Rose's PhD Diary - 4

It seems like I wrote my last PhD diary five minutes ago … so it’s hard to believe that it was nearly a year ago! As I write this, I am now approaching the end of the second year of my PhD. It has been a whirlwind of a year, speaking at two conferences (one of which I helped to organise), giving a talk at the Brontë Parsonage Museum and speaking at the Bradford Literature Festival as well as visiting the Brontë archive twice and volunteering at the 2024 Brontë Festival of Women’s Writing! 

When reflecting on the past year of my PhD I feel that my experiences really encapsulate the wider themes of this edition of BookTalk: enlightenment. 

For a lot of PhD students, second year is the slump year. It’s the point in your project where you have overcome the initial nerves and stumbles, but the mountain to climb is still enormous. The workload can, not just feel overwhelming, but at times unachievable. While I truly had some of the best experiences sharing my research at all these events, I reached a pivotal moment last autumn. For me, the moment of enlightenment came when I realised I had to slow down. 

In my last PhD diary, I shared that I aimed to submit my chapter on Victorian biographies in the summer but as a result of my public commitments, I began to neglect my research and my writing. In the past, I believed that I thrived being busy, but it was at this point that I realised I was overstretching myself, which was preventing me from moving forwards. I began to shift my mindset, facing my fears of saying no and realigning my time and focus to reflect on my project, giving it the space and time it needs to grow. This allowed me to fulfil a form of enlightenment. So, what has this epiphany led to, you might ask? 

My first task was to completely rework my biography chapter. While this was initially centred on conventions of Victorian biographies, I needed a stronger focus to contextualise my chapter. Through further research I decided to explore the impact of the Victorian ‘cult of death’.  My key texts for this chapter were Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Brontë (1857) and F. A. Leyland’s The Brontë Family with Special Reference to Patrick Branwell Brontë (1886). By exploring these biographies as Victorian death relics, they can be seen to create a memorial for the subject that would be adopted by the reader, gifting them a good or bad burial, which was essential to their legacy. This allowed me to analyse representations of Branwell exploring their impact on his memorial, which was crafted by the biographer themselves.

Rewriting this chapter allowed me to regain my focus on my research, and in perfect timing too, with my second annual review taking place in February. This opportunity to pause and reflect on my project allowed me to remind myself that I am on the right track, and it also gifted me the reassurance that I can confidently speak about my project, which can feel daunting when you spend all week writing alone, as I now was.

At this stage of my PhD, I am also constantly reminding myself how important it is to look after yourself. This process isn’t easy but the moments of quiet are the most beneficial of all. One of my new year's resolutions for 2025 was to have a quieter year. For me this means not only allowing plenty of time for writing and research but also making sure I look after myself. One easy act of self-care for me, is to make sure I am reading for fun, which is not always easy alongside academia. I am also ensuring that I make the most of the spring sunshine, which really helps to boost my mood and clear my head. By adopting slower moments of joy alongside my studies, I feel more like myself and able to focus on my thesis.

As this edition of BookTalk is released, I will be entering my third year of doctoral study. As I move into this pivotal year of my studies, I want to keep reminding myself of one of my favourite literary quotes. It has accompanied me throughout my academic journey so far. I hope this can be a source of hope to you too, no matter what you are facing. 

‘No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.’ 

Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own (1929).