The Path Less Trodden

From Research to Creative Practice

Abstract

This essay critically reviews my own academic career and creative practice, and argues that there can be a fruitful crossover between the methodologies of historical research and creative writing. I discuss the issue of artistic innovation and the cultural conditions most likely to foster it, analyse the notion of discursive density, and argue for the necessity of eclecticism in social and gender politics. The paper works with the themes of Adornment, Documents, Assimilations, and the Numinous, and argues for the existence of creative scholarship and grounded fiction.