the mayfly

[The Artist's Website]

Isn’t this amazing?

[Source]

Before beginning research for an essay this morning I hunted down a quote that I’d read recently, and I thought I’d share it with you. It’s an interesting way of thinking about studying, and it in some ways seems to combine the more human, intuitive aspects of thought with those of scientific rationality. Of course we’re not all engaged in academic work, but I think that this insight can be applied in a much broader sense. I suppose Hodgson is saying that we must not forget to feel whatever it is that we are doing.

“The scholarly observer must render the mental and practical behaviour of a group into terms available in his own mental resources, which should remain personally felt, even while informed with a breadth of reference which will allow other educated persons to make sense of them. But this must not be to substitute his own and his readers’ conventions for the original, but to broaden his own perspective so that it can make a place for the other. Concretely, he must never be satisfied to cease asking ‘but why?’ until he has driven his understanding to the point where he has an immediate, human grasp of what a given position meant, such that every nuance in the data is accounted for and withal, given the total of presuppositions and circumstance, he could feel himself doing the same.” – Marshall G. S. Hodgson.

The amazing bookshelves above belong to Neil Gaiman, the author of such brilliant books as Neverwhere and American Gods. If you’re not already familiar with his stuff, I’d definitely recommend you to look him up. I find myself wondering where and how he writes, as writing a novel must be in some sense not too far removed from writing an essay or a dissertation. I tend to study in solid blocks of time, like an afternoon or a few hours in the morning, and when I’m absorbed the time passes without my notice. Of course studying isn’t always as delightful as that, and when I’m struggling I’ll have to make a strict timetable for myself, which includes plenty of breaks. Sometimes I’ll bribe myself with a malteser or three at the end of every paragraph read or written! I’d be interested to know how everyone studies or writes or whatever it is that they do. Silence or background music? In the library or at home? Alone or with company? Or perhaps you simply hate studying and are glad to have left it behind with school!

I hope you’re all enjoying 2011 so far. 2011 sounds so very futuristic, don’t you think? Our New Year’s Eve party was fantastic, and I’ve spent the days since relaxing and doing nothing much with some of my favourite people. I couldn’t ask for more! The New Year has always seemed to me a rather false “fresh start,” but this time I really do feel as though I’ve shaken off some of the cobwebs and that I’m ready to face what will I think be quite an exciting 2011.

I’ll be continuing with my degree (getting a first this year is one of my resolutions! Fingers crossed…) and I’m starting a new part-time job next week. With this extra income I’m going to pick up the violin again, which is very exciting. And of course I’m still looking for a new flat: moving out and moving on! Going backwards in life is rarely a good idea, and I feel like I’m finally on the way to moving forwards once more. I think this is going to be a good year.