Statement of Purpose (in the style of grad school applications)

First and Foremost: Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?

However: I've never been one to do what everyone else is doing, and I firmly believe in what John Stuart Mill said, (and I reference here a class lecture, because it's been years since I've read British lit) which is that one should question society and then decide for one's self the best way to act.

Therefore: The purpose of this blog is not to describe the events of my non-existent life, but rather the literature that I come across in said non-existent life. I am a student of comparative literature, and, furthermore, I intend to become a professor of Russian literature and critical theory. Contrary to what one may think, comp lit students don't just sit around, reading books and enthusiastically discussing plots and styles -- that's what English students do. No. Rather, we consider themes and movements of literature from broader perspectives. Majoring in comp lit, one knows intimately the literatures of two or more cultures and then compare them (duh), and, moving beyond that, you look at Literature as a global phenomena. One must have knowledge of sociology (Foucault, Baudrillard), anthropology (Levi-Strauss), feminism (Irigaray, Cixous), post-Colonialism (Said, Spivak, wa Thiong'o), economics and political theory (Marx, Baudrillard again), psychology (Freud, Lacan), and philosophy from the ancient Greeks to modern day post-modernism.

And now that I've impressed you with my expensively acquired knowledge (looking at you, Smith College) and gotten overly excited about my studies, the simple purpose comes down to this:

1. I read lots of interesting and entertaining texts. (Who knew Roland Barthes was a comedian??)
2. Today, few people have time to read these interesting and entertaining texts.
3. Consequently, I thought to share with you the best parts.

Et voilà: mon blog.