SPRING

An interesting lecture in semiotics, probably given by Michael, led to me deciding to write at great length about semiotics. I somehow ended up with the idea of advertising in relation to feminism. As with all of the other writing I have done, I always put off making a start on my dissertation, occasionally having really productive, very enjoyable, writing sessions; I always enjoy writing, and the hardest thing for me is always writing the first sentence. It is a case of writing any sentence that is about the subject matter, rather than trying to make the perfect start to the essay; the time to perfect the important parts (like the start and end) is after you have the basis of the essay.

By the time I came to write my dissertation, I had realised that, despite my fear of writing, I can write well; despite leaving it until quite late before making a start, it doesn't affect my ability. Unfortunately, this is not so bad for the previous 2500–3000 word essays, but maybe not the best thing to do for something much longer. Still, I got an A for it. I got 14 out of 16 again.

I was really really glad that Conway was my supervisor. I was happy that I didn't get Eileen, Peter or Ronnie—Ronnie gave a few lectures about how to write, during which it turned out that he himself doesn't know how to write, so I absolutely did not want him to supervise me. If a person can't write very well, how can they recognise good writing? This is what really bothered me. But I got the fantastically knowledgeable Conway supervising me. Being in his office was always great, glancing at all of his books.

Here is the PDF of my paper (as I had to refer to it, not knowing what else to call it), called On Feminism and Advertising (the Interaction of Two Discourses). Again, many mistakes are here, and I wish I didn't make such mistakes. Remember, it's not right to steal.