• Arts, Histories and Cultures
• Subject Areas
• English & American Studies
• Research in English & American Studies
• Current Phd students
  • Muzna Rahman
  • Daisy Black
  • Stephen Gordon
  • Panagiota-Naya Tsentourou

PhD student research interests

Erinn Campbell

Working title for PhD thesis

Rhizomes, Realms and Narrative Strategies in The Canterbury Tales

Supervisor: Gail Ashton

Background

BA (Hons.) English Language and Literature, University of Manchester (1998-2001)
M.A. English Studies, University of Manchester (2001-2002)

Research interests

My PhD thesis offers a exploration of as a 'rhizomic' work. This is inspired by Deleuze and Guattari's biological 'rhizome' metaphor in A Thousand Plateaus. A rhizome is a particular kind of plant root which has 'nodes' from which all offshoots stem in parallel to each other. Deleuze and Guattari use the rhizome image to structure their book, which offers a number of chapters (plateaus) that can be read in any order (like skipping around tracks on a record). I believe that The Canterbury Tales supports a similar method of reading - indeed, it is very rare that a reader will begin at the beginning and read right through to the end in the order their edition recommends. This kind of reading be described as what Deleuze and Guattari call 'nomadic' - positioning the reader on the edges of the text, viewing it as a synthesis of multiple heterogeneous realms which are not hierarchically ordered (arborescent), but are parallel to each other (rhizomic).

I believe that this happens because, in its 'rhizomic' structure and themes, The Canterbury Tales positions the reader 'outside' the text. It constantly invites the reader to consider origins of meaning and the nature of interpretation, advising the reader to be aware of the vast variety of interpretations possible, rather than to restrict its meaning by employing one particular interpretive discourse. My research draws on recent cultural theory, especially postcolonial and queer theory to inform my exploration of the synchronous 'realms' of the text, such as pilgrimage, storytelling, race, religion, gender, and language, and I hope to show that these realms operate in parallel to each other, effecting a non-hierarchical synergy that creates the work's uniquely varied capacity for interpretation.

I am exploring medieval concepts of reading and writing, engaging with other medieval and early modern texts and I expect part of my work will involve practical manuscript study, exploring some interesting visual additions and highlighting that the text is a product of centuries of scribal and editorial appropriation.

I'd be interested in discussing any aspect of medieval studies, textuality, queer theory, postcolonial theory and experimental critical writing with anyone who is working in a similar area or can offer any thoughts on the topic. My other interests lie in writing, Romantic and modern literature, music and film.

My email address is erinn_uk@yahoo.co.uk.