On literature

So I forgot something about myself. I am a literature student.

I didn't go into university with a romantic euphoria that naively believed I'd find a dream job that met my fantastical literary interests. I went to university knowing full well that I wouldn't get a job if I did a literature major; and I did one anyway. In blatant rejection of the world order, I went to university to seek knowledge for the pursuit of just that: knowledge. And when I began, that knowledge was going to be within the category of (good) literature.

Then, I had a very amusing teacher who taught politics. This teacher managed to make me interested in politics despite my ardent hate of it (or what I thought politics was, which turned out to be factually incorrect). So then politics turned into another major. All this time, I undertook a few criminology classes because a friend also was (and it got me a ticket to Italy) and I undertook a few Geography units which quickly fascinated the greeny inside of me.

So, I got swept up in it: in the maize of academia. I ended up doing a triple major in Politics, English and Geography, a diploma in Geography and one unit short of a min0r in Criminology. I then did honours in Politics, I'm doing Masters in Politics/ Criminology and I teach in Criminology.

And there you have it: I've done it again. I've gotten so swept up in this academic bubble of fantastical and pure knowledge that I've forgotten why I set out for a Bachelor of Arts in the first place! Literature.

I am currently reading a book by A. S. Byatt called "A Biographer's Tale" and this book was offered to me in my literature class. Years later I actually read it. And I love it! This book, this writer is a literature adventure! Alliteration, assonance and rhyme in general prose! (So, in case you don't know, and I feel it is important that you do, if alliteration is depicted as the first letter of a few words being the same - Bob brang Brandy by blockloads - assonance is the repetition of the second letter - Josie quoted Moses on her own). Both are fundamental constructs of a simple rhyme. Byatt will be writing along and suddenly she's dropping as many words whose vowels will rhyme with "O" as she can muster... and she can muster a great deal!

The sad thing is that I had lost touch with this part of myself, this defining feature of me. I don't hope that I will win it all back just yet, I a fear that I am actually going to have build this up within me! Not sure hope that'll happen just yet...

But for now I've found it! I'm excited again! I'm going to the beach in 2 weeks and I'm going to sit on the sand with sunnies and wine and salt water and read read read my literary enjoyment sated! And maybe I'll write some poetry! Yes!

Have you ever lost a bit of yourself? Or forgotten it? Well, I have been made literary aware by way of emotion eruption and A. S. Byatt. Luckily I used to work in a bookstore and I now own far too many good books! So when I finish this one, I'll start the next.

Bookclub, here I come!...?

"In summer the bushfires rage and rage
And rage
On such beautiful days
And we fight them with water that runs through the cracks
Water we're desperately trying to save
So I'll just live on wine and water my vines In summer the bushfires rage and rage
And rage
On such beautiful days
And we fight them with water that runs through the cracks
Water we're desperately trying to save
So I'll just live on wine and water my vine"

 Cat Empire, "The Wine Song"