tools and insights – Princeton Writes

So You Want to Write a Dissertation? by Cate Mahoney

Cate Mahoney2019-12-03T12:16:47-05:00

So You Want to Write a Dissertation? by Cate Mahoney First of all, WOW, it’s going to be a long road. But you can do it! So many people have! For full disclosure, I’m writing a dissertation for the humanities, English literature specifically. My specialty is poetry, and I range from around the 1830s-1960s in the U.S. I’m hoping, though, that my advice can pertain to all fields. Before you write a dissertation, you need to write what’s called a dissertation prospectus. As the name suggests, the prospectus maps out what shape you think the dissertation [...]

So You Want to Write a Dissertation? by Cate Mahoney Cate Mahoney2019-12-03T12:16:47-05:00

On Apostrophe by Cate Mahoney

Cate Mahoney2019-12-04T15:47:05-05:00

On Apostrophe by Cate Mahoney O Wisdom, grant me the ability to share information with my Princeton Writes peers about the figure of speech “apostrophe.” O Courage, put a steady hand on my back to let the breath in and keep my fingers a-typing. That, my fine friends, with its telltale invocations, was an example of apostrophe. Did you find it slightly embarrassing? Well, the literary critic Jonathan Culler thinks it probably was, as apostrophe now seems archaic because of its performative aspect. It was originally used by the ancients when stories were heard aurally and always had a waiting [...]

On Apostrophe by Cate Mahoney Cate Mahoney2019-12-04T15:47:05-05:00

How to Read a Poem by Cate Mahoney

Cate Mahoney2020-03-19T12:18:16-04:00

How to Read a Poem by Cate Mahoney For those who find poetry opaque, graduate student Cate Mahoney, Princeton Writes' University Administrative Fellow, has this advice. OK: first you actually read it. Read it twice: first to enjoy it, second to feel it. Then, if you want to analyze it—if you like it, or if you need to for a class—look for a few things. I start with imagery, word choice, rhythm, and sound. Basically, you want to figure out what images the poem is making and how it’s doing that, and if that narrative changes through the work. [...]

How to Read a Poem by Cate Mahoney Cate Mahoney2020-03-19T12:18:16-04:00

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