My research at Oxford focused on Franco-Russian literary exchange in the nineteenth century. I completed an MPhil in Medieval and Modern Languages; I wrote my dissertation on how Emile Zola and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels polemicize with sociological and medicalizing discourses concerning criminality. Instead of merely citing mid-century ideas concerning crime, these novels work through the epistemological and ethical implications of criminality on the level of character. As part of my coursework, I began to study Mikhail Bakhtin’s notes on Gustave Flaubert, and this interest has continued to morph into different forms over the past three years.
Ertegun House was an ideal place to participate in lively debates, to exchange ideas and methodologies with other scholars in the humanities, and to feel part of an ever-expanding circle of intellectual activity.
Life After Ertegun House
Following my time at Oxford, I moved to Palo Alto, CA, where I worked for a year as an administrative assistant at the law offices of Nolan, Barton, and Olmos LLP. During this year, I applied to doctoral programs in the United States, and decided to attend Harvard University, where I am currently in my third year of study in the Department of Comparative Literature.
As an alumnus of the Ertegun programme, I am delighted to field any questions from prospective applicants concerning my experience in Oxford at Ertegun House, and would be equally happy to answer any enquiries regarding the MPhil in Medieval and Modern Languages and Literatures.