Our Class
Maggie May
Hello! I am a double majoring in English and Secondary Education at the College of Charleston’s Honors College. This coming fall will begin my junior year at the College. I am originally from Thomasville, GA, a small town right on the Florida-Georgia Line. Books have always been a longtime love of mine especially over a hot cup of tea or on the beach at Sullivan’s Island. I hope to one day inspire the love of literature from a high school classroom as I hope to eventually become a high school English teacher in the Charleston area.
Taylor Ward
Hi everyone! I am a senior this upcoming semester at College of Charleston, with a major in English and a concentration in Literature and Film. I have a minor in Communications and a newly declared minor in British Studies as well. I really love traveling, as well as photography which I hope to do a lot of while we are in London!
I am actually originally from the London Borough of Hillingdon in England, which lies just on the outskirts of London and very close to Heathrow. However, my family now lives in Aiken, South Carolina, which is just upstate from the college. I come from a pretty well traveled family and have visited London a pretty good amount of times, mostly to visit family but I have also picked up quite an affinity for perusing all of the markets in the Greater London area. I will also definitely be visiting as many of my favorites as I can if anyone would like to join as well!
I have always had an interest in Victorian or Gothic literature. When I was a lot younger, I had a large fascination with anything Charles Dickens and used to beg my dad to buy me more of his literature, which I think was the starting point for my interests in the genres. I have obviously been heavily influenced by English culture and literature or films, and had actually read almost of our readings before, besides that of Wuthering Heights, though I am happily ready to read them all again! I can’t wait to see what this class, as well as London itself, has in store this summer and hopefully to also get the chance to see family I haven’t seen in quite a few years once again!
I can’t wait to meet everyone!
Catherine Quarles
Hello! I am a senior at the College of Charleston majoring in English (literature, film and cultural studies) and minoring in both Southern Studies and Studio Art with a concentration in photography. I grew up in Peachtree City, which is a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. My parents moved to Beaufort, South Carolina after my freshman year of college, and I now spend pretty much all of my time in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. As for the future, I have ambitions of graduate school for English Lit, but I’m not sure what I’ll do after I graduate!
I am a huge fan of the Gothic and have taken both Gothic Literature and The Female Gothic as previous courses, so I am incredibly excited to continue learning and reading the genre. I have fairly limited traveling experience— beyond visits to my family in Louisiana and the occasional vacation to Las Vegas, I don’t travel much. London will be a completely new experience for me and I couldn’t be more excited!
Tyler Smith
Hey folks! I am a second-year Ph.D. Creative Writing (poetry) student at the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to USM, I spent three years in the Mojave Desert earning an MFA (also poetry) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where I studied under poet, Donald Revell. Before that, I earned my bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls while living along the Kinnikinic River.
Originally, I am from Maiden Rock — a small lake town on the edge of a Mississippi oxbow in western Wisconsin. It’s a town rich in story and Native American lore, and, in part, it’s where I get much of my inspiration for reading and writing (see the myth of Wenonah’s Leap to learn more about the town).
Personally, both in terms of literature and travel, this will be my first foray into an English setting. Having said that, I have traveled a fair bit throughout the Irish countryside and cities. In fact, I will be spending the week before our trip in Dublin city centre revisiting old haunts and taking in a pint or three (plus reading our share of texts for this class). Looking forward to traveling with you all.
Caroline McCaulay
Hello! I am a PhD candidate in English (Creative Writing) at University of Southern Mississippi and just completed my first year. I am from Carmel, Indiana, and went to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, for my undergraduate degree. After I graduated in 2016, I moved to Los Angeles, where I worked as a publicity assistant at a television studio for a little over a year. I moved back to Indiana to pursue higher education and completed my MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) at Indiana University in 2021.
In 2014, I completed a five-month internship in Munich, Germany with a marketing company. I was able to take a couple of short weekend trips around Europe during that time and made it to London for about two days. I’m looking forward to getting back! I love British television so I will no doubt be looking for company to join me in looking for local filming sites for shows like Taskmaster and Ted Lasso. Ahead of our class, I will be in Dublin for a writing workshop at Trinity College, where I’ll also present my writing in a public reading.
I am unfortunately poorly read in Victorian literature, and my experience with Gothic literature is mostly in the Southern Gothic, but I am looking forward to learning. I’m especially excited about Dracula, which is the text I’m most familiar with, and Wuthering Heights.
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Dorian Steele
Hello! I’m an English major with a minor in creative writing and Spanish at the College of Charleston; this will be my junior year. I’m originally from Grand Rapids, MI, and moved to Charleston my freshman year. I’m a fiction author with a tendency for queer narratives and horror. Currently I have a novel in its early stages, as well as some novellas in the editing wringer. I take influence from British authors such as Jonathan Sims and Oscar Wilde. Sims is a contemporary author with impeccable narrative structure, and I’m endlessly enraptured by Wilde’s prose. Additionally I work at a lovely independent bookstore called Buxton Books! I will gush about it for hours if prompted. Beware.
I’ve never been to London, but I’ve certainly read my share of British literature. The Picture of Dorian Gray was my introduction to the genre. I vividly remember reading it offstage during our production of The Addams Family, accompanied by lightning, organ music, and everything. I was, and continue to be, fascinated by the capacity Gothic has to communicate our subconscious fears and desires. Themes of hunger and the body, feminine rage and the use of blood, are my focus of literary criticism. I also adore women’s Victorian fashion. Crimson Peak (2015) is a fantastic case study on how fashion and the Gothic compliment one another. Tack on Lucille’s “Drop of Blood” dress to the things I will gush about. My favorite pieces I have studied are Crimson Peak (2015), Hannibal (2013), and Dracula. Needless to say, I really like vampires. Fitting for a night shift bookseller.
I can’t wait to meet everyone! Adieu!
Sarah Kofman
Hi everyone! I just finished my broadcast journalism degree at the University of SouthernMississippi this semester, so when I get back to the U.S. from England, I’ll be starting my career as a broadcast news producer at my local station, WDAM. I enjoy photography, videography, and video editing. Hopefully, I’ll get to practice these while we’re exploring London!
I’m from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but I’ve also lived in Tupelo, Mississippi and San Antonio, Texas. I haven’t had many opportunities to travel, and my last big trip was to Estes Park, Colorado when I was 13. I haven’t traveled internationally or flown by myself, but I’ve been dreaming of London since I learned about the British Studies Program in my freshman year at USM.
In middle and high school, I absolutely loved reading, and Victorian literature was a particular favorite of mine. I was incredibly happy to get the reading list for this course and see some of my favorite books, but I’m even more excited to see authors and titles I’ve never heard before. I’m looking forward to studying them and seeing the places they were based on!
Katie Agile
Hey there! I am a graduate student with the MA in English program at the College of Charleston. I currently live in Mt. Pleasant, SC with my husband, Tarek, and our son, Amir (18 months). I was born and raised in Springfield, VA and completed my B.A. in Global Affairs (Middle Eastern Studies) at George Mason University.
After graduating, I moved to Beirut, Lebanon for a four-month internship as a grant writer with a local NGO. That brief trip turned into an eight-year career as a writer, English teacher, and traveler. Living overseas gave me a great opportunity to explore Europe and the Middle East (without the tedious 7+ hour plane ride), which I took advantage of any chance I could. Coupled with a high school trip around Europe, I have visited a total of thirteen countries. I am also fluent in Arabic, if we find any Middle Eastern restaurants in London.
My time spent in London was very brief, but I enjoyed walking along the Thames, grabbing a pint at local pubs, and exploring the city’s many historic sites. I especially enjoyed the Tower of London; I found the haunted history fascinating. I can’t wait to discover more about the darker side of London’s history.
I didn’t have much exposure to Victorian literature as an undergraduate student, outside of classics like Wuthering Heights, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. However, I developed a love of British literature while teaching at a British private school in Lebanon. I also enjoy gothic literature and anything true crime, so this course is right up my alley. Now that I’m a student again, I have enjoyed diving into these texts on a scholarly level. Last semester, I wrote a research paper on Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto and am greatly interested in the role that wives and mothers play in gothic literature.
Looking forward to meeting you all and exploring London together!
Skyla Langley
Hi everyone! I am a senior at USM, and I actually just completed my English degree this semester (whoo!). I am a double-major, however, so I cannot graduate officially until the fall. My other degree is public relations/advertising, but English is my true passion! I am from Ellisville, MS, but I have lived in Hattiesburg for four years now for school. After graduating in December, I will be moving to Boulder, Colorado in May 2023 for English literature graduate school.
I love traveling, but I have never been outside the country. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed about going to London, so I am beyond excited! I travel all around the country and love to visit national parks along the way. My hobbies include reading, singing, dancing, spending time with friends, hiking/being in nature, and more.
I have always loved classic literature. In about my sophomore year of college and after taking my first Victorian literature class, I knew I wanted to study Victorian literature as much as possible. I also love literature from the Romanticism movement, so I plan on studying both in grad school.
I am excited to meet everyone!
Peyton Baxley
Hello! I will be a senior this coming semester. I am majoring in English as well as International Studies, with a European Concentration. I’m from Charleston, SC! The last time I went to London was when I was twelve years old, so I basically only remember the Shakespeare Globe and the London Eye. I have not traveled internationally, aside from the aforementioned London trip and about four days in Paris. I speak French (which will be so useful in London) because I was originally going to go on the La Rochelle, France trip, but COVID had other plans. In any case, I’m glad about it, because now I get to go to London and talk about Victorian lit for a month. Victorian era Gothic literature, especially the “Female Gothic” are my favorite forms of British literature. For this month and the months of July and August, the famous Dr. Carens and I are working on research about the fin-de-siècle femme fatale and her relation to race, thanks to a SURF grant. I think that about covers it!
Lydia Edmonson
Hello! I am a Junior Conservation Biology Major at USM. I am from the small town of Florence, Mississippi, where I live with my parents, my sister, and my dog Molly. I absolutely love traveling, being outside, spending time with my friends, and taking photos. You will definitely see me with my camera everywhere we go in London!
During my freshman year of college, I studied abroad in France and took a weekend trip to London with a group of girls. Even though my semester abroad was cut short because of Covid, going to London was a highlight, and I knew I wanted to go back as soon as I could (and stay longer!) I am very much looking forward to getting to see and do things I didn’t get to the first time.
Growing up, I was a very avid reader. In middle and high school, I always had a book with me and actually read many of the books on our reading list for this class! The busyness of college (and the unrelatedness of my major) has unfortunately caused me to lose this habit, but I am excited to revisit some of my favorite novels and visit the places they are based on!
Can’t wait to meet y’all!
Tim Carens
Hi everybody!
I am Professor of English and Director of British Studies at the College of Charleston. Before taking this job way back in 1998, I lived in Brooklyn for about 10 years while getting a Ph.D. at NYU. I grew up in Lewisburg, PA, a small town in the middle of the state. My wife, Betsy, is from Maine. She is a clinical psychologist with a practice in Mt. Pleasant (where we live). I have two children, Maddy (24), who lives in Philadelphia and works at a cancer research lab at UPenn, and Ben (22), who leaves in D.C. and will start his senior year at American in the fall.
After graduating from college I lived and worked in London for six months. The jobs were pretty crappy, but I loved living in London. I’ll never forget the experience of walking home through the dark streets after closing down the pub where I worked. I used the money I earned in London to travel through Turkey, India, and Southeast Asia. I have since been back to London many times for research, teaching, and pleasure.
One of my jobs on that first stint in London was working in the dingy back room of a bookstore in Piccadilly Circus. There was basically nothing for me to do, so I stole Dickens novels and spent my time reading. From that point on, I have found the literature and culture of Victorian Britain endlessly fascinating. I have published on Dickens, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Wilde, Hardy, and other Victorian writers.
I can’t wait to get this class started!