Dr. Caroline D Breashears
St. Lawrence University News
Submitted by cbre on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 17:46.
Associate Professor of English
Courses I teach regularly:
Jane Austen Senior Seminar (ENG 450), Eighteenth-Century Novel (ENG 339), Eighteenth-Century British Literature (ENG 325), Survey of British Literature 1700-Present (ENG 226), Fairy Tales (ENG 190)
My research interests:
Eighteenth-century memoirs and novels
Sample student projects I have supervised:
Leah Farrar, summer fellowship project on the Gothic fairy tale
Elizabeth Mudie, senior independent study of *Pride and Prejudice* and its revisions
Aimee Baker, summer fellowship project on the female Gothic novel
Examples of presentations, exhibitions, performances and published work:
“The Female Appeal Memoir: Genre and Female Literary Tradition in Eighteenth-Century England.” Forthcoming in *Modern Philology*.
“Scandalous Categories: Classifying the Memoirs of Unconventional Women.” *Philological Quarterly* 82:2 (2003): 187-212.
“Defining Masculinity in A Simple Story.” *Eighteenth-Century Fiction* 16 (2004): 451-70.
Aspects of my teaching that students find most effective and interesting:
I love literature, so sometimes students say they like my enthusiasm. Once I came to class in eighteenth-century dress, and that certainly raised some eyebrows!
Some ways I connect with students outside the classroom:
Advising the English honorary was one highlight of my time here. I've also taught in the First-Year Program, which is a great way to get to know my advisees in multiple settings. And I've gone with students to see films relevant to our classwork. For instance, last fall I met a group of students from my Fairy Tale class to see *Enchanted*.
Examples of connections between my research and my teaching:
I use the knowledge I've learned from my research to teach particular texts, and I also share my experience in writing. It's important to show that we all undergo criticism and revision during the writing process.
My teaching philosophy:
I want to teach students about our designated subjects (*Pride and Prejudice*, for instance) but I also want to engage them with our subjects--to help them reflect on them and write about them in meaningful ways. I try to create that engagement in the classroom by showing differences as well as similarities. (Yes, the heroine of *Pride and Prejudice* seems alien in her empire-waist gown and reticule, but she is also timeless in her desire for love, her embarrassment over her relations, and her flirtation with "bad boy" Wickham.) I prompt them to think about what our texts mean--what they're really about. And I try to help them do that by appealing to a range of learning styles--visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Each student is different, original, and I love helping them express that.
Ways I offer service to my discipline and/or the University:
I serve the University through my work on Faculty Council.
I have served our English majors through my work with the honorary and *The St. Lawrence Review*.
I serve in my discipline by reviewing and refereeing work for journals.
Examples of my work as a visiting scholar or guest at another institution:
Most recently, I gave a presentation at the local chapter of the American Association of University Women, which awarded me their prize for research.
My current projects:
I am working on a book about unconventional women's memoirs published in the eighteenth century. By "unconventional" women I mean actresses, writers, courtesans, and divorcees--women who refused to conform to social standards of that time. In writing their memoirs, they appealed to the public for assistance, sympathy, or money. They also got the chance to present themselves as more than their scandalous reputations. In recovering these memoirs, we learn about women's lives and the development of autobiography.