Thanksgiving!

Weekend success! We just had our international Thanksgiving celebration at Erin's flat yesterday, which was quite fun, and actually worked in terms of food and getting everyone together. Behold!

It was quite international both in the compromised date between Canadian and American Thanksgiving, but also the cuisine--apple pie, chicken and mashed potatoes were served with a Japanese stew and Yorkshire pudding. It was delicious, and I was very relieved that I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. Everyone contributed something, so it was an honest team effort. This week is shaping up to be quite festive as well, seeing as Bonfire Night is celebrated Thursday, so we're all going out to Hyde Park to watch the fireworks. For serious: Best. Birthday. Ever.

I also turned in my first assignment today: a critical review of an article of my choosing. It was quite brief, only 700 words, but a good exercise, and useful because I picked an article I can use for my dissertation. It analyzed the Gothic elements of Dickens' Bleak House to prove that Dickens was repurposing the Gothic as a way of raising social issues, rather than just sensationalizing. The paper was well researched, so it will definitely be useful in the future. Now, onto my Bronte essay, due Thursday, and I declare my dissertation topic on the 16th. Things are picking up!