Although she already had a master’s degree, Ana Muinelo Monteagudo says she felt like her education was still not quite complete. And so, she set her sights on Finland, a country she had already visited when a family member was in Helsinki as an exchange student and also a country she’d heard generally positive things about. We interviewed Ana to find out more about her master’s thesis.
The thesis
Ana wrote her thesis on The Locked Tomb, an as-yet incomplete book series by Tamsyn Muir. This science fantasy series features a wide variety of queer characters, yet it’s also interested in Catholicism, not just in terms of aesthetics, but also doctrine. It is this union that Ana seizes on, as she analyses Lyctorhood – a necromantic ritual in the series – as a reflection of the Eucharist. She specifically considers the implications of success and failure in Lyctorhood, how this Eucharist-parallel ultimately harms those who do it, and how this challenges Catholic doctrine by extension.
There are several reasons why Ana wrote about this topic. One is that it is understudied – both the series itself and the interplay of Catholicism and queerness from a literary studies perspective. The book series is also one of her favourites. “I think they are a stunning work of fiction, and I’m very impressed with all the layers”.
Challenges and advice
Starting the thesis, however, wasn’t as straightforward as Ana had hoped. She had wanted to do some preliminary research in the summer before starting her thesis, but when it was time for her to start the thesis seminar, she was asked to write down her thesis topic on a piece of paper—only for her to realize that she hadn’t given it any thought in the months before. Circumstances in her personal life had changed and the thesis had been the last thing on her mind: “Life happens, and you know, there are some things you can’t control”.
What Ana found particularly challenging in the writing process was writing the plot summaries for the three books; narrowing down on relevant information and making it accessible to the reader was hard. Something that helped – and advice Ana would give anyone writing their thesis on an unfinished book series – was having a strong framework and a sense of what she wanted to say about the books. “I researched Catholic theology, Jack Halberstam’s theory of queer failure and other related queer theories. Having a very strong sense of these theories allowed me to analyse this work and make a strong case for what I was proposing,” she says.
When asked what advice she would give her past self or someone who’s beginning to write their master’s thesis, Ana emphasizes how important it is to choose a topic that really interests you, not only for your own sake, but for the writing process: “Go for something you are truly passionate about. If it’s not the primary work, let it be the framework”. She also stresses that even though every decision can feel definite at the start of the planning and writing process, everything can be reworked or completely changed if necessary. “Nothing is set in stone”.
The future
Ana still has a few online courses for credits, but she has recently started a new job. She previously worked at a bookstore but is currently working for the sales department of a travel agency for language immersion courses. Ana did not think this is what she would be doing but says that she is enjoying her work. She gets to use not only her skills as a communicator, but also her lived experience from travelling to different countries and her curiosity in learning new languages. It also gives her experience in a different industry. She mentions it is good to have a plan B – even better if it is something you enjoy.
Ana does intend to return to the world of literature. She’d like a career in the field, as she already has a master’s degree from Madrid in editing and publishing. Alongside her job, she is doing freelance work editing books. However, currently she wants a more stable career, and that can be difficult to find in the publishing industry. She is not opposed to doing a PhD at a later point, so her academic pursuits are not necessarily over yet.