Hi all! I’m Cameron Beasley and I want to welcome you to our first Humans of the English Department post, where Wes Cruse and I will be reporting monthly on of your fellow English majors and giving you insight into their literary worlds.
This month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Brendan Foley, a junior English and Communications Major, to talk with him about his journey as both a reader and a writer. He and I have had the pleasure of sharing several English Surveys together, first Dr. Orr’s American Literature I, and now Dr. Larson’s American Literature II. He and I love to swap papers before they’re due to give advice and feedback on our writing. I chose him for this first post of Humans of the English Department because I think his incorporation of his communications major into his literary analysis is incredible, and can be a lesson for all of us studying literature. I prompted him with a few questions, asking why he chose to study English, and how he views himself as both a reader and a writer. Here is Brendan’s response:
“I love how I can find connections between different realms of my life, especially between video games and literature. I have always found myself deeply affected by both mediums, and can identify with characters in both. I became a Communications major so that I could learn more about unique mediums and how their messages can span to others. I chose English in order to hear more stories that inspire me, and to learn how to maybe inspire someone else one day. I always call myself the “worst-read” English major, because I feel like my wheel-house of reading is so different from my peers, but I often find myself reading in order to be social with other people. Being able to talk about a communal piece of literature not only helps me connect with others but also helps me to see what interests other people. As a writer, I aim to hold both academic integrity and merit, while still being entertaining for my readers. I remember in high school struggling with dry and monotonous readings, and I want to be the kind of writer that can be informative as well as enticing.”
(Photo courtesy of Cameron Beasley)
[…] post should appear familiar—and if does not, then you definitely need to catch up on the work Cameron Beasley and Wes Cruse are doing. That said, my post will differ slightly. While Cameron and Wes are focusing on our […]