The Joys of Teaching Literature, started in September 2010 and with a Spanish version since July 2021, is a blog for ranting and raving about (teaching and researching) English Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender Studies, and other aspects of the Anglophone world. I publish a post once a week, usually on Monday. Please, download the yearly volumes from https://ddd.uab.cat/record/116328, or read the volume collecting some of the entries (Passionate Professing: The Context and Practice of English Literature, 2023). The comments option is not available, sorry, but you may contact me through my e-mail address, Sara.Martin@uab.cat. The contents of this blog are protected by a type 4 Creative Common License (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (by-nc-nd)).

  • Musings on Women, Science, and Science Fiction: Diverging Paths?

    A couple of weeks ago I gave a lecture for a general audience on women and science fiction, which was also the closing session in a course organized by Jordi-Agustí Font at Badalona’s Espai Betúlia. I was the only woman lecturer in a series of six sessions and, typically, I was asked to lecture on…

  • Algunas reflexiones sobre las mujeres, la ciencia y la ciencia ficción: ¿senderos divergentes?

    Hace un par de semanas impartí una conferencia sobre mujeres y ciencia ficción ante un público no especializado, que sirvió además de sesión de clausura de un curso organizado por Jordi-Agustí Font en el Espai Betúlia de Badalona. Era la única mujer conferenciante en una serie de seis sesiones y, como suele suceder, se me…

  • ON THE USE OF SECONDARY SOURCES IN LITERARY RESEARCH: HOW FAR BACK CAN WE GO?

    When I introduce second-year students to the basics of writing academic papers and they submit their first paper proposal (title, 100-abstract, 3-item valid academic bibliography) I warn them to use only post-1995 bibliography (perhaps I should update that to 21st century bibliography?). As I explain, even though in the paper they can use older sources,…

  • SOBRE EL USO DE FUENTES SECUNDARIAS EN LA INVESTIGACIÓN LITERARIA: ¿HASTA DÓNDE NOS PODEMOS REMONTAR?

    Cuando presento a los estudiantes de segundo año los conceptos básicos de la redacción de trabajos académicos y envían su primera propuesta de trabajo (título, resumen de 100 palabras, bibliografía académica válida de 3 elementos) les advierto que usen solo bibliografía posterior a 1995 (¿quizás debería actualizar eso a la bibliografía del siglo XXI?). Como…

  • CHRONICLING THE DEATH OF LITERARY CRITICISM: THE WOMEN WRITERS THE MEDIA DO NOT REVIEW

    Back in August I wrote a post called “Chronicling the Death of Literature (II): The Writer as Influencer” in which I referred mainly to top-selling American author Colleen Hoover as the main example of the writer who succeeds despite lacking the support of the conventional media and thanks to the social media. I return to…