“What Are You Reading?”: Dilara Kalkan

The Communications Fellows are excited to continue the K-SAA Blog’s “What Are You Reading?” series! Started by the 2019 Comms Team, this series aims to spotlight the research of our community members and encourage conversation around recent publications in the field. Please reach out to us if you have someone you would like to see interviewed (including yourself)!

Dilara Kalkan is a master’s student in English Language and Literature at Atatürk University in Turkey. She is currently working on her thesis, which explores the legacy of Romanticism in contemporary literature, with a particular focus on its revival in the genre of Dark Academia. Her research centers on the continued relevance of second-generation Romantic writers, especially Mary Shelley, whose influence she explores both academically and creatively. She runs the Instagram page @odetoshelley, a personal project where she shares reflections, visual material, and research related to Shelley’s life, works, and their lasting resonance in the modern world. Dilara has published one academic paper and completed her undergraduate studies with honors. In July 2025, she will present her paper titled “Byron’s Ottoman Impressions: Cultural and Religious Encounters in The Giaour and The Bride of Abydos” at the BARS Digital Symposia – Global Romanticism. She is also hosting a roundtable on Villa Diodati as part of the BARS Digital Events series in autumn 2025. Writing in English as a second language, Dilara draws creative energy from exploring the themes of identity, memory, and storytelling through a Romantic lens. Based in Turkey, she is passionate about literature, languages, and cultural exchange, and enjoys learning from different perspectives through travel and study.

What new studies of Romantic-era literature are you reading right now?

In recent times, I have been perusing Andrew Stauffer's "Byron: A Life in Ten Letters" (2024) and Lucasta Miller's "Keats: A Brief Life in Nine Poems and One Epitaph" (2021). It is evident that both books adopt an intimate approach to the Romantic figures, offering biographical insights derived from the selected texts and highlighting their emotional and personal thoughts and ideas. Stauffer's selection of Byron's letters provides valuable insights and historical context, offering a comprehensive perspective on the life and times of the poet as well as the individuals who influenced him. For instance, in one of his letters, the author examines the gathering of Villa Diodati, which is my personal favourite. Miller's selection of poems also serves to illuminate aspects of Keats' life and thought, with particular emphasis on his conceptions of beauty and death. The two books have provided a valuable opportunity to explore the personal writings, additional knowledge, and contemporary interpretations of Romantic figures, which are crucial for my research on Romanticism's revival in contemporary literature. By engaging with their most intimate writings, it is possible to experience a sense of being in a dialogue with them.

Does this writing inform your current research and/or teaching?

Yes, very directly! My current research explores the reinterpretation of Romantic-era figures, particularly Mary Shelley, Byron and Keats, in contemporary literature, especially in genres such as Dark Academia, where their aesthetics and emotional registers are revived and reimagined. Studying these works has helped me to understand not only how these writers shaped their own era, but also how they continue to influence contemporary literature through their legacies and works. Rather than viewing Romanticism as a distant movement, my thesis explores how its emotional and philosophical concerns remain relevant in contemporary literature, often resurfacing in forms that address modern anxieties and desires. I study how these Romantic legacies are actively reshaped by modern writers and readers, rather than simply being remembered.

What books are in your 'to read' pile right now? (Any period or genre!)

My primary focus is on "Mary Shelley: A Very Short Introduction", written by Charlotte Gordon, and "Late Romanticism and the End of Politics": this text is part of the Cambridge Studies in Romanticism series, and is entitled 'Byron, Mary Shelley, and the Last Men'. I am particularly interested in works that explore the autobiographical layers in Romantic writing and the contemporary critiques of these authors. I'm especially interested in works that look at the personal lives of Romantic writers and the modern discussions about them. Reading about their personal lives, like in letters, memoirs or biographies, makes me feel closer to them. It helps me understand not just what they wrote, but how they lived, how they felt when they were sad, and how they imagined themselves into literature. These details about the people behind the works help me to connect with them. They also support the emotional and aesthetic questions that are the most important part of my thesis.

Which book(s) do you most frequently recommend to those starting out in Romantic-era research? Why?

I usually recommend starting with “Romanticism” by David Stevens from the Cambridge Contexts in Literature series. It's easy to understand, and it gives you all the important information about the social, political and artistic worlds of the Romantic period. It's especially useful for readers who want to understand the most important people and how their ideas changed over time in response to the world around them. I also suggest Michael Ferber's “Romanticism: A Very Short Introduction”, which gives a short summary of the most important Romantic ideas, subjects, themes, and relations. Even though it's short, it's full of ideas and gives a good start to anyone new to the subject. Both books are great places to start because they're informative but not too hard, and they help readers feel more confident about dealing with more difficult texts and theories.

Have there been any articles or publications recently you’d like to draw our attention to?

Surekha Davies’ “Humans: A Monstrous History” (2025) is a recent publication that caught my attention. If you're interested in how Romanticism is still affecting our ideas of identity, creation and transgression, this is a valuable and timely read. The book looks at how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein fits into a bigger picture of monsters in culture, and how it's still influencing how we see the human race. It's important for anyone studying how Romantic-era worries about science, self-image and other people are still talked about in modern critical and literary discussions.

When you are taking a break from research, what genre or authors do you like to check out?

I like to take my mind off things by reading more personal pieces, rather than novels. I often find myself rereading poetry and letters by Byron and Keats and the Shelleys, not to analyse it, but to enjoy the rhythm, the emotion and the sense of aesthetic immersion. Their language still feels alive, and reading their poems casually helps me reconnect to the atmosphere and intensity that first drew me to Romanticism. I also enjoy reading Mary Shelley's short stories, especially when I want something quieter or more introspective. They often get overlooked, but I find them really rich in emotional depth, and they give me a more intimate sense of her voice beyond Frankenstein and The Last Man. To be honest, reading these texts when I'm not working helps me stay connected to the emotional and imaginative world I'm studying. It keeps the connection personal as well as academic.