Reading in Tamagawa Garden

Georgina Wood

Georgina Wood, Innovation Category, 2017-2018

Georgina Wood has just finished her Bachelor of Arts (with a Visual Arts major and an English minor). She will be continuing her studies to attain a Bachelor of Education. View her essay and illustrations.

Notably, Georgina was drawn to English classes because English had traditionally been her weakest subject—one with which she had often struggled. For Georgina, an English minor was an important personal accomplishment. She considers the achievement of a university degree evidence that now inspires her to succeed at future goals.

Georgina enrolled in ENGL 300 because of its focus: The Bible as Literature. She grew up in a family with members of multiple religions, none of which appealed to her. In other words, religion had always been present in her life, but her attitude toward the subject remained neutral. However, when she saw the opportunity to learn about the Bible from an academic standpoint, she chose to indulge. During the course, the various versions of biblical flood narratives were particularly appealing. She became intrigued by the way redactions and revisions manipulated the flood story throughout the centuries. 

Georgina's favorite reads are murder mysteries—in particular, she enjoys and would recommend Thomas Enger’s Henning Juul series. However, she also believes that everyone should read the classics, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, and other gothic books. She admits that she wouldn’t have ordinarily picked up these classics but that she nevertheless enjoyed them.

As advice to other English students, Georgina suggests that they write only on topics of interest. She believes VIU professors are awesome and that they would rather read topics about which students are passionate! She encourages students to go to professors to ask questions, propose alternate topics, or even suggest a non-traditional research paper.