(The building on the left is the original monastery and the building on the right is the add-on hospital.) So, this non-Catholic girl goes to the Anglican nation of Great Britain to study a 17th century poet and got tripped up on the lingering Catholic vocabulary. I had been seeking poet Katherine Philips at theContinueContinue reading “9: Poetry, Mothers, and Priories”
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7: Begging Honest Welshwomen at the University of Wales
High adventure alert! After three days at the National Library of Wales, I had checked off many items on my “list of stuff to find in Wales.” There was one very important item that I had decided to give up on without even trying: a dissertation by Patrick Thomas. At the time, it was theContinueContinue reading “7: Begging Honest Welshwomen at the University of Wales”
6: Pinning a Note to the Sweater of a Librarian at the National Library of Wales
At the National Library of Wales I found the goldmine of my research on 17th century poet Katherine Philips: her personal copybook. One day, needing a break from my hours in the rare book room, I decided to peruse the museum part of the library on the upper floors. I wound through rooms, gazed atContinueContinue reading “6: Pinning a Note to the Sweater of a Librarian at the National Library of Wales”
5: Walking in the footsteps of vacationing Romanovs: The National Library of Wales Part One
When I had finished everything I could do at the British library, it was time to move into Philips’s own backyard: Wales. I took the bus to “Aber” as it is affectionately known: Aberystwyth. It’s a good-ish long train and then bus journey from London through trees that completely cover tiny country roads. At theContinueContinue reading “5: Walking in the footsteps of vacationing Romanovs: The National Library of Wales Part One”
4: My time at the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. Harry Potter’s library!
In 1993, I had the privilege of doing research at four libraries in Great Britain. One was the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. I was geeking out on 17th century poet Katherine Philips. #englishmajor The Bodleian was used as the library set in the Harry Potter movies. I was very excited to find out that theContinueContinue reading “4: My time at the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. Harry Potter’s library!”
3: Time well spent at the British Library Reading Room, 1993
I flew to London with my class on British Airways. I had forgotten, while caught up with all of the planning, that I get motion sick on planes. It was 7 1/2 hours of hell during which I made two critical decisions: I was taking a boat home. I didn’t care how much it cost.ContinueContinue reading “3: Time well spent at the British Library Reading Room, 1993”
2: At the Library of Congress
When I began my adventure in the stateside portion of my independent study on Katherine Philips, I started out in the special collections room of my own university, Michigan State University. It had an original printing of Philips’s work from 1710. I spent hours copying out her poems in pencil, one by one. Learning herContinueContinue reading “2: At the Library of Congress”
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