Janet's Essays Etc.

Please note ALL ESSAYS are under the author's copyright.

On Science Studies themes...

• Light and Enlightenment in Joseph Wright of Derby's The Alchymist (2002): MPhil Dissertation, HPS.

• Visual Testimony: An epistemology of scientific illustration. (2002) Paper 3, University of Cambridge HPS MPhil program.

• Drawing Theory: Visual Languages in Science (2000): My 'thesis' for the philosophy of science class in the final year of my undergraduate degree, based on the theories of Wittgenstein, Rudwick, Hanson, Kuhn, Hacking and Gombrich.

• The Natural and the Divine: Christian Influences in Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection (2000): Another science and religion paper, this one for a Christian History course.

• Maimonides' Synthesis (1999): Examining the relationship between science and religion in 13th century Jewish thought.

• Not Wanted on the Voyage (1997): An analysis of Timothy Findley's novel from a science and religion perspective.

On Broader, Cultural History themes...

• Star Wars: a 20th Century Fairy Tale (1996): Graduating thesis for grade 12 English class, on the interpretation of the Star Wars trilogy according to a Bettleheim-ian model. This is fun if you know even the faintest bit about Star Wars -- but really it's a good example of my first major interdisciplinary and original work. It has been published in a course readings handbook in Turkey. =)

• Old Spells Made New: The Secret to the Success of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter Series (2000): Prizewinning essay analysing the roots of the Harry Potter stories.

• Signs of their Times: The Development of Eastern and Western Church Vestment (1999): This paper blends Costume History and Religious History, and has a lot of images as visual aids - none of which are online yet.

• Genius or Insanity?: Signs of Schizophrenia in Nijinsky’s Choreography 1912-1913 (1999): This is an analysis of the choreographer Nijinksy's ballets as schizophrenic art, done for a course in the History of Ballet.

• The Delirious and the Divine: Dostoevsky's Language of Epiphany (1999): Epiphanic imagery in the Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment and The Posessed.

• The Christianization of Scandinavia (1999) A survey of the history, methods, and reasons involved in the process of conversion.

• Changing Voices (1998): Representations of Eve and Delilah in operatic works.

ALL texts copyright by Janet Vertesi and may not be used without permission.