There are two research pathways within the M.A: an extended dissertation of 80 credits or a research project of 20 credits and a dissertation worth 60 credits. At the moment I am leaning towards this latter route for two reasons.
Firstly, although I have written and published both prose and poetry independently and acted as 'critical friend' to my two eldest two offspring helping them to navigate 'their Humanities M.A.'s, the last time I produced anything myself within the humanities was the extended essay I produced for the children's literature module within my PGCE. That was over 30 years ago. So being able to undertake a research project of 5000 words before commencing a full dissertation seems less daunting and gives me time to gradually acquire the required skills.
Secondly, if I do want to at least explore a creative element within the larger dissertation and that work is likely to involve poetry, then having a lower word count overall would help. I really need to discuss with a tutor how more creative aspects, particularly in relation to poetry, are 'measured' in terms of word count - I mean, The Waste Land is only 4320 words long, what amounts to a short story in prose terms is an epic in relation to poetry.
So, back to the question - if I was going to develop some ideas for a short research project what might they be?
1. M A Griffiths - an inadvertent post modernist?
Of course that should be impossible. The whole thing about taking a post- modern stance is that you are savvy about cultural constructs. There are some aspects, however, of M. A, Griffiths poetry that have elements of the postmodern about them; for example, her multiple voices, the parallel, simultaneous appearance of work in radically differing styles on a variety of web-boards, at times taking a radical feminist stance then swapping to a voice that seems consciously anachronistic - experiments in sci-fi and pulp fiction modes - to what extent were these simply a product of being isolated and able to 'do what she liked' - or was there an element of conscious cultural positioning?
In particular it may be interesting to look at historicism in her work in relation to emerging genres such as the Neo Victorian novel or Steampunk. To my knowledge there are few poets operating in that field, the only example I can think of is the poetry within A S Byatt's Possession. The post-modern response in poetry seems more to lean towards linguistics - like the 'language poetry' of Jorie Graham for example.
Or possibly consider questions of textual ownership - how her body of work was resurrected by friends and supporters from internet archives after her death; the construction of a 'legacy' it's positioning within broader cultural trends i shaped by others, not the author herself.
Could some of these ideas be worked up into a credible research piece?
2. Sonnet Boom.
The sonnet as a popular internet art form.
It may be interesting to look at how the internet, by breaking down barriers of geography, divides between academics, professional and 'amateur' writers. resulted in an upsurge of interest in writing sonnets. How the emergence of self governing poetry boards supported that development, and how the opportunity for on-line work-shopping and co-creation enabled writers to share ideas and develop professional attitudes to their work. A side issue relates to identity and anonymity, the activities of 'trolls' and literary hoaxes which be-devilled sites, and emerging netiquette and moderation responded to those challenges.
What, if any have been the longer term consequences of this, - how did the open democratic nature of the internet enable a minority interest in traditional forms derided by the modernist literary establishment to flourish across the English speaking world to the extent impossible in a purely print dominated publishing environment. Was the result simply the development of 'neo-genres' of previous styles enjoying a revival for a niche audience (the sealed knot syndrome) or did new forms and subjects for the sonnet arise, responsive and relevant to contemporary trends, issues and events.
3. Wordsworth's Duddon Sonnets - A re-evaluation
Wordsworth published 'The River Duddon, A Series Of Sonnets in 1820, The poems themselves were written over a fourteen year period. What kind of over-arching framework lies behind the series, if any. How and when were the individual poems 'worked-up into a series, when was the published order established.
In terms of the way the River Duddon itself is used as a connecting metaphor, what is its meaning and how does this relate to the later work of the poet to an earlier, more celebrated use of the river as a metaphor within 'Tintern Abbey'.
So the study might look at:
- The chronology of the poems composition
- It's reception
- Compare the representation of The River Duddon with Tintern Abbey/
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