Discovering English as a Science Kid

I think if anyone from my high school could see me now, they would not believe my decision to not only move to Charleston, but to become an English major.

I was somewhat correctly labeled as a “math and science” kid in middle school and that notion followed me throughout my high school years. It was not because I lacked the skills for English (or history), but because I was clearly more passionate in what I thought were the “more rewarding” subjects.

Down the line, my introduction to college was rather chaotic (thanks a lot COVID) and I was quick to learn that my science-driven studies were void of something. I was sitting in my childhood bedroom doing a Chemistry lab via Zoom and I could not think of anything I wanted to do less. Acting off impulse, I made a decision that caused my parent’s heads to turn – I undeclared my major and filled my schedule with reading and writing based courses.

Nothing could prepare me for the overwhelming sense of achievement that accompanied my time in that British Literature course and beyond. Perhaps it was the bragging rights I gained from reading texts in Old and Middle English, or perhaps it was the unfamiliar space in which I could answer questions that weren’t restricted by a formula or equation.

With that being said, English had become a realm in which I could experiment with and mold my thinking without facing immediate consequence. More importantly, I’ve since discovered that there is a kind of dialogue that happens in literary criticism… It’s my voice intertwining with voices from different perspectives, historical periods, and languages to create some sort of eclectic mishmash.

Writer Paula L. Mora fluently similarly recalls this concept in her description of literature as a medium in which individuals not only experience an encounter with the self, but also with a radical other. She notes that works of literature can “serve as an excavation of, and a meditation on, the pervasive sociocultural ideas of the social worlds, as well as the worlds of sense, within which both authors and readers live.” I interpreted this as recognizing the power of literature to place us in conversation with nearly any person, place, or movement in time. Experiencing this unpredictable collaboration between old, new, and everything in between ignites a fascination I seek out daily.

Now with a life driven by stories, genres, and narratives, I feel that I have developed a more profound way of confronting and interpreting the world around me. In their discussion of narrative, Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret argue that an imagination inspired by narrative is necessary to escape what they call a “cognitive lockdown.” They stress the need to discover and build a “cohesive whole” which would then transcend the boundaries set in place by uniform thinking. Thanks to English literature, my tendency to exist in a linear fashion (or cognitive lockdown) has been replaced by the desire to question, observe, and reimagine the patterns of existence that many people rely on.

If I haven’t yet made it clear that English proved to be much more rewarding than high school me would believe, I’ll make one last (more objective) attempt now.

Karen Swallow Prior’s piece stresses that reading is one of few distinctly human activities – the perfect excuse to expand its recognition. While reading her article I realized that this concept somehow reinforced my confidence in being on the correct academic path. In being able to appreciate and analyze something so unique (and to do it well) sets I am set apart from many of my peers who fall victim to systematic thinking.

In the end, what the study of English has done, and continues to do, for me stems far beyond discovering a more enjoyable education. It has altered my sense of self and introduced me to a number of scholars – old and new – that are motivated to discover and explore a deeper existence of meaning.

2 Responses to Discovering English as a Science Kid

  1. Zoee January 26, 2023 at 6:43 pm #

    Olivia, I thought this was a very interesting change of heart! I do find it cool when people are into science turn to a very different field

  2. Adam D January 26, 2023 at 7:37 pm #

    Olivia—I really enjoyed getting to read about your journey to becoming an English major from a science background. I’m especially interested in the idea that literary criticism played such a prominent role in your experience. While I have always struggled with a sort of philosophical ambivalence to criticism, your description of it being an “eclectic mishmash” is, for me, a very persuasive argument in favor of this discipline’s influence.

    Funnily enough, I find your perspective on literature to be very scientific. The way that you view literature as a means of “explor[ing] a deeper existence of meaning” is such a cool way of looking at the work we do as students of literature, as it portrays literature and science seemingly as two sides of the same coin, rather than two disconnected disciplines, as seems to often be the case. This context helps me understand how your background led you here.

    It was really great to hear your story, thank you so much for sharing it!

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