Rachel Harris recently checked back with the department to update us on her activities since graduating in June of 2020. While performing an essential service as a personal shopper during the pandemic, Rachel also managed to complete the manuscript of her first novel, currently titled Paper Chase. It’s a piece of historical fiction based in 1950’s England that, according to Rachel, “explores the Red Scare, the Soviet Union, and the early Civil Rights Movement.”
Currently supervisor at Lassi & Spice, a cafe in Wallingford that specializes in Indian street food, Rachel is once again filling her “spare time” with literary pursuits. She reports that her current project is a study of Victorian literature. “In Jane Eyre and Little Dorrit,” Rachel explains of her study, “I find that literature functions to preserve the English’s concept of English ideals against the perceived ‘Eastern’ ideas they encounter abroad in the British Empire.
“I will submit this research as a writing sample as I apply to MA/PhD programs in the next month,” says Rachel. “While I know MA/PhD programs are competitive and that I may need to gain more experience before I get accepted into one, I am looking forward to giving it my best shot. In the future, I look forward to continuing my research in Victorian literature and publishing my novel.”
Thanks for updating us, Rachel, and best wishes for a promising future!