Welcome
Welcome to my site, an online portfolio of my graduate work and teaching experience. I recently received my MA in English Literature at Florida State University, focusing on early modern drama, particularly Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton.
My main scholarly interest is in source materials. I am creating my own field, which I call comparative source studies (more here).
I believe that we have not yet learned all we can from the source materials used by Shakespeare, Jonson, Middleton, Marlowe, and other early modern playwrights. Specifically, while scholars of each individual playwright might understand that single playwright's sources, we do not have a clear sense, or a clear way of measuring, how those sources compare to the sources used by any other playwrights, nor do we understand how those sources fit into the reading habits of the early modern public.
I envision a field of study that integrates existing source work with new research into the history of the book. Part of my research will be to create a database that will tag early modern texts with each playwright who drew from them, so that we can see patterns of overlap as well as how popular any given text was within the play-writing community.
My main scholarly interest is in source materials. I am creating my own field, which I call comparative source studies (more here).
I believe that we have not yet learned all we can from the source materials used by Shakespeare, Jonson, Middleton, Marlowe, and other early modern playwrights. Specifically, while scholars of each individual playwright might understand that single playwright's sources, we do not have a clear sense, or a clear way of measuring, how those sources compare to the sources used by any other playwrights, nor do we understand how those sources fit into the reading habits of the early modern public.
I envision a field of study that integrates existing source work with new research into the history of the book. Part of my research will be to create a database that will tag early modern texts with each playwright who drew from them, so that we can see patterns of overlap as well as how popular any given text was within the play-writing community.
Tapestry
My overarching personal metaphor is that of a tapestry. It weaves together seemingly unrelated threads to tell a complete story. It embodies interconnectedness, the bringing together of parts into a unified whole. My interest in creating a more integrated view of how the small community of playwrights used their sources stems from the fact that I want to see all the threads that make up the cultural tapestry for Shakespeare, Middleton, Jonson, Marlowe, and others: the books they read, the news they followed, the things they talked about., and the knowledge and experiences they shared with the general public. The Shakespeare "thread" is one we've seen clearly for four centuries ... I want to see the whole tapestry into which that thread is woven.
I also see the two [NASCAR and Buddhism] as connected because I see them both as threads
in a sort of tapestry, the tapestry of higher consciousness. Humanity has always sought states
of higher consciousness and transcendence. Consider that seeking as if it were the creation of
a tapestry, and you will see threads of religious ecstasy, vision quests, hallucinogenic drugs,
bungee jumping, moving to the woods to live in a hand-built cabin, meditation, sports ... dozens
of differently colored threads woven into a tapestry of our attempts to transcend day-to-day
life. If you look carefully, you can track the threads, seeing where they wind together to make
a pattern, or where they disappear for a while and re-emerge. And once you do so, you will see
how easy it is to show how any two of those threads belong in the tapestry, to take them out and
weave them together in order to show how well they match and complement each other. NASCAR
and Buddhism may be two very distinct threads, but it is my aim to weave them together, to
give you a new way to see and appreciate them both.
in a sort of tapestry, the tapestry of higher consciousness. Humanity has always sought states
of higher consciousness and transcendence. Consider that seeking as if it were the creation of
a tapestry, and you will see threads of religious ecstasy, vision quests, hallucinogenic drugs,
bungee jumping, moving to the woods to live in a hand-built cabin, meditation, sports ... dozens
of differently colored threads woven into a tapestry of our attempts to transcend day-to-day
life. If you look carefully, you can track the threads, seeing where they wind together to make
a pattern, or where they disappear for a while and re-emerge. And once you do so, you will see
how easy it is to show how any two of those threads belong in the tapestry, to take them out and
weave them together in order to show how well they match and complement each other. NASCAR
and Buddhism may be two very distinct threads, but it is my aim to weave them together, to
give you a new way to see and appreciate them both.
Buddhism, of course, calls each of its major teachings a sutra, which is a Sanskrit word meaning "thread." The intended image is that of a tapestry, many interwoven threads that make up a beautiful philosophical whole. One could trace each thread/sutra to see how it played its part in creating the tapestry of Buddhism, or one could step back and see the totality. Because English is an Indo-European language, some of the oldest words in English can be traced back to Sanskrit roots: jnana is the root of our words know and knowledge, and sutra is the root of our modern word suture.
The metaphor of tapestry is this: our lives are the fabric. Events are the threads. Our thoughts and beliefs are the needle. We design the images. And ultimately, the tapestry is us.
--Arlynda Lee Boyer
The metaphor of tapestry is this: our lives are the fabric. Events are the threads. Our thoughts and beliefs are the needle. We design the images. And ultimately, the tapestry is us.
--Arlynda Lee Boyer