Well, here we are, at the very cusp of September. I’ve managed to get quite a lot of writing done this summer. This, despite traveling and whatnot. All in all, I’m pretty happy with the process I’ve undertaken, and I’m happy with all of the progress that I’ve made, both on Chapter 4 and in the Dissertation as a whole.

Today was a productive day. True to my word yesterday, I made an effort to get some of the historical context section done today. It was really productive, actually, and it has helped me to see where the gaps are in my logic. Again, I just don’t want to fall into the trap of disconnecting my historical context from the critical readings of the film that I provide.

I also saw the glimmerings of a way to connect the two contexts that I’m examining: the decline in religious faith and the crumbling of empire, both of which, I would suggest, structure the sensibilities of the later epics. That’s part of what I like about studying the epics of the 1960s; they are just so different in tone from their predecessors.

I also managed to scratch out some revisions on Chapter 1. Not quite as much as I would have liked, but still a good chunk. There aren’t really deep revisions that are needed (I don’t think), though there are some places where the writing could use some tightening. That will be one of the projects I’ll be undertaking next week.

The same applies for Chapter 2. Luckily, I’m also in the process of revising a segment of that chapter for the journal Material Religion, so that means that a lot of the revisions they asked for will probably make their way into the article as well (especially since they echoed the comments made by my committee). All in all, I feel pretty confident about those first two chapters, and they should be in final shape by the end of September.

Well, I’m back on the road again tomorrow and headed back to Syracuse. I hate to leave Aaron! That also means that I won’t be writing in the Diss again until Thursday, when I’ll be coming to you from my new office. Expect some great momentum once I have a dedicated space to work in.

The finish line is almost in sight! I have to keep that in mind as I move forward.