Clara Verri is a PhD candidate at Gießen (Germany) and Helsinki (Finland). She spent term 1 of academic year 2022/23 as a visiting student at the SMLC Warwick . In this article, she describes her experience[SMLC]
I always thought that the last year of PhD would entail long days in front of the computer without leaving home in the hope of finishing writing the thesis. But earlier this year I thought I wanted to test further my research ideas regarding one of the authors of my thesis, the notorious French writer Michel Houellebecq. I contacted the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC) of the University of Warwick to have the opportunity to work with the Houellebecq expert of the School, Dr Douglas Morrey. After a short process of admission and securing some funding, I started my adventure in Warwick at the SMLC on September 26.
My stay was in person on campus and I had the opportunity to meet in person my supervisor for the stay Dr Morrey and my tutor Dr Antonia Hofstätter who was the first person to welcome me the day after my arrival. Dr Hofstätter introduced me to the facilities of the Faculty of Arts Building, the campus at large, and the schedule for the next weeks and helped me with finding accommodation and other everyday issues such as bus tickets. In the same week, I also attended a welcome event organised by the SMLC which introduced me to the programme of the School and the other PhD students in different stages of their doctorate. I had the opportunity to settle in a desk in the office space dedicated to SMLC PhD students, which is in the same area as SMLC lecturers’ and professors’ offices. I greatly appreciated that the office area was shared by both older and younger scholars to create an engaged research environment!
Throughout my stay, my supervisor offered me consistent help by reading the previous drafts of my thesis written in the last year and in finding time to discuss and exchange ideas about the draft I intended to write during my stay. With Dr Morrey’s help, I managed to draft a third of my chapter on close-reading of selected Houellebecq novels and develop my ideas for the second and third parts of the same chapter. Working with a Houellebecq expert was really helpful for deepening my analysis and finding further research connected to the argument of my chapter, namely the analysis of ‘dissatisfaction’ connected to modes of narration in Houellebecq’s texts. I also received feedback on the draft I wrote during my stay at the SMLC German Research Seminar in my last week. Dr Hofstätter arranged and moderated the meeting and gave me helpful feedback together with the other participants of the Seminar.
Even if the last year of PhD can be erratic and busy, I am glad I took the time to do this one-month research stay which helped my research and gave me the opportunity to meet the research community of a different university. I need to really thank the faculty members of the School who coordinated my stay and promptly helped me with various issues. They really made my experience very smooth. I am also very thankful to the SMLC for creating common spaces to meet other PhD students with whom I create friendships and memories and exchanged thoughts on different topics on and beyond research. Although only one month long of research stay, I was very surprised by the help I received for my chapter draft and for the academic and social connections which enriched me greatly.
Liam Lewis (centre) with his examiners,
University of Warwick | School of Modern Languages and Cultures 