English Prof. Cynthia Wall said she tries to introduce a whole world when she teaches English literature.
"I suppose it started with the fact that I have always liked old houses," Wall said.
This interest in setting has translated into Wall's current work.
Wall said her scholarly efforts often examine space and description in literary texts. For example, her most recent book, "The Prose of Things," examines the evolution of spatial detail in novels.
"Novels of the early 18th century do not have much visual description," Wall said. "They have a lot of things and objects but not a lot of setting."
As the opportunities to decorate personal space became greater, however, people began to take an interest in the interior, Wall explained.
Thus, in Victorian novels, the really elaborate settings are "fully visualized, fully realized," Wall said. "Absolutely everything is laid out before us."
Wall said her own career was not always laid out so clearly.
Wall grew up in Minnesota and majored in English and philosophy at St. Olaf College. She went on to study philosophy at Northwestern University.
"Four years later ... I was ABD -- all but dissertation -- and realized I was reading mystery books all day," Wall said.
Wall said she was not enjoying herself and could not continue in the field, even with an opportunity to teach philosophy at St. Olaf for a year.
Her situation became difficult because, "in Minnesota you're not supposed to quit -- ever," Wall said, adding that you are expected to "deal with it."
Wall said she did quit, however, and a year later reapplied to graduate school. She was accepted into the English program at the University of Chicago, where she said she was struck by its "energy [and] intellectual electricity."
After a few years teaching at Vassar, Wall came to the University.
When teaching, Wall said she likes small seminars the best because she can get to know students well.
"But I like to try to create something of that in larger classes as well," Wall said.
Wall's classes often involve projects and activities that help paint a portrait of the social, political and artistic worlds that contribute to the texts her students read, she said.
"I don't like to micromanage student's projects," Wall said.
In both large and small classes, Wall said she encourages students to find the information themselves and present it in as imaginative a way as they can.
This semester, Wall's class studying Restoration and 18th century drama is taking her usual research projects to a new level.
Last spring, Wall was one of 10 faculty members invited to submit a proposal for a "dream course."
Wall said she realized that with adequate funds, "it would be really fun to make these research presentations that I always require into something practical and organic that we can all do together."
Wall's design was chosen. Now, she is using the grant she received to help her class stage its own dramatic production and, in doing so, explore more contextual topics like lighting, sound, gesture, costumes and music.
Although Wall describes the course as a work in progress and points out her minimal experience with directing and acting, she remains enthusiastic about the endeavor, calling it a chance to "literally make our own world with a production."
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