Tinted by the colorful stained glass in the John Dewey Lounge, students had the opportunity to present their work to an audience outside of the classroom.
On April 6 and 7, the UVM English department held its annual symposium for English and film and television studies majors and minors.
The event included works across a range of genres, topics and forms such as “Nature and Monster,” “The Art of Form” and “Two Truths and a Lie.”
The “Feminism and the Female Archetype” panel, moderated by Senior Lecturer Sarah Turner, fostered discussion about what it means to be a woman and how that question is explored across a vast variety of literary genres and periods.
Sophomore Marianna Fabre presented an essay about the problematic, disunified and unconscious feminist. She used the characters Margaret Sargent from “The Company She Keeps” and Reno from “The Flamethrowers” to analyze their flaws through the lens of Freud and Lacan.
Two panelists, Seniors Ellen Fisher Sanderson and Isabella Silva, both discussed Victorian literature. Silva interrogated how desire is explored in the novels of Jane Austen through conversation rather than physical action or seduction.
Sanderson analyzed the representation of Victorian beauty standards in the 1862 novel “The Morganssons” and how it reflected larger cultural conversations about morality and women.
Other panels included film screenings and criticisms across a variety of themes.
“These readings and presentations are really representative of some of the best of what’s going on in the department, and the really outstanding work of students who are working among outstanding students,” said Senior Lecturer Sean Witters.
Witters created the English Symposium in 2018 with professor Eric Lindstrom and former UVM professor Major Jackson. His goal was to create a signature event that fostered a sense of unity where students could share pieces they are proud of.
The symposium intends to represent just how dynamic literary studies and their related fields are. Witters emphasizes how, overall, this symposium can teach the greater campus community about how to engage students by giving them the opportunity to present their work.
The symposium is a way to put scholarship into practice, said Professor Maria Hummel, who has also been instrumental in the event’s development and organization.
While the symposium shows off the impressive work of the English department’s students, it’s not always easy to decide who presents. Calls for submissions begin in the spring, followed by a pre-screening to put together the panels.
“We actually had to do a second round of screening this year because the panels were too big,” Hummel said.
This year, the department received 90 submissions but had only 45 spots available for the event — a record number, he said.
During the selection process, the department tries to ensure that a variety of projects are featured, such as poetry, nonfiction, film criticism and literary criticism.
“It was a tricky balance to make sure that we’re reflecting the whole major and our combined majors,” Hummel said.
The symposium gave the students a chance not only to present their work, but also to improve upon it and learn from others.
“It was nice to have my work put out there, and I felt appreciated by the professors. But I think I gained the most from listening to the other panelists and hearing their works. It was a great opportunity to adapt my work,” Fabre said.
