I like my director a lot, but he’s had my draft for months and only two weeks ago gave me feedback on what needs to be done. So we won’t get to defend this fall. But I do have a good direction to be looking, and his feedback was both right-on and well-delivered, i.e., helpful. We have to get our defenses in before Mrs. P gets too pregnant to take the train to Carbondale via Chicago, so I’m cranking out the work.
I’m using Emerson to tie William James’ Pragmatism and Nietzsche’s ideas about energy, drives and sublimation (and how it all relates to hate) to beef up the scholarship. I had a TON of stuff about Nietzsche that I didn’t use because I think scholarship for scholarship’s sake is pointless. But then I remembered what I’m writing. It’s a hoop. The penultimate hoop before the oral/public defense. Still, I think it would be a more robust study with Emerson, so I’m not taking short-cuts and injecting all the scholarly research I have notes on regarding Nietzsche.
I was initially excited because I thought I’d get to spend my fall reading Emerson. But, you know, I have to read all the scholarly stuff and, ahem, do some more writing. So it’s not all fun and awesomeness. But having Baby on my mind, I’m getting more done in the time I have to work than I did when my dissertation was my full-time job three years ago and when there was no fire lit under my ass.
I am endeavoring to defend in February— I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you two, too, on it!