MA English Literary Studies

Graduated January 2023

One of the highlights was definitely being able to experience such a traditional and historic institution in a beautiful quaint city. One of my favourite activities was attending MCR formals – these were a series of formal dinners run for postgraduates and hosted at a different college each time. I got to experience some of the older colleges (Castle, Chads, Hatfield) and their traditions, and some of the more modern ones (John Snow, Aidan’s) too. I found the postgraduate community to be friendly and welcoming. I found myself meeting a variety of people from different backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. I was able to build up a really mixed friendship group and community. In terms of my course, I really enjoyed the small-group seminar format – these fostered some in-depth (and sometimes even heated) discussions and allowed a deeper dive into the literature than was available through more-distanced Undergraduate lectures.

What are you doing now and how did your degree help prepare you?

I am now undergoing a Collaborative Doctoral Award (PhD) through the Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Programme at Northumbria University in Newcastle. My research looks at the legacy of the eighteenth-century author Laurence Sterne in French fiction and is in collaboration with the Laurence Sterne Trust based at Sterne’s former home, Shandy Hall in Coxwold. My postgraduate studies at Durham helped me explore and develop my interests in the eighteenth-century (I did a module on women’s writing in the eighteenth century, a module on post-French revolutionary writing, and also wrote my dissertation on Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Hays, two feminist writers from the 1790s), providing me with an excellent knowledge base to build upon for my PhD research. During my time at Durham, I attended many of the skills sessions available to me through the library and the university, strengthening my understanding of things such as digital skills, health and wellbeing, and time management. All of these put me on excellent ground to go into my PhD studies with more confidence in my academic abilities, and a portfolio of academic and vocational skills and knowledge which would aid me through the next stage of my career. The career service and my academic advisors at Durham were pivotal in helping me finetune my PhD application and supporting me in the transition to PhD level study.

My highlights of studying at Durham were: the cosy English Department, with a friendly cohort of like-minded students; the scope of the MA English Literary Studies course, which allowed me to study a wide range of texts, from Renaissance Humanism to Post-War Drama; and, the beautiful city, witnessing it change through all four seasons. I met some of my best friends at matriculation, and during the year, I experienced university life from college balls to bartending at the Student Union. Moving to the North East, I got to discover a whole new area of the UK.

Now, I live in Paris and work as a communications and campaign manager at the British Embassy. I use languages every day, writing products like social media copy and email marketing newsletters. My degree gave me the confidence to apply for the job, the paperwork to start as an intern, and an understanding of literary techniques used for different audiences. I typically communicate to businesses, both British companies selling to France and French companies investing in the UK. I’ve also worked on exciting projects like the UK-France Summit and crisis communications to British nationals living in and travelling to France during the pandemic.

My one piece of advice for prospective applicants to the English MA at Durham is to go for it. Only you can open that door for yourself. If you decide to accept the opportunity, make sure to use the year to its full potential. It doesn’t take long to discover the small city, but you can fill your time even in the summer by getting involved in whatever interests you: talks, walks, travel, work. Make it work for you, and leave with no regrets.