Relaying the purpose of one’s research to someone with no experience in my field seems to be easier than expounding on its purpose. Most Americans have had some experience with literary criticism, usually in their formative years, that makes it easier to get outline my techniques. Generally, people understand what I mean when I mention ‘literary techniques,’ especially when given a couple examples to remind them of their early training in English Literature courses. Things like metaphors, similes, style, tone, and stream-of-consciousness seem to resonate well with younger and older people I’ve spoken with. And while my approach and an explanation of its propitiousness to my thesis might require little further exposition, illustrating the purpose of the project, and maybe the reason I’m being given money for it, is always much more involved. Much of my project centers around philosophical terms that are usually overly broad, unhelpful without historical context, and usually inaccesible to a more general audience. A full rendering of nihilism–the major philosophical position discussed on in my project–is a concept that entire dissertations are spent researching. However, whittling the position down to its essence usually suffices to explain the purpose. That, or I just try shaking all the terms rattling around in my head really hard until something even one person can understand falls out. I’m lucky because I have a thesis I’m allowed to believe in from the start. I read the books I’m researching and saw an academic mischaracterization. Now I just have to fight to prove it. What’s better than that is that I actually believe it means something to say that these four books don’t defend nihilism in the ways they’ve been said. These books are staples of literary tradition. If they’re misinterpreted, something has gone wrong and these books will be treated differently. Moreover, I think nihilism, as a concept, is a particularly pernicious one, so all the better if the books I love aren’t defending it. When it comes to my professional goals, I’ll be applying to law school this upcoming year. Because I care about this project that I’m undertaking and think the work it requires is warranted, I’ll want to be able to relay that feeling to potential interviewers and any readers of my application. Also I think that the work, when completed, will be a significant contribution to the field and I’ll need to express that eloquently to anyone along the application process.