Janet's Essays Etc.

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Please note ALL ESSAYS are under the author's copyright.

On Science Studies themes...

Light and Enlightenment in Joseph Wright of Derby's The Alchymist (2002): MPhil Dissertation, HPS.

Visual Testimony: An epistemology of scientific illustration. (2002) Paper 3, University of Cambridge HPS MPhil program.

Drawing Theory: Visual Languages in Science (2000): My 'thesis' for the philosophy of science class in the final year of my undergraduate degree, based on the theories of Wittgenstein, Rudwick, Hanson, Kuhn, Hacking and Gombrich.

The Natural and the Divine: Christian Influences in Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection (2000): Another science and religion paper, this one for a Christian History course.

Maimonides' Synthesis (1999): Examining the relationship between science and religion in 13th century Jewish thought.

Not Wanted on the Voyage (1997): An analysis of Timothy Findley's novel from a science and religion perspective.

On Broader, Cultural History themes...

Star Wars: a 20th Century Fairy Tale (1996): Graduating thesis for grade 12 English class, on the interpretation of the Star Wars trilogy according to a Bettleheim-ian model. This is fun if you know even the faintest bit about Star Wars -- but really it's a good example of my first major interdisciplinary and original work. It has been published in a course readings handbook in Turkey. =)

Old Spells Made New: The Secret to the Success of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter Series (2000): Prizewinning essay analysing the roots of the Harry Potter stories.

Signs of their Times: The Development of Eastern and Western Church Vestment (1999): This paper blends Costume History and Religious History, and has a lot of images as visual aids - none of which are online yet.

Genius or Insanity?: Signs of Schizophrenia in Nijinsky’s Choreography 1912-1913 (1999): This is an analysis of the choreographer Nijinksy's ballets as schizophrenic art, done for a course in the History of Ballet.

The Delirious and the Divine: Dostoevsky's Language of Epiphany (1999): Epiphanic imagery in the Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment and The Posessed.

The Christianization of Scandinavia (1999) A survey of the history, methods, and reasons involved in the process of conversion.

Changing Voices (1998): Representations of Eve and Delilah in operatic works.

ALL texts copyright by Janet Vertesi and may not be used without permission.