(no subject)

[hathycol]

They say that every day you have to do something that scares the shit out of you. Well, after lots of umming and aahing, I sent off an e-mail to a potential supervisor for a dissertation. Now, I should probably take the sensible option which is disertation mode B, which involves having to do a presentation in front of people about my dissertation, but involves less words, less primary sources and is generally A Bit Easier and fits in better with my type of learning.

Instead, I just sent an e-mail describing what I want to do and the sources that I'd use and volunteering to do disseration mode A, which involves no presentation, but is much, much longer, has to break new ground and is all done in one on one supervision. ON TOP OF THIS, the only thing I care about enough to research properly is Charles II, and this involves having to be supervised by the man who sort of made life difficult during last semester.

I AM IN FACT MAD.

The e-mail is sent.

So, this week is going to involve researching two essays, faking an injury so one of them can be handed in late and the rest of the week is NAKED FEAR. DJ-ing and having meetings about dissertations and trying to apply for yet more summer jobs that I am woefully underqualified for, oh my!

[eta: oh, help. Just got an e-mail back and made Katie open it because I felt a bit sick about the whole thing - when did I turn into a wilting violet? - and got the following response:

Nice to hear from you. In principle, yes, I'm happy to supervise you for a
dissertation. Public opinion is a very difficult and elusive concept - you seem
to mean how is Charles (II) presented in print at the time. My gut instinct is
that this will be quite straightforward - i.e. a Bad Thing. The royalist press
is clandestine and fugitive. But overall historiographical interest in royalism
is growing - I can loan you several recent monographs and essay collections.[cut: burble about stuff I should be reading and OH MY is it a long list.]Sorry for very hasty reply - this is a nightmare week for me, three lectures,
classes, tutorials, etc etc. Could you come and see me at 4pm on Wednesday (my
class hour is 4-5)?

Is that positive? I can't tell! Also, I do not have to do all this reading! I significantly do not wish to leave the house again today! I think it's positive, that maybe he's okay with supervising but just not that question? I do really want to a dissertation on the topic of Charles II, so... eh. I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH THIS. I also find it mildy irritating that I still haven't recieved any official information from the history department about this. Argh.]

Comments

[balthaser.livejournal.com]

I claimed that my nan was taken into hospital and due to both worrying about her and my Mother being upset I was unable to fully concentrate on my work.

Apparently it went through.
Now I just have to do something about the fact that I have handed in nothing this semester despite lectures and all deadlines being over.

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

Possibly just force yourself to sit down and so them? I find that it's all a bit easier once you gear up to make a start; that's always the hardest bit.

[sunlightdances.livejournal.com]

I think it's positive! Also, y'know, scary.

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

VERY VERY SCARY INDEED! But glad to hear a vote for 'positive', Admittingly he's the only tutor on this topic, but that's because no one is interested in it except me and the other girl who did this period at A-Level. (No, really, there are two of us and it turns out we went to the same sixth form, just a year apart. SMALL WORLD.)

[cedara]

It's positive, but it seems to me that he thinks your main sources would be biased. He does seem interested though.

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

Well, the point of the original diss ("what, if any, was the public opinion of Charles II during the interregnum?") was to look at the newspapers and see if there ws any proof against the official line of hating him/ignoring him, depending on events at the time.

But I'm glad that someone else sees that he sems to be a bit interested! It's not a very popular period in this university, so let's keep my fingers crossed.

[cedara]

Good luck! :-D

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You seem to have caught his attention! This sounds good to me. And, yes, if he didn't like it, he wouldn't have immediately started to enthusiastically suggest stuff to read. I reckon a positive result.

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

Yes, but 'enthusiastically suggesting stuff for me to read' means I have to read it, which means that other than breaks for LJ, Doctors and Hollyoaks (they are meal breaks, therefore allowed?) I have been on the go for 12 and a half hours with no chance of stopping. *flails*

HOWEVER. I shall take your point as a positive, as the stuff I cut is really quite long, with suggestions on how to get to it and everything. This type of dissertation involves being okayed by the Chair of Modern History (!) so to be honest I could be doing all this legwork for an eventual null result.

Thank for you your vote towards positive. I am now tentatively happy, as it would be great fun to do. I hope.