What is your name and your profession?

My writing name is Eloisa James;  as Mary, I'm a professor of English
literature at Fordham University in New York.  My specialty is
Shakespeare.

What made you choose this line of work?

I always loved reading.  Even when I was a teenager, I used to keep track
of the books I'd read, and write down synopses of them.  I kept the log
for no one but myself.  That systematizing urge was very valuable in
graduate school.


Has it been a long life dream?

I'm not sure what you mean.  I used to want to be a doctor, but I wasn't
any good at math.


Do you find any satisfaction in what you do?

There is huge satisfaction in teaching Shakespeare, especially to
undergraduates who were bored by his work in high school.  I love the
moment when their eyes light up and they realize why we call this
particular poet "great."


What kind of benefits do you receive? (Not insurance, vacation, etc.)

When I teach well, the knowledge that my students will carry a bit of
Shakespeare's thought, language and moral ideas with them throughout their
lives.


Are there downfalls with this job?

I do a large amount of administration.  One thing people don't realize
about a professor's life is that we pretty much run the university.  So a
tenured professor (like myself) will be a large number of committees that
make decisions about everything from graduate student prizes to salaries
university-wide.


 Is it a career or just a job?

It's a career.  You have to have a passion for scholarship and teaching to
do it, because there is a long training period in graduate school.  You
never make anywhere near the money that a banker does.  But you work your
own hours, and you have every summer off.


Is there a historical figure that you admire in your profession?

Shakespeare.


Where do you draw support from to remain where you are in your
career?

My husband is also a professor; we are an academic family, really. He is
very supportive.


Could you share a special anecdote about you profession?

I have a funny life because I'm also a romance author.  You have to
understand that until recently, no on in the English department knew that
I was writing romances.  So one time I was sitting around in a committee
that was responsible for putting together a Masters of Creative Writing.
And the question came up of hiring someone to teach genre fiction.  Well,
the Midwest Fiction Writers had just flown me all the way from Florence,
Italy to Minneapolis, Minnesota to give them a one-day workshop in writing
genre fiction.  I had a friend who knew waggling his eyebrows at me across
the room. But I kept silent, even though I was laughing inside.


What are you responsibilities?

The responsibilities of a professor fall into three categories:  teaching,
service and scholarship.  I am responsible for teaching three classes of
English literature to undergraduates and graduate students every semester.
 I am responsible for a fair amount of administrative work.  For example,
next year I will be the Director of Graduate Studies for my department,
and head of the incoming Honors class (undergraduate).  I am also
responsible for maintaining an active scholarly career.  I generally
attend between two-three academic conferences a year, giving a paper at
each one.  I am currently writing a book on plays written around 1600.


Did you receive special education for profession? Where?

I got a masters degree from Oxford University (M. Phil.) and then got my
Ph.D. from Yale University.

How long have you been doing this line of work and how has it 
changed  since you've been with it?

I started in graduate school in 1989.  Honestly, it hasn't changed much.
I think my generation of professors are more easy-going and less rigidly
attached to the idea that professors are scholars, first and foremost.
I've had a lot of enthusiastic response to my romance career, for example.
 That would not have happened ten years ago.


What are your goals in your career?

Next step for me is to publish my next book and apply to become a full
professor.  At the moment, I'm an associate professor, which is better
than assistant professor.

This interview is submitted by Lady Swan with the expressed permission
of famed romance writer, Eloisa James, aka Mary.  Lady Swan wishes to thank
Ms. James for her time and efforts for this article and sharing a taste of 'Mary's life.