Next up in our Honours Student Interview Series is Anna Pontin! Anna recently completed their Major in Honours English Literature with a minor in Philosophy, and was previously published in The Garden Statuary. Scroll down to read through the complete interview and learn all about her honours thesis research and writing process.
What is the title of your honours thesis?
“Mobility is Reality:” Spacetime and Psychic Principle in Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights
What interested you in this topic? Why did you choose it for your thesis?
I started by deciding I wanted to write about metaphysics and time theory. After reading widely to find the right book, I finally settled on “Flights” by Polish Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk.
What was your favourite part of the research process?
The best part about working with my advisor, Dr. Adam Frank, was that he supported a free and experimental research process. I spent weeks exclusively on quantum physics, psychoanalysis and philosophy, and Dr. Frank encouraged me to “cast a wide net” even when some topics led to dead ends or didn’t make the final version.
Where do you hope to go next with your research or career?
I plan to take the research skills I learned at UBC to graduate school.
What advice would you give to someone who is excited but nervous about writing their honours thesis next year?
Don’t limit yourself! If you loved an anthropology elective or a biology course, find ways to integrate interdisciplinary research into your thesis. English is a very flexible discipline, and the Department is full of supportive mentors.
Do you have any fun anecdotes from your university experience that you would like to share?
This isn’t a very fun fact, but I’d like to mention that I had to rewrite my thesis four times before it was tight enough to submit to my review panel. In the end, I was very happy with the result, but students entering 499 should know that the success of a longer writing project rests more on your ability to thoroughly edit and rethink your ideas than to write something perfect the first time.
