Catherine Nygren

@broomgrass

PhD in dh, c18; Teaching English lit, esp sff, at Champlain College-Saint Lambert; she/her

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Bluesky

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Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· 9d

Here are a few of my favourites from this post! Voyageur sounds and images, on CD! The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, a Cornish Man! Edward Gorey toy theatre! Canada’s first speculative fiction novel!

A photo of Murmers of Earth: The Voyageur Interstellar Record, including the box set, CD, and a book.
This published set of laser discs includes the sounds and images sent with the Voyager spacecraft (describing Earth and some of its life and culture), and images returned to Earth from the spacecraft's cameras.

A photo of four volumes, bound in leather, of The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, a Cornish Man. This first edition of Paltock’s lost world adventure is the oldest item in the Merril Collection, dating back to 1751.

Edward Gorey's Dracula: a Toy Theatre. This toy theatre replicates Gorey’s costume and set designs for the 1977 Broadway production of Dracula. In the photo, there is a background and several standing figures, as well as a 3D coffin.

A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder by James De Mille, 1833–1880 (published in London: Chatto & Windus, 1888). The website describes this as "Canada’s first speculative fiction novel, this book tells the story of a lost world located in the Antarctic." On the blue cover, an angry-looking insect-like creature clutches a canister as it emerges out of the water.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· 19d

We also worked with a local artist to reimagine the library, based on descriptions of the library and the rest of the house and contemporary architecture and aesthetics. This was back in 2018 - now, @jessicairenejoyce.bsky.social is pursuing her PhD and continuing her practice.

A screenshot of the homepage of Reading with Austen, depicting Jessica Irene Joyce's painting of how the library may have looked based descriptions of the library, of other parts of the house, and of the architecture and aesthetics of the time period. The painting shows some tables, the bookshelves, fire places with paintings over them, and Jane Austen sitting at a desk and chair, reading. At the bottom, the text says "I am now alone in the library, Mistress of all I survey", a quotation from Austen.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· 19d

Today, I'm working on an update for Reading with Austen, where you can explore books that Jane Austen had access to in her brother's library. Soon, that highlighted book won't just be a stock image, but a photo, taken centuries later, of the exact book that JA would have seen.

A screenshot from Reading With Austen, showing the centre columns of the west wall of the library. Gostling's Walk in and around the City of Canterbury is highlighted, but still a stock image, as are several other books on the shelves.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Mar 5

How can I inspire you to look at Kent Monkman's work? Here is a sampling of other pieces - look at how funny, how sad, how whimsical, how sharp, how beautiful it is! The recurring figure is Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, Monkman's two-spirit alter-ego in his art.

"The Great Mystery" by Kent Monkman, Acrylic on canvas. Miss Chief Eagle Testickle sits on a black horse, shrugging, with a red and white background.

"Saving the Newcomers" by Kent Monkman, Acrylic on canvas. Miss Chief Eagle Testickle stands on an island with other Indigenous people, helping shipwrecked people, primarily white people, climb on to the island. Miss Chief Eagle Testickle looks directly out at the viewer with an ironic, knowing expression.

"Sunday in the Park" by Kent Monkman. A series of partially nude figures with colourful umbrellas, boots, and other accoutremonts watch Miss Chief Eagle Testickle paint a landscape of calm water, majestic mountains, and golden light.

"The Escape" by Kent Monkman, acrylic on canvas. A young Indigenous girl, hiding in the grass, asks mîmîkwîsiwak, the little people, to be quiet, as an Indigenous woman sends the RCMP officer in the wrong direction.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Mar 5

I finally went to the History is Painted by the Victors exhibit, and if you have the chance to see Monkman's work - do it! The most moving painting for me was "Going Away Song," a large piece putting the viewer in the direct gaze of Indigenous children during the 1885 hangings at Battleford.

A painting of Indigenous children and nuns in a prairie landscape, staring past RCMP officers to look at the viewer. The viewer is standing under a wooden scaffold, which the piece's informational plaque reveals to be the wooden scaffold during the 1885 hangings of Indigenous men at Battleford.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Apr 15

Quinn, this is late, but I've been thinking of you all week and I finally drew you a possum made of mist (inspired by playing Wanderhome with my students today!) Happy birthday!

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Nov 5

#somethingbeautiful

The sun setting over the St Lawrence River. The reddish light reflects off of the rippling water. A few clouds in the sky and the dark horizon line are a contrast.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Nov 1

Do we still cleanse the timeline? Here is a peaceful photo from an early morning bike across the St Lawrence River.

A photo of a bike bridge across a wide river. The sky is the pale blue of dawn, with a few distant orange and pink clouds. The horizon is a silhouette of houses and trees.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Jul 31

I successfully defended my dissertation on Monday! It was a long road, filled with detours and pauses, generous mentors and supportive friends, and I'm grateful to finally reach this journey's end.

A photo of Catherine as she presents her thesis at her defence. The slide has her dissertation title, "Coded Voyages: Modelling Genre and Travel Writing in the Eighteenth Century". She is wearing a black dress covered in celestial bodies, especially planets, and she is gesturing animatedly.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Jul 28

Vibes as I do my final preparation for my defence tomorrow:

A screenshot from Zelda: Majora's Mask that says "Dawn of the final day: 24 hours remain"

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Jun 9

Being away is hard! Here are two Icelandic horses (all the horses we saw there were very fluffy, especially mane and tail! Nonstop hair commercial with the wind!)

Two brown Icelandic horses stand on a slight hill in Iceland. One is eating the fresh green grass, the other is looking at the camera.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Oct 22

Since I first saw this poem by Frank Bidart, I think of it a couple times a month. (h/t richiehof on twitter)

A poem by Frank Bidart.
Iv. Light

I am asleep, dreaming a terrible dream, so I awake,
And want to call my father to ask if, just
For a short time, the dog can come to stay with me.

But the light next to my bed won't light:
I press and press the switch. Touching the phone,
I can't see to dial the numbers. Can I learn to keep

The dog in my apartment? In the dark, trying
A second light, I remember
I always knew these machines would fail me.
Then I awake,

Remember my father and the dog are dead,
The lights in that room do not go on.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Sep 9

We adopted Pepita a year ago! Here's to another year of naps in the sunshine.

A white dog with faded black spots and a purple collar naps in the sunshine on patio, surrounded by planters.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Aug 11

A couple weeks of visiting family and friends on the prairies, and now less than a couple weeks until courses start! The night is dark and full of terrors, so I hold to these tiny lights even more fiercely.

A photograph at my parents' farm, at sunset. Grasses, wildflowers, and trees on the land, and pink and gold sunset peeks through the clouds in the sky, as sunset fades to dusk.

Catherine Nygren@broomgrass· Jul 24

In @tedunderwood.bsky.social 's code notes: "Some of the modeling code took me an afternoon to run on a 12-core desktop. If you're running those elements of the workflow on a laptop, it could take a day, and you'll have a warm laptop." My hand-me-down 2-core Surface from Stéfan: