A Glimpse at Interdisciplinary Studies

Abstract

This panel strives to draw attention to the field of interdisciplinary research and its implications for research dealing with literature. Using many unrelated fields such as, chemistry, geography, and psychology, and a bit of strong determination, the panel members have coaxed out new meaning from seemingly “dead” pieces of literature. Paper one will explore the short story, “Videotape” by Don DeLillo by widening the perspective from which it is read from strictly literary to psychological and scientific, using the principle of Schadenfreude and the Heisenburg Uncertainty Principle which gives readers a better understanding of character motivation resulting in deeper meaning from the text. Paper two is a interdisciplinary literary cartography project that explores F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Ice Palace” through a geographic lens. Literary cartography deepens readers understanding of the geographical and cultural differences between the main characters in the story. Paper three applies the techniques of literary cartography to the fictional work “In the Land of the Free” by Sui Sin Far in order to develop a greater sense of its context and background. Together, the panel aims to uncover the process of interdisciplinary research and its applications to literature.