Argh! I was so excited to be ready for school. I have (or had) all my books and can’t wait for the new semester to start. Last week I got an email about a course I signed up for, ENG 400 which is the ‘capstone course’ for an English degree. This course changes topic and professor every semester so it is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you are going to get. I signed up for it a semester early because the topic, Women in Fiction, and the professor interested me. In the course we were to discuss Jane Austin, whom I love, and her book Mansfield Park, which I had read and re-read in preparation for the course. Good thing I didn’t actually buy the books for this course but had gotten them from the library because it would have been a waste of money.
The email I received was from another professor who will now be teaching the course. For some unknown reason the original prof will be unable to teach the course and the topic is now Virginia Woolf. Poo! I was really looking forward to the original prof (I had heard good things about her. I hope she is not sick or fired!) and to the original subject. I know almost nothing about Woolf and have never read her. I also think I have heard bad things about the prof that is now teaching the course though the source is questionable. So now I have a dilemma – should I take the course or not?
I did a little background research on Woolf. She seems like an interesting subject and studying her may actually allow me to work on both my English and psychological knowledge. She did commit suicide after all plus it is said that her writing deals with the inner thoughts and consciousness of character like no other author. The bad thing is I tried reading her first novel and I can’t get into it. Perhaps I will try harder.
I met with the prof who is teaching the course and he seems nice. The workload seems do-able, just a short and long paper but a lot of reading of course. I am just not sure. I have been going back and forth now for a week. Should I? Can I? Will it be worth it? Perhaps the course offering in winter will be better for me. What if it isn’t? Is this too much work? Am I taking on too much with 5 English classes? Well to that last question I know the answer is yes. This whole debacle has made me doubt myself. What to do? Poop. I feel like I had a jump on the semester and now I am lost.
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