Professor John Plotz awarded Radcliffe Fellowship for 2011-2012

Professor John Plotz, recently awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, has won an additional fellowship for 2011-2012 from the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard University.

While he's on sabbatical from Brandeis next year, Plotz will be in residence at the Institute, working on his next book –– Semi-Detached: The Politics of Partial Absorption, in which he explores the effects of getting lost in art.  For the Victorians, this may have meant falling into a trance before a beautiful painting or romantic novel; for individuals today, it might mean hours a day on Second Life, texting, or playing the immensely popular Facebook application FarmVille.  As part of his residency at Radcliffe, Plotz will take a Guggenheim-funded research trip to Oxfordshire, England, where he will study William Morris.

Six percent of applicants were accepted for a Radcliffe fellowship next year.  The 51 individuals chosen are listed in full on the Radcliffe Institute's website.

Congratulations to Professor Plotz!