Thomas Campion English Essay Prize 2014!

Hi all!

I've just started planning my essay based on the question about Interpretation being the revenge of intellect upon art, it's a bit scary!
Is anyone else on TSR entering this year, and what questions are you using?

oh no, i know you posted this a week ago, but yes I'm entering too! (or at least hoping I will get it together on time) unfortunately for me i still have no clue which question to do... eep

I sent mine off last week. I did 'Does modern literature stay modern?'.

I really enjoyed writing it but I'm worried it hasn't got there because someone else said that they had received a postcard in response and I haven't received anything.

Anyone hear back?

Yeah, I got a letter this morning. I was commended! Really happy even though I didn't win.

What about you?

i was commended as well!
........ i hope they didnt tell everyone that..............

Nope, just the top ten or so. The admissions lady didn't know for certain but she said the shortlist couldn't have been much more than ten. Were you commended or highly commended?

oo i didnt realise there was a commended or highly commended???? my letter says highly commended

Yeah, I got a letter this morning. I was commended! Really happy even though I didn't win.

What about you?

I forgot to ask, were you commended or highly commended?

Also, what was your essay title?

Only commended unfortunately.

It was 'Does modern literature stay modern?'

Same Argh, we got so close to being on the webpage! Still, getting commended from our university for our course's prize is beyond awesome And statistically, we came in the top 10% at least of people entering, and most of the people who entered will be intending to apply to Oxbridge.

Ergo, we rule.

That's a really cool essay! Which books did you do for it? I did 'what is rhyme for?' and analysed a Wilfred Owen poem and some advertising slogans, though most of my essay was about concepts more than specific analysis.

Yeah, I'm still pretty proud of it. I'm going to enter the Gould Prize too.

I did it on Tristram Shandy as well as generally discussing postmodernism and looking at a couple of texts for that.

I hadn't heard of Tristram Shandy before but it looks pretty darn cool

Ah, like Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse Five? I haven't done much on postmodernism so far in English, we mainly did modernism. I'd never be able to do an essay on postmodernism, so you're scary

Good luck for Gould! I keep wondering whether I should do the 'poetry is a hobby' question. I'm stronger on poetry essays, because I write poetry and I've read a lot of it and I love analysing it...but most of the English course will be novels, and I only have a basic grounding in novels, so doing a novel essay might motivate me to read some Victorian or Edwardian novels that aren't just the ones everyone has read.

Then you're highly commended! Congrats That means you made the top six, whilst I and CaddyCompson made the top ten. You also get to attend the winner's lunch, I'm guessing? Also, your name is on the Peterhouse website, whilst I must linger in my own anonymous obscurity

What essay title did you do?

yeaa im off down there for a buffet or something
i did 'what is rhyme for?'