[Vwoolf] Psychological problems and PhDs

Stuart N. Clarke stuart.n.clarke at btinternet.com
Mon Jun 18 07:24:44 EDT 2012


Anne-Marie Lindsay wrote: “I left official Woolf scholarship in part because I was not handling my mental illness during graduate school.”

Very wise.  I think it’s very foolish to struggle with mental problems and a PhD.  Although there is an increasing tendency to structure PhDs (especially in the USA), it is a lonely business in the Humanities, and there are sure to be crises (“If I can’t prove that Tchekhov visited the Black Sea in the summer of 1899, my whole thesis is going to fall apart”).  What you need is structure in your life, and a boring 9 to 5 job in an office is going to be more help to you than the isolation of a PhD.

We can (unfairly) divide PhD students into 2 extremes: (1) 1st class bachelor’s degree in English Literature; graduate immediately looks around for a PhD topic; (2) mature-age student whose academic background has been less than straightforward, but has always wanted to do a PhD on a specific topic.

Topic (1) “The Plays of Henry Arthur Jones”, for 19th century theatre has become fashionable for research.  Student will visit England to look at the prompt books.  Voilà – original research.  Easy.

Topic (2) “The problems of prostitution among the Dalits”.  Student argues that these problems can only be solved by the women’s turning to Christianity.  Perhaps this is so, but how will this make a PhD?  Much argument and obstinacy.  Result: an unsatisfactory research master’s degree as a compromise.

We are more likely to find the PhD student with psychological problems in group (2).  The student suffers periodically from anorexia, so naturally wishes to do PhD on Virginia Woolf’s problems with eating.  Unfortunately, Allie Glenny has recently done a PhD on this topic.  Still, student knows more about the area than her supervisors, and in her literature review downgrades Glenny’s thesis and suggests that there is still room for her to contribute to the topic.  Then Glenny publishes her book “Ravenous Identity”, drawing upon her own “personal experience of anorexia” (see -- it can be done!).  Student now has no topic.  Seeks advice.  It is discovered that she has a 1st degree in Spanish.  That’s excellent.  Reception Studies have become fashionable.  Proposed topic: “Virginia Woolf’s Reception in South America”.  Proposed topic totally unacceptable to student who still wishes to do a PhD on Virginia Woolf’s problems with anorexia.  Disaster ensues.

Stuart



From: Anne-Marie Lindsey 
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2012 10:09 PM
To: Laurie Reiche 
Cc: Woolf list 
Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] Speculative recuperations of Woolf's suicide

Here's where I have to jump in to back up Brenda; I left official Woolf scholarship in part because I was not handling my mental illness during graduate school. ...
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