Annabel Marshall
1st Place
Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, 2024
I found a physical copy of ‘The Vermont Notebook’ in the library’s special collections. Seeing the beautifully printed drawings alongside the text allowed me to form new associations and inspire new analysis.”
— Annabel Marshall
“Toward an infinity of wavering susceptible variables:” Camp, Audience and Productive Distortion in John Ashbery’s “The Vermont Notebook”
Thesis for ENL 199: Independent Study
Project Description
Marshall explores the poetry of John Ashbery in relation to the camp aesthetic, analyzing how Ashbery’s eclectic language subverts traditional expectations of poetry. In addition to reading literary criticism about Ashbery’s work, she developed her own analysis by reviewing an illustrated copy of The Vermont Notebook in the library’s Archives and Special Collections.
In Their Own Words
Read Annabel’s reflective essay from their Lang Prize application.