What my English Lit degree will be for

as someone who doesn't want to be a teacher or journalist anytime soon

A few days ago, my English undergrad gc sent a picture of a blind confession claiming to be an English Lit student from our school saying the following:

English lit student from [redacted] here, I really want a nerdy Mark Zuckerberg type boyfriend from [popular stem uni]. I can be the artsy pixie dream girl to your socially awkward vibe. (Grimes/Elon) you can rant to me about how much you love dinosaurs and video games and maths while I cook you dinner.

this promptly inspired this Substack note I made

I have a lot to say about the confession, no matter how harmless it may seem. For starters, it could be some jobless student who’s lying on a confession form just because, but if it isn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised because I’ve heard these sentiments from people within my class and similar non traditional humanities undergrad classes! A whole group of friends from my class said that their main reason for going to uni was to find a boyfriend/husband…people with boyfriends saying how they’re doing their smart engineering degree whilst they do their ‘silly artsy drawings’ for an art degree…why are we putting ourselves down or straight up lying to uplift the status of men further? Realistically, if you truly only wanted to find a boyfriend/husband and that was the driving force for you going to uni, why that degree? Why do you participate so happily in class? Even if there are no men who interest you present? Why do you continue to do something you have said yourself is silly…unless you happen to actually like it? There’s nothing wrong with being honest that you actually like something.

I can say wholeheartedly that I enjoy the subject I chose for my BA, but it won’t be the driving force for my employment. I chose the subject I’m currently doing purely for enjoyment purposes and I got all A*s (yes, I’m bragging) purely because I wanted to and knew worst case scenario, I’d be a strong candidate for employment if what I actually want to do doesn’t fall through straight away. I want to act, which is labelled as an unstable profession but seeing how easily people can be plunged into unemployment despite their degree, I took the route of following what I actually want to do. I didn’t do a drama degree because I went to quite a classic subject sixth form and didn’t see how a degree in drama would benefit me over actual work alongside a place at a good uni. It just felt more practical. Now, to say what my degree will be for.

To have a DEGREE.

I do my degree because I enjoy it. I want a degree because university is a rewarding experience and I see no reason why I shouldn’t reap this country’s benefits of not only being able to learn, but being able to learn, experience living on your own and having that life financed through the government. I understand that not everyone who needs it is able to live alone or get an adequate sfe amount (I actually started out getting 6k and was able to successfully have this corrected to 13k but not everyone is able to), but as one of those people, why not take as much as I can get? I’m always a little on edge whenever I hear people put down English Lit as a degree not only because of my genuine love for the subject, but at how it communicates their feelings towards themselves. We are able to understand that some of the greatest minds of our time is not restricted to the STEM region. When we look at the works of Shakespeare, Homer, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, even though their works are fictional, there is an understanding that they have created something that transcends the self and we can still learn from today. Is that not the marks of genius? If we are able to see the skills of critical analysis from other writers, creating your own work and perfecting your own work as necessary traits to celebrate these writers, why do some women feel that those traits which exist in themselves that they are taking the time to learn and perfect is lesser than? I know that I can find some wider sociological argument to explain why this occurs, but I don’t feel much of a need to. Explaining why it happens doesn’t seem to help stop it. I can only speak for myself and hope someone else sees the virtues in the education they have chosen to continue for themselves.

Though I don’t see writing as a main form of employment I want to pursue, I would want to write something for pleasure and send it out that’s more longform than a Substack essay. I’ve had a cannibal speculative fiction in my head for the last year that’s waiting to come out and the only way to let it is by reading and perfecting my understanding of other people’s work. I also see a large value in being able to write something for myself to act in. When being viewed in the eyes of a director, an actor is usually just a tool for a greater vision and you can’t really get as much criticism or guidance as you’d hope for a lot of the time. You’re made to repeat things over, it’s a lot harder to stop and say that you have a vision for how things should pan out…if you give yourself that creative direction, however, I’m sure the experience is altered in some way. If you’ve written the words that you will speak, you know it more than anyone. It’s what carries the confidence of a public speaker or a stand up comedian.

I also want to engage in conversations with other literary/political figures in the future and articulate myself well. The world of literature is basically a world of references. When you write critical essays, you reference multiple people and add your own viewpoint to whatever they’ve said. A lot of things we read are a reference to something else, either directly or with small references laced in the work. There’s such a strong collaborative feel to it all and I want in. I want to be able to one day, have a private or public conversation on matters with people where we talk about literature and writing but, really, we are all making efforts to understand each other’s souls. At least, that’s how a lot of conversations in literature read like that to me. They all ultimately feel very sympathetic to the human experience and I like engaging in that vulnerability. I think it boils down to the core of the reason of why I chose this subject, despite my love for many humanities subjects.

It restores my hope in humanity.

Through writing constantly, I find that more and more, I’m able to articulate the feelings that wander in my head. It cannot always do it justice. I can’t articulate the joy of a slightly bitter hot chocolate on a rainy day, silent grief or a kiss that confirms mutual feeling more than experience can. But it’s close. And seeing how others are able to articulate things, it feels like I’m constantly overjoyed to see how well we can grow closer and closer to telling each other what we’re actually feeling. A lot of things in the world we’re sort of encouraged to show that we don’t care about. Or that we don’t owe people this, we can’t show people we care because it can be abused, etc. English Literature encourages the act of caring and caring openly, which I like. Even if I critique another person’s work, I’ve shown I care enough to pick out and dissect the lines of what they’ve said and articulate how it’s afflicted me. It’s the closest subject to who I am, which is a very caring person. I care a lot, and I like having a medium to show just how much I care.

I believe it’s a great privilege to be able to study and get a rewarding degree at the end, no matter the subject. When I see people try and belittle their degrees, I sigh a little. The world cannot function on STEM alone just as it cannot function on humanities alone. Although my degree won’t be my main route for income or a career, English Lit still holds a very special place in my heart for being a subject designed for those who care. Shout out to my English lit undergrad students who ‘don’t fit’ the stereotypes of an english lit student specifically!!! Hope you enjoyed reading!

-Halle