tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post7058797632398832557..comments2024-03-25T20:43:33.067+00:00Comments on A Clerk of Oxford: Blogging, Academia, and AspirationClerk of Oxfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08919708325900229717noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-43354660558846733992016-04-18T18:30:26.736+01:002016-04-18T18:30:26.736+01:00Hi Eleanor,
I just came across this post and hope...Hi Eleanor,<br /><br />I just came across this post and hope that you're in a better place now, a year on. I found your perspective very insightful as I had a wonderful undergraduate experience at Oxford, and was not in a position to see what things were like from the tutor's end of things. I did think of pursuing postgraduate study, but articles such as yours dissuaded me, at least for Caecilia Dancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18318023091812249063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-52112334381842141582015-12-08T13:50:58.019+00:002015-12-08T13:50:58.019+00:00...and, @zue, I'll be your 2nd student please!......and, @zue, I'll be your 2nd student please!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-4463599359504270612015-12-08T13:48:26.599+00:002015-12-08T13:48:26.599+00:00Goodness, what a stunning piece of writing. I am t...Goodness, what a stunning piece of writing. I am trying hard not to devour your whole blog at once as I want to savour it when most in need of some soul food, but this! I needed to read this! It's so insightful I don't think I can pick out any single element here.<br /><br />Thank you for resolving to take what you have and do good things with it, 'despite and still'. Thank you Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-90686030322300341182015-07-20T01:43:53.147+01:002015-07-20T01:43:53.147+01:00Let me add my own words of solidarity. The fact th...Let me add my own words of solidarity. The fact that you are responding in truth and with eloquence displays the actual character needed to reform institutions of higher education. I hope you can find a place where your perspective might help in some way to bring reform. But if you leave, you are certainly correct: it is not a failure, in any way!<br /><br />Thanks for your beautiful Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-72599616403100841382015-07-05T20:39:40.451+01:002015-07-05T20:39:40.451+01:00To a clerk of Oxford from a writer of London: I sa...To a clerk of Oxford from a writer of London: I saw the lovely piece on your blog in the Telegraph via the Hoccleve Society's Twitter feed yesterday, and it reminded me how much I enjoyed it when I stumbled on the blog a few months ago. When I hopped across to see what you'd written more recently I was so sad to read about your recent experiences in academia that I wanted to drop you a Liz Evershedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08088848100152550082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-70928326786102785652015-06-29T10:38:45.208+01:002015-06-29T10:38:45.208+01:00In solidarity. I've had an awful experience at...In solidarity. I've had an awful experience at Oxford, spanning over a decade. Words fail me. Thank you for you post. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-83183760710639901272015-06-29T10:16:06.206+01:002015-06-29T10:16:06.206+01:00Julian of Norwich:
Our dearworthy Lord said not, T...Julian of Norwich:<br />Our dearworthy Lord said not, Thou shalt not be troubled, Thou shalt not be travailed, but Thou shalt not be overcome.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15322676800314521539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-2571936466787636712015-06-28T22:00:57.429+01:002015-06-28T22:00:57.429+01:00From one who has also struggled in the world of ac...From one who has also struggled in the world of academia, where the fight is so bitter because the prizes are so small, I was greatly touched by this post. All we can hope for is that in the future, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well :) Good luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-85085145348009838692015-06-28T12:20:34.387+01:002015-06-28T12:20:34.387+01:00Thank you so much for such a wise, humane, and hon...Thank you so much for such a wise, humane, and honest post. It's so sad that someone so talented (I know you wouldn't admit it!) has been made to feel so wretched in trying to do something they love and holds so much value. <br /><br />You're certainly not alone in feeling this way. There's so much petty nastiness in academia, and it almost always comes from people who should knowkortagerðarfræðingurinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13597559369884313693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-44211060872148724272015-06-28T00:16:08.378+01:002015-06-28T00:16:08.378+01:00I missed this post back when you first made it. I ...I missed this post back when you first made it. I hope things have improved for you since. I very much enjoy your blog and am sorry that academia has been so cruel to you. It chews up and spits out far too many good people these days! I wish you the best of luck in whatever job market or markets you're on now, and I hope that you find a position that nourishes mind, body, and spirit. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02910072563136267567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-3454255853451164692015-06-03T06:41:27.929+01:002015-06-03T06:41:27.929+01:00I just wanted to say that I have loved your blog e...I just wanted to say that I have loved your blog ever since I stumbled upon it nearly two years ago. You share so much beauty and history that I would never see otherwise. I cannot thank you enough for that.<br /><br />May God bless you in whatever endeavor you choose to pursue as part of this long tradition of His servants and saints!Taonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-60285326686708447762015-05-27T06:55:32.105+01:002015-05-27T06:55:32.105+01:00God bless you for contributing to my authentic int...God bless you for contributing to my authentic intellectual and spiritual development, along with that of the rest of your internet audience, through your blog. I intend to attend Blackfriars College for graduate work in Philosophy and Theology during the year after next, God-willing.<br /><br />However, I must say that this article on academia resonated with me as few pieces on the subject have.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01304899763469331363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-38238494454199049342015-05-26T21:21:44.225+01:002015-05-26T21:21:44.225+01:00Thanks for your honesty, and please keep on thinki...Thanks for your honesty, and please keep on thinking and writing about things that are beautiful and true. It makes the world go round<br />cchris elliotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17653163435788929112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-64043275693829579962015-05-25T14:57:14.386+01:002015-05-25T14:57:14.386+01:00My email is andrea.sandri@unicatt.it
I will be ver...My email is andrea.sandri@unicatt.it<br />I will be very happy to read you, if you want.Andrea Sandrinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-47112688338032898972015-05-25T14:55:08.154+01:002015-05-25T14:55:08.154+01:00Dear Colleague and Friend, thank you for this post...Dear Colleague and Friend, thank you for this post which has given me a more objective vision of my own situation. I'm writing from Italy and I am an academic as you are. I deal with law in the Catholic University of Milan, but I think that law is not only a regulatory sistem. Therefore since several months I read your blog finding many important suggestions not only for my intellectual life Andrea Sandrinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-17262464972907561042015-05-25T10:21:53.790+01:002015-05-25T10:21:53.790+01:00If you start an online academy, I will be your fir...If you start an online academy, I will be your first student!<br />Zuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13719392076328462619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-77415237816669279762015-05-25T10:19:35.444+01:002015-05-25T10:19:35.444+01:00I think that you will find a path in life that wil...I think that you will find a path in life that will give you joy and purpose. If you are certain you are unhappy where you are, the only way forward is to let go and move into pastures new.<br /><br />You have so many talents....you could start by having some sort of teaching academy online.<br /><br />It's difficult making the first step in a new direction and if you try you may be Zuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13719392076328462619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-73969418679994246452015-05-24T09:17:11.519+01:002015-05-24T09:17:11.519+01:00Thanks! I have a huge amount of respect for Elaine...Thanks! I have a huge amount of respect for Elaine Treharne, for her scholarship and projects like Digging Deeper, so I take your point - there are many incredible academics doing wonderful work all over the world. Oxford certainly has its own particular flaws not shared by other institutions, but the culture I'm talking about (especially exploitation of the precariously-employed) is sadly Clerk of Oxfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919708325900229717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-31484594019559155662015-05-24T07:43:42.101+01:002015-05-24T07:43:42.101+01:00Do check out other institutions before making your...Do check out other institutions before making your decision...Oxford is so rarified and insular. Stamford have a wonderful department that co-operates with Cambridge in an on-line course called Digging Deeper. The Prof is one Elaine Treharne, she seems eminently approachable and down to earth. Hope you don't mind my suggestion but sometimes you 'can't see the woods for the trees&#Lindseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-59681654426922281662015-05-23T11:06:19.018+01:002015-05-23T11:06:19.018+01:00Thank you all, again, for your sympathy and suppor...Thank you all, again, for your sympathy and support - I wish I could respond to each of you personally but I think I would just end up saying 'thank you so much!' again and again! I feel a million times better for hearing your stories and perspectives. I know my experience is not uncommon in academia, and it's just so easy to forget how much more there is to life - so much still to Clerk of Oxfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919708325900229717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-90211347512105113142015-05-23T10:35:49.878+01:002015-05-23T10:35:49.878+01:00I recognize so much of what you say both from my o...I recognize so much of what you say both from my own experience and what I have seen with others. For the moment though I simply want to say thank you for this blog and this post and my very best wishes and prayers for your future.Lazarushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716412032074416331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-35460882708143901112015-05-22T20:33:19.894+01:002015-05-22T20:33:19.894+01:00I too simply wanted to say how much I have enjoyed...I too simply wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your blog, and hope to continue. you have a gift for making your interests accessible and you have greatly enriched my life with it. I like you, have no idea of that's worth but it is considerable, although not monetized, and I can't really pay it back, although I wish I could. You (and a few, very few others)are one of the main reasons Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11814717342852096237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-33403847491573167442015-05-22T19:04:50.141+01:002015-05-22T19:04:50.141+01:00I am so sorry that you have been driven to feel li...I am so sorry that you have been driven to feel like this. Like many here, I 'know' you only through this and your Twitter feed, and have profited hugely from both. You are right not to be silent about how you have been treated - there is too much of it in academia, and too much of this sort of treatment.<br /><br />Apart from sympathy and prayers, I can offer only a certain indignation.Chalcedon451https://www.blogger.com/profile/18136961832983561396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-49316267010799754702015-05-21T23:13:51.444+01:002015-05-21T23:13:51.444+01:00I've only been reading your blog for a few mon...I've only been reading your blog for a few months but it's added a new dimension to my life & my reading. I love Anglo Saxon history & it's been wonderful to have a knowledgeable & friendly guide to the wonderful literature of the period. I also love the look of your blog & the illustrations you choose for your posts are beautiful. I just want to add my support & lynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04509400868331534237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5758649432241863530.post-35735051085955134272015-05-21T22:39:39.477+01:002015-05-21T22:39:39.477+01:00Hello, I just wanted to add a message of support a...Hello, I just wanted to add a message of support and sympathy. I spent three years in Oxford as an American woman from a modest background. I came to love it deeply, painfully--and to realize that I had to go back to the US if I was to survive my doctorate. You capture perfectly here the good, the bad, and the ugly of Oxford's conservatism and disinclination to engage with reality. It's aEmilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01730345398931474607noreply@blogger.com