this project was first ideated in prof daniel elam's class, clit2094: introduction to critical theory and cultural studies at the university of hong kong. i had long resigned myself to never studying critical theory or literature at university though i longed to - i was not confident enough to believe that i would be successfully able to engage with texts, books and poetry which i had grown up reading. i told myself that the personal need not be academic. and yet, two years, three changes of academic majors/minors and one bad breakup later, i found myself enrolled in classes from the arts faculty for the first time.
the objects you are about to visit will seem disjoint and random - they include excerpts from the poetry collections of sylvia plath, gertrude stein, ezra pound, and t.s. eliot, as well as commentary and critique on these texts from academic scholars. eliot is the only poet which i both extensively quote and simultaneously dislike: the reason i have tried to provide an exhaustive commentary on him is frankly a result of my singleminded adolescent dislike (i did say this project is extremely personal). all other writers, thinkers and filmmakers were those which i came across in my near-decade-long use of tumblr.com, where i learned to especially love anne carson and sylvia plath as the champions of female grief. my reason for refraining from commentary on most objects is because i am afraid i nearly have too much to say, and i would not want to be descriptive instead of prescriptive, as eloquently put by mr. ahangari in one of our meetings.
despite my terming of modernism as geo-narcissism, i am surprisingly still drawn to its promise of an ideal form of language, of literature as a self-defined, independent discipline. i hope my curation serves the function of being both interesting and comprehensible - as for my next steps, i am afraid i will have to land up in london and see for myself whether it's all that it is cracked up to be.
all code on this website was handwritten by me.
in case of any queries, please contact me at sagarika@connect.hku.hk. happy viewing!