The plot thickens
Krysta Colleen Fitzpatrick returns again and again to the texts and ideas she loves, exploring Gothic media and gender studies through five degrees, ultimately shaping her path to becoming an English teacher and author.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and have resided in Mount Pearl since 2014.
What do you enjoy doing for fun?
I’m a huge reader. I try to read 50-70 books a year and log my books on GoodReads to keep myself on track. I’ve been a massive fan of public libraries since I got my first library card at nine years old, and for the last few years I’ve been trying to only read library books rather than spending money on purchasing books (I do pretty good with it).
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I knew I wanted to teach English at the university level by the second semester of my undergraduate degree at Memorial. It wasn’t in my plan to eventually do three graduate degrees (two at the master’s level and one at the doctoral) but here we are. I’m a bit of a nerd for learning stuff.
Why did you choose Memorial University for your graduate studies?
It was not my goal to do five degrees at Memorial, and from a career standpoint it wasn’t the best idea, but I had my first child in the middle of my first graduate degree at Memorial, then my second child in the middle of my second graduate degree. Motherhood, coupled with an autoimmune disease, kept me in the province, and Memorial offered an extremely supportive environment for me to continue my studies while balancing motherhood and health issues.
What is your research/thesis about? How do you describe your research to a general audience with no background in the field?
I love stories and I love movies. Both of my master’s dissertations focused on Gothic subgenres in film (specifically the suburban gothic). For my doctoral thesis, I wanted to examine unconventional gothic and grotesque representations of white female adolescence in popular media, and how these representations can depict a kind of “false feminism” that makes white girls feel seen and heard, when really these representations are abject and objectifying.
How would you describe your experience as a graduate student at Memorial?
Doing three back-to-back graduate degrees at Memorial meant I was a grad student for roughly a decade. I have been incredibly lucky because I’ve always felt very supported in my creative and academic vision throughout all my graduate degrees.
What scholarships or awards have you received?
I recently received the English department’s Thesis Excellence Award for my PhD thesis, Hell is a Teenage Girl: Whiteness, Shame, and Gothic Girlhoods in Popular Culture.
Have you faced any challenges in life that you’ve overcome to pursue graduate studies?
I didn’t get into grad school when I first applied! My dream was to be an English professor, so I did my Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in English, then I did my education degree in intermediate/post-secondary, and I taught English in high school for a bit. However, when I applied to do my master’s in English I didn’t get accepted. This was extremely discouraging as it pulled the rug from under the plan I’d had for my life since I was 19 years old. Instead of giving up, I went and talked to a graduate advisor who suggested I try applying to the Master of Philosophy (Humanities), because I could still focus on English doing that degree. So, I did, and I got it. The plan was to do that master’s degree, then apply to do my English master’s, but the MPhil ended up pushing me towards gender studies, so I ended up doing my second master’s in gender studies. By the time I began my PhD in English I was fulfilling my dream of teaching English at Memorial, plus I was also teaching gender studies. The path to my goal changed a lot over the years, but the goal never altered. Throw in two kids, multiple health issues, and a pandemic, the road to becoming a doctor was messy and challenging, but I wouldn’t change any of it.
What career path are you interested in pursuing after graduation?
I want to keep teaching, but I have also recently fulfilled a long-time goal of becoming a published author. My book of poetry and short fiction, The Vicious Kind, was released through Engen Books on Halloween of 2024. My second book, The Naiads, which is a collaborative piece with two other authors under the same publisher as well as a local artist, comes out later this summer.
What advice would you give to current or future graduate students?
This might sound stupid but pick something you really love and want to endlessly talk about for your thesis topic. Choosing a topic that you enjoy researching and writing about makes the whole thing far less tedious. Also, know what you’re trying to argue. Make it tight and cohesive. Knowing what you’re trying to say right from the beginning makes a world of difference.
Anything else you would like to share?
Honestly? Only do a graduate degree if you really love it. If you do it because you feel like you’re supposed to or because you don’t know what else to do it will probably drive you insane.