STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
JAYA BHARNE an East Brunswick, New Jersey resident, graduated in May 2007 with degrees in English and art history. While at Rutgers, she served as tutor and desk manager for the Plangere Writing Center. Her thesis, Word Made Flesh: The Poetics of Prose in Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body, which won the 2008 Jordan Flyer Honors Award, examined how Winterson uses poetics to transform the cliché and challenge the limits of language. She will teach English at an under-resourced high school with Teach for America starting in the fall, and she plans to pursue graduate studies in English literature in the near future.
How did you come up with the idea for your research?
Sophomore year, I took a class in twentieth century women's literature
taught by graduate student Elizabeth Bredlau. I found myself inspired
by the work of modern women writers, but Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body
changed the way I read entirely. I was in awe of Winterson's
captivating and stylish poetics and how deeply the themes of the novel
were woven into its language. My thesis examined Winterson's attempt to
write a love story that both embraced and rejected the linguistic
clichés that preceded it, as well as her experimentation with the
physical properties of language.
In conducting your study, what experience have you had with the faculty at Rutgers?
After taking a class on twentieth century poetry with Professor Harriet
Davidson, I knew that her expertise in the field would help me in my
very specific analysis of Winterson's linguistic experimentation. I was
very lucky that she was the director of the Honors English Program, and
that she agreed to be the reader for my project. Both she and Elizabeth
Bredlau suggested that I speak with Professor Marianne DeKoven, who had
worked previously on Winterson. They were the perfect compliments to my
research, and allowed me to work at my own pace and in my own style.
How has Rutgers prepared you for life after college?
Tutoring has impressed upon me the endless and overwhelming
opportunities that education can afford a person, in both roles of
teacher and student. I decided to join Teach for America not only to
perform service to a system badly in need of support, but also to
satisfy my own desires for personal fulfillment through continuing
education.
When you are not studying or tutoring, how do you enjoy your free time?
I love going into New York City. My favorite way to spend a day is to
go to museums and talk about art with my friends. I think this
fascination with experimental and avant-garde art has informed my
literary taste in a fantastic way.
What is one of the most memorable experiences you have had through Rutgers?
I studied in Florence, Italy, for a semester through the Rutgers Study
Abroad Program. While abroad, I learned to adjust my lifestyle to suit
my environment, and I learned to cope with stress and to take care of
myself. While I was there, I traveled all over Italy, as well as to
Amsterdam and Barcelona, all places where art is an integral part of
daily life.
How has tutoring at the Plangere Writing Center helped you as a student-writer?
I have read student work in such an objective way that I now understand
what works in academic writing and what doesn't. Student writing is
almost impossible to understand without exposing yourself to it
constantly. Writing well is one of the most essential skills to have
upon graduation, and I'm grateful that my tutoring experience helped me
improve my own writng skills.