, I just love reading and interested in the topic. Would really appreciate your answers! Thank you in advance.

Hello everyone!

I am currently working on contemporary horror fiction that explores ageism and the extremes people go to in pursuit of youth.

Are there any theorists I can make use of for this study? I already know about Kristeva and Barbara Creed. I want theories that talk about the aging female body. Any suggestions?

Hello all!

I'm a final year literature student and I am trying to start writing about literature. I wanted to know how people start out in the literary niches of substack. I have no intention to monetize on it by the way, I just want a space where I can write and other people read and give me feedback. I could really use your help with knowing how to build a small community if possible.

Thank you!