Preterm Preparement

Ah!!! I'm actually going to England for a semester! My dream is finally coming true!

First off, let me introduce this blog: I am going to be spending a semester studying English Literature at Oxford University in England and this blog is my way of letting all of you know what I'm up to while there. 

I leave for my semester in only 10 days (it seems so short), so the preterm reading is coming to a close. For my primary tutorial, English Literature 1740-1832, I am required to read eight authors and poets before the term starts. Here's a few pictures to display some of the options I had: 

First library visit...

Second library visit...

As you can see, I had a lot of options (20+ in all). But after reading a few, I decided on my eight. They are as follows:

Evelina by Frances Burney

The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (this one's sort of cheating for me...)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake

A selection of poetry by John Keats

A selection of poetry by Lord Byron

Now I must wait for my own scholarly editions of each to come in the mail, which, I fear, will lead to very heavyweight luggage.

As I get closer and closer to my semester, I've got to keep reading and keep up my motivation, which isn't too hard. I'm very, very excited which helps a lot. I'm going with one of my friends from college, so we'll be having a blast together (Hogwarts anyone? You know who you are... :D). Now, as my Christmas break draws to a rapidly approaching finish, I'm jumping into a new experience in life. It should be terrifying, but more importantly, it should lead to me having the time of my life!

Throughout the semester, I hope to post updates on what's going on in both my traveling and studying experiences while abroad. I'm looking forward to it and to sharing it with all of you!