Modern and Medieval Languages

Victoria Harvey’s research interests lie in 16th century French literature and visual culture. Victoria’s PhD thesis examined satirical representations of the figure of the vieille in French Renaissance poetry; more recent research examines 16th century representations of the 1495 syphilis epidemic.

Victoria has previously worked in outreach roles at Robinson College and Trinity Hall.

Ashwiny O. kistnareddy lectures on the FR6 module and teaches Part II translation for the MMLL faculty. Her research interests are in the fields of migration, refugee studies, postcolonial studies and contemporary narratives. She is particularly interested in race, gender and their intersections with languages. Her first monograph, Locating Hybridity, was published in 2015. Her forthcoming monograph, Migrant Masculinities in Women’s Writing will be published in Palgrave Macmillan’s Global Masculinities series in 2021. Her other forthcoming monographs are : Refugee Afterlives (Liverpool University Press, 2022), Refuge: Children and Human Rights Literature (University of California Press, 2024) and Refugee Childhoods: Narratives of Survival (SUNY Press).

She is also a Lucy Cavendish College Bye-Fellow.

I joined Lucy Cavendish College in 2020 as one of the first standard age undergraduates, studying French and Italian (ab initio). So far I have found MMLL at Lucy to be both an enjoyable and invigorating experience despite the backdrop of the pandemic. The MMLL course allows you to explore the many aspects of language and culture, from film to medieval literature. I have found the course, teaching and support links to be excellent. The learning format of supervisions, seminars and lectures has enabled me to accelerate my language skills, which has been particularly helpful for Italian. Over the course of this year, I have found Lucy to be such a welcoming and warm college. Everyone here from your Director of Studies to the porters are lovely and want to make sure you profit from your time at Lucy.

I thoroughly enjoyed my year at Lucy as an MMLL MPhil student. This incredible experience began with having the opportunity to work with internationally known experts in the field and carrying out research under high quality supervision. Furthermore, at Lucy, I found myself surrounded by lovely people who are passionate about their studies and are always ambitious to learn more. Inspiring conversations happen every day and everywhere, from breakfast to formal dinner. Besides study, Lucy has given me a sense of home. There are always people I can go to when I seek help in all aspects of my life. The friendship I made here is deep and strong.

I had already studied German and English for three years when I came to Cambridge as an Erasmus student to study German literature, German historical linguistics as well as first and second language acquisition. I love linguistics because it gives you an insight into the human mind, individual and societal development and our perception of the world. Furthermore, studying literature broadened my horizon immensely by confronting me with different historical periods and their authors and philosophers. At same time it appeals to me on an aesthetical level and stimulates my creativity. Studying these subjects at Lucy was a real pleasure! I love their beautiful library with its free coffee hours, the gardens, which are perfect for reading outside, and the friendly, international and empowering atmosphere of the place. The workload with all the essays is challenging indeed, but Lucy does everything to give you the support you need to succeed! Regarding the future, I am planning to become a secondary school teacher. I will use the credits from Cambridge to complete my Master at home and am also currently writing a book about teaching German grammar at school.