B.BENJAMIN

Pushkin: i loved you once

I loved you once: perhaps that love has yet
To die down thoroughly within my soul;
But let it not dismay you any longer;
I have no wish to cause you any sorrow.
I loved you wordlessly, without a hope,
By shyness tortured, or by jealousy.
I loved you with such tenderness and candor
And pray God grants you to be loved that way again.

How to Write a "Collage" Thesis

step one: write lots of paragraphs at various times over a period of 10 months. this can include your own thoughts as well as quotations from various sources. (Note: be sure NOT to cite any of the sources while taking these notes. it will make your life much too easy in 9 months time)

step two: print out every document on your computer that is in the folder entitled “thesis.”

step three: buy more paper when you run out because there are so many documents in said “thesis” folder.

step four: resume printing.

step five: take all documents to the library and sit at a very large table by yourself.

step six: cut out all the paragraphs. if it seems that two more paragraphs are obviously connected, you may leave them connected.

step seven: paste the paragraphs that seem important on a long sheet of butcher paper (think timeline size, maybe 3 ’ by 9?).

step eight: carry this thesis timeline with you everywhere you go, and whenever you have a few minutes, sharpie in some transition sentences. (Note: using a sharpie rather than a pencil is essential. no need to edit when it’s permanent!)

step nine: reread every book you’ve ever read, tracking down the necessary citation information. write these on the butcher paper in various colors, as to color-code them to your quotations. (Note: the act of color-coding may take time, but seeing so many colors on your paper will not only make you feel joyful, but very smart. Who knew you read so many books!)

step ten: if time allows, reorganize the paragraphs into a word document on your computer and type in those transition sentence. consider writing a thesis statement or two, as well. If time does not allow, just hand your department chair your butcher(ed) paper thesis. They may be a bit surprised, but with time, they’ll surely be amazed at your creativity!

We put “Lay Lady Lay” on the record player, and “Suzzane.” We went down to Melrose Avenue to see the Flying Burritos. There was a jasmine vine grown over the verandah of the big house on Franklin Avenue, and in the evenings the smell of jasmine came in through all the open doors and windows. I made bouillabaisse for people who did not eat meat. I imagined that my own life was simple and sweet, and sometimes it was, but there were odd things going around town. There were rumors. There were stories. Everything was unmentionable but nothing was unimaginable. This mystical flirtation with the idea of “sin”— this sense that it was possible to go “too far,” and that many people were doing it…

— Joan Didion, The White Album