I am now in the second year of my PhD in Medieval art, trying to turn this fascination into an academic career. I love talking about what I do and my friends also love it. Rumors that they don’t always have a choice but to listen to me talking about my research are completely untrue. I know this because most of them ask, and then they listen.
This blog is my way of keeping everyone up to date with my work, my PhD, my research outside the PhD, and some snippets of life when there is time for it. I will try to post often, maybe weekly, even if writer’s block hits. At the very least, I will tell you that writer’s block has hit. I will also try to answer your comments regularly, unless they are advertising, offensive or just plain spam. Those will be deleted without negotiation.
So do not be afraid, this is not a research blog. I am not going to post long articles, conference papers and academic presentations. Unless, of course, people start requesting them, but I honestly doubt it. Having said that, this is not going to be a non-academic blog either. I honestly hope to attract the attention of fellow medievalists and use the platform to exchange ideas, comments and thoughts.
Understandably, most posts will be related either to my main research topic or to my more general research interests: expect to see a lot of manuscript illuminations and a lot of comedy. However, I plan to write about my own PhD experience as it happens, a sort of PhD walk-through that might be useful to other academics in embryo, like myself. Since I am doing it part-time and I am combining it with a full-time job, there will be a lot of talk on management and prioritising. Hopefully people will engage, share their experiences and initiate interesting discussions.
Lastly, the name of the blog. I think it was the reason why I did not start it earlier, I could not find a name that would fit the identity of what I intend to do. Then I found it, in a book about Carnival celebrations in France: the Lord and Lady of Misrule, the Kings of Fools, the Abbots of Unreason, the chief figures of the carnival. How fitting, for a blog on medieval humour!
I hope you enjoy the read. Grab your fool’s hat and join me in some merriment!
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