‘I’m Esther, I’ve just completed my MA in English Literature at the University of Bristol. I am going to begin a PhD exploring another frontier – outer space – in September at the University of Glasgow. Although rooted in literature, my research has always had a maritime focus. I am interested in how the language we use to discuss the sea affects our interactions with it. The sea is often thought to be beyond the influence of humans due to the language used when describing the ‘deep’ and the ‘unknown’ of the ocean floor. This is a very troubling stance to take when we are directly destroying ecological systems. Whilst onboard, I hope to explore the way in which literary texts shape, and are shaped by, the experience of travel at sea.’
We look forward to hearing more from Esther during and after her time on the Pelican.
