The Horror of Justice and the Terrible Question of Forgiveness: My Dissertation Take Two

I am "ABD." It sounds like "ADD," and turns out to overlap sustantially with that condition. ABD stands for "All But Dissertation." It sounds as if you are all done except for this one last little thing. Ha! The average years to complete a PhD in English in this country is 9+ !!! 2 years of coursework. 1 year for orals (at which point, you have the Masters). And the rest is dissertation. But I digress . . . a tendency that may also explain the number of years it has taken to write my dissertation.

When people ask what my dissertation is about, I interpret that question the same way I interpret the "how you are?" asked by a co-worker as they pass me in the hall. Who really wants to hear the answer? I say something like, "it's on American law and literature." Or "I analyze the intersections of law and post-Civil War literature." Trust me . . . that's usually plenty. Nobody ever asks me to elaborate! :-)

But I have to gear up for the job search this year. I have to explain what I do in an application letter, in an abstract, over the phone, in an interview at the MLA, in a "job talk," formally AND informally in a campus visit, and, of course, in the introduction of my dissertation itself. My explanations cannot be repetitive and cannot sound canned. It's a tall order. If I have to be interesting too, it's mission impossible.

I've avoided explaining my work to "outsiders" for so long, I'm finding it very hard to do! My advisor challenged me to tell one person every day what my dissertation is about, in as much detail as the person can take. So, for those of you who plan on loving me unconditionally . . . ask me again what my dissertation is about and be prepared for an actual answer! (I've been asked what happened to the explanation of my dissertation that initially was included in this post . . . it took up too much space so I removed it. No loss!)

Comments

  1. MarenAugust 16, 2009 at 9:44 PM

    Trinyan-you rock! You are going to get this done. What interesting subject matter! It comes down to the fact that no man can ever create a infallable system for justice. In the end, at least on this earth, someone is going to be wronged. In your example in "The "Marrow of Tradition" when you state that "Predictably, forgiveness ends up benefitting the white community at the expense of the black." That is exactly what society wants us to think-which only perpetuates more hard feelings and hate. The truth is that true forgiveness ends up benefitting all parties; the forgiver, offender and society. On this earth and after.

    Thanks for sharing-

    Patrick

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