The Miscellany recently got in touch with the new Chair of the English Department, Nancy Cho, and asked her a little bit about her new position, her thoughts on literature, as well as her time abroad in London. Even though she is swamped in work, she generously humored us, providing an oft sought after glimpse into the mind of Second Laird’s beloved Chair. We’re excited to have you running things, Nancy!
Talk to us about this new role you’ve taken on in the English department. Do you have any new responsibilities you’ve really enjoyed taking charge of?
So far, I have enjoyed being able to approve funding for field trips. Now, having said that, I am sure it soon will be something I dislike intensely…. The year is just beginning, and it would be prudent of me not to spend down the budget in the first term!
How do you think your reign as chair will be different from Tim’s? Are there any new initiatives you plan on pursuing now that you’re in the driver’s seat?
Too soon to tell.
If you could take one class in the English Department (other than one taught by yourself), which would it be and why?
Probably Postcolonial Novel. I was briefly enrolled in a similar course in graduate school, and it was fascinating. I honestly cannot remember why I dropped the course after the first couple weeks; I’m sure I had no good reason for doing so. Now there are huge gaps in my knowledge of postcolonial fiction and theory. Arnab will have to fix that one of these days.
Are there any authors you don’t get to cover in class, due to time or thematic constraints, who you think are essential for an English major to read?
Tough question. I don’t really believe in “essential” authors.
You just got back from leading the London OCS program; what are some highlights from your time across the pond?
The set design–travelator that never stopped moving!–of the play Boy at The Almeida, where the setting of contemporary London appeared and disappeared like magic before our eyes. The look on the students’ faces when we arrived at Kenilworth Castle. The look on Ellen Carter’s face after she met Paapa Essiedu (a.k.a. Hamlet) at the Dirty Duck pub in Stratford. Touring Brixton and The Docklands with Brian Murray. The boundless enthusiasm of the students for walking all over London. The street food. The bridges of London at night. Seeing Sir Kenneth Branagh in the audience of his production of Romeo and Juliet. The independent projects of the astonishingly creative students—including an Epic Rap Battle of “Soho vs. Bloomsbury.” (Ask Tina or Madison).
If you could remove one work from the ‘canon,’ what would it be?
I am the sort of person who always wants to add things to the canon; I am not much of one for deleting. That being said, I often enjoy works—like Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys—that rebel against the canon (in this case, Jane Eyre). And strangely, the brilliance of Rhys makes quite a strong case for why Bronte’s novel remains in the canon.
Comments
Congratulations, Nancy!