Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

*Taken from a paper of mine in 2014           The Victorian Era, which took place during the mid-nineteenth century until the twentieth century, is a period characterized by societal change. The Industrial Revolution and clearer class divisions had taken hold, and there was an “increased ordering of leisure pursuits” especially amongst the middle and upper classes who had extra time and money (Lamont 903). Innovations in entertainment abounded, as seen through the burgeoning of cinematography, and Victorians were especially taken with “spectacles,” or shows that shocked or mesmerized audiences. In addition to new advancements in entertainment, Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution forced many to re-evaluate their orthodox religious beliefs, creating a mass crisis of faith. Caught in the middle of the revolution in entertainment and this popular crisis of belief was a uniquely Victorian situation: the emerging Spiritualist movement which challenged both conventi...

I see it's been over a month since I've last posted, which is actually less time than I thought. It's probably no surprise that I've been busier than ever. In fact, I've been in a perpetual state of busyness for as long as I can recall. I thought it'd be considerate to give an update because a lot of things are happening this year. The most exciting are my plans for Summer. For two months, from May through July, I will be visiting Cusco, Peru! This will be my first time abroad and the longest amount of time away from home. I will be studying and doing some service work (probably a teacher's assistant at a primary school). I'm going to take a Spanish literature class and a Quechua class. Both will be taught in Spanish. I'll be staying with a host family too! Hopefully, this will be the push I need to finally gain fluency in Spanish. Fluency is a really ambiguous concept anyway. I've been taking Spanish on and off for about seven years, and onl...