Sample Proposal: Emily H. Green
I have two main academic passions: linguistics and the arts. Thankfully, because I am a College Scholar, I have the freedom to pursue both to whatever extent I wish. I recently decided to become, officially, a linguistics major. This decision, however, in now way reflects any diminishing of my interest in the arts. In fact, I would like my research next summer to concentrate on this area. More specifically, I would like to explore the aesthetic and creative intersection of music, painting, and literature from one particular point of reference: the legend of Cythera.
In ancient Rome, the Island of Cythera was fabled as the location where Venus, the goddess of love, was born out of the water. This minor place of mythological history resurfaced in early modern France surrounded by a new, moiré robust legend. The new myth expanded upon the original connection to love, especially the fleeting, passionate kind of love associated with Venus. The idea was that a man could depart for Cythera in a group, leaving behind his worldly, imperfect love(s). Upon arriving on the island, he would be greeted by his one true counterpart, whom he could meet but once. After less than a day of bliss, the sojourner would return home for good, presumably equipped with a new, clearer vision of society and love.
Antoine Watteau was the first major artist to be inspired by the myth of Cythera. Since the exhibition of his Embarkation for Cythera in the early eighteenth century, the island was the stimulus for creative efforts of other artists. Claude Debussy, for example, wrote a piano piece entitled "The Joyous Island" ("L'Isle Joyeuse"), which he claimed was inspired by Watteau's depiction of Cythera. Several poets of the late nineteenth century, including Baudelaire (1821-1867) and Gerard de Nerval (1808-1855), also composed literary images of the island.
Using these works and others, I would like to trace the history of artistic interpretations of the myth of Cythera in France, beginning with Antoine Watteau in the French Rococo period and continuing through Impressionism and Symbolism at the turn of the century. This study would result in more than a simple interdisciplinary analysis; uncovering the 18th and 19th-century French depictions of Cythera would allow me to characterize the sort of ideal love that fascinated French society.
This topic, as far as I know, has not been pursued in English, if at all. In researching a related topic for a paper this semester, I have found few sources that explain the history of the myth of Cythera. Furthermore, the sources I have found are exclusively in French. This leads me to believe that the best source base would be in France, for I would need to document the history of the myth while considering the critical reception of these French works. Records of critical reception are abundant exclusively in France (at the Bibliotheque Nationale), where the works were first received by the public.
In order to have access to unique resources, therefore, I would need to pursue this research while based in Paris. This location would also be optimal for me because I would then be able to explore my interest in French culture. I have taken three French literature courses, and currently live in the French House. As a result, my speaking ability in French is quite good, and even a month or two in France would bring me close to complete fluency. I decided soon after arriving at Cornell that I did not want to spend a semester abroad, because such time away would require me to sacrifice too many academic opportunities here. A summer abroad, however, would allow me to experience French culture and improve my abilities in the language, while also entertaining exciting academic pursuits.
Furthermore, this topic interests me as a possible subject for my senior thesis, which, as a College Scholar, I am required to write. The topic might need a bit of broadening or narrowing, but in general the idea is structured in such a way that my analysis would be both accessible and culturally relevant. In researching the history of artistic interpretations of Cythera, therefore, I would gain an understanding of French culture and of several influential works of art, and, most importantly, I would discover the general feasibility of such an interdisciplinary endeavor, which would prepare me for my thesis.
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