Fall 2024 Issue

We are excited to bring you the Fall 2024 issue of EP, another excellent showcase of student writing from the Texts & Contexts courses at Fordham. The essays in this issue continue our tradition of close reading and contextual analysis, but these particular essays look inward, examining the emotional, psychological, and cultural forces that shape our identities and ambitions. These writers examine how literature and music not only reflect an artist’s or character’s sense of self, but even offer frameworks for navigating the world. The first two essays look at Romantic poetry alongside contemporary popular music to explore the power of emotional expression. In “Empowered Vulnerability: Defiance Through Emotional Exposure in Swift and Dickinson,” Erin Ponce reads Taylor Swift alongside Emily Dickinson, arguing that both artists, despite their individual formal approaches, reclaim vulnerability as a strategic mode of empowerment. Megan Lau’s essay, “Holding On To Heartache and Memories,” also pairs Dickinson with Swift to explore how each artist invokes memory and grief and the affective capacity of form. The next two essays turn to twentieth century novels. Naomi Walters’ essay, “Conditional Manhood and the Limits of Enlightenment Thought in Beloved,” demonstrates how Toni Morrison’s depiction of the character Paul D’s trauma and emotional experiences exposes how Enlightenment ideals fail to accommodate the lived experience of Black men. Delaney Gouveia’s “Clothing as Costume: The Bell Jar‘s Portrayal of Performing Health” turns to The Bell Jar, arguing that Sylvia Plath uses clothing as a metaphor for the pressure to perform mental wellness in a world that misunderstands and marginalizes women’s health. Two essays engage Shakespearean tragedy to consider the intersections of power, gender, and morality. In “‘Take My Milk for Gall’: Lady Macbeth’s Rejection of Femininity” Ada Guo reads Macbeth as a meditation on gender and ambition, arguing that Shakespeare critiques not femininity but the brittle nature of masculinity that Lady Macbeth adopts in her quest for power. Isabella Saran-Hafner’s “‘The Serpent That Did Sting’: Poison, Power, and Moral Conflict in Hamlet” draws on Chaucerian ideas of moral conflict to read Hamlet not just as a tragedy of revenge, but as a study in political identity and justice. Finally, Adriana Monteagudo’s personal literacy narrative, “The Sounds of Life,” offers a moving reflection on how literacy extends beyond books — how car rides with her father and the music they shared became a way of teaching, learning, and connecting across generational and cultural lines. Each of these essays reveal how Fordham’s students are not only interpreting texts, but are also asking urgent questions about memory, experience, and identity — questions that resonate far beyond the classroom. We are excited to share their work with you!

Essays

“Clothing as Costume: The Bell Jar‘s Portrayal of Performing Health” by Delaney Gouveia

“Conditional Manhood and the Limits of Enlightenment Thought in Beloved” by Naomi Walters

“Empowered Vulnerability: Defiance Through Emotional Exposure in Swift and Dickinson” by Erin Ponce

“Holding On To Heartache and Memories” by Megan Lau

“‘The Serpent That Did Sting’: Poison, Power, and Moral Conflict in Hamlet” by Isabella Saran-Hafner

“The Sounds of Life” by Adriana Monteagudo

“‘Take My Milk for Gall’: Lady Macbeth’s Rejection of Femininity” by Ada Guo

Editorial Staff

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jason Ray

EDITORIAL BOARD

Kate Behrens
Amanda Bradley
Corinna Cape
Stephen Fragano
Mark Host
Miles Smith
Sabrina Vidal
Anna Von Holten
Gianna Welty

FACULTY ADVISOR

Vlasta Vranjes

Questions or comments? Please contact us at epjournal@fordham.edu