From literature to reality: undergraduate research highlights the importance of learning from fiction

With FURCA coming up next week, Arya and Eva chat with Celina Loew about her experience as an undergrad researcher.

Celine

Arya: What motivated you to get involved in undergraduate research?

Celina: My passion for undergraduate research came from a science fiction and fantasy class that prompted me to examine representations of fascism and radical conformity in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time. I had the opportunity to present at a student research conference, and that's when I realized my passion for research. 

I knew I had to keep this project going. I wanted to further explore these topics together with George Orwell's 1984. I was so fortunate to be able to further my dream project through the Roger S. Smith Undergraduate Research Award under the supervision of Dr. Terri Tomsky.

Eva: Could you tell us a bit about your project? What did you aim to explore through your research?

Celina: I believe that literature is a reflection of our society. Every piece of literature stems from reality, and studying it can give us a deeper understanding. Conformity vs. individualism, totalitarianism and topics like these have always been something that fascinated me, perhaps through my German heritage.

My research process consisted of a close reading of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time and George Orwell's 1984 and expanding my findings through extensive research in library databases, giving me a bibliography of over 300 sources. At first glance, it isn't easy to notice any similarities between these books, considering their different readership. A deeper analysis of these books revealed similar themes of the diminishment of individuality, radical conformity and totalitarianism. 

It is a little difficult to narrow the project down to a single aim, considering its various facets. Still, if I had to describe it in a single sentence, I would say that the aim of this project is to study how literature approaches extremist politics and loss of individuality and in what ways it reflects our present and our past and potentially predicts our future, always tying the strings back to reality.

Arya: What did you know about undergraduate research in your discipline before this? What do you wish you knew?

Celina: Before starting on this project, I knew little about undergraduate research. It wasn't something that was talked about a lot. My class project's transformation into a full-blown undergraduate research project was, in many ways, a happy accident. 

The best way to get into the undergraduate research scene is by talking to your professors and fellow students. It took me some time to create a network of supportive peers and professionals. I really wish I had known about the importance of networking and, more importantly, how to do it. The more you talk and engage with your peers and professors, the more you learn about it. Undergraduate research is something you may need to go searching for, but it is worth the time and effort. 

Eva: What do you have to say to all the students still trying to decide about doing undergraduate research?

Celina: Undergraduate research can be extremely underrated, especially in arts. I understand the hesitation, especially considering how highly rated graduate research seems in comparison, but undergraduate research opens others up to new possibilities and perspectives through the probing of societal issues and the asking of questions. 

I know I felt insecure about some of the questions I was asking when starting out with undergraduate research, and I came up with a motto, "Without speculation, there is no curiosity for the truth." This really resonates with me because I truly believe that we need to speculate to answer the questions we have. How else would academics come up with topics for research? Remember that all graduate students create their projects through questions they asked in their undergrad! All you have to do is follow your curiosity, and the success of your research project will follow.