the phd project
a self-guided independent study project,
with the objective of becoming an expert in the subjects of Shakespearean drama, early modern English history, Renaissance literature, and the history of the city of London
Reading Lists
explore posts by category
TALES TOLD BY AN IDIOT
a deep dive into the works of Shakespeare, analyzing all 36 plays; considering the question of authorship and why it matters; exploring themes of race, identity, and gender; revisiting favorite comedies and tragedies and reading histories for the first time
“No, madam; I’ll not out of doors.”
—Coriolanius“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”
—Measure for Measure
THESE BLOODY DAYS
an exploration of late medieval to early modern England and the English Renaissance, primarily through the stories of queens from Elizabeth Woodville to Elizabeth I
“You look for dead man’s shoes—for if aught but good would come to the king, you would look to have me.”
—Anne Boleyn to Henry Norris, 1536“These bloody days have broken my heart.”
—Thomas Wyatt, 1536
LONDON, MY LOVE AFFAIR
reflections what living in, longing for, and loving London taught me about British history, Renaissance literature, and finding purpose in constant chaos
“You will find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson, 1777“This has all happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time, it happened in London.”
—Peter Pan, JM Barrie, 1911