We Are Knox...
Claire Falck
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
At Knox Since: 2011
"I love being able to teach what I get to teach."
Story by Samantha Paul '14
Photo by Jessica Couvillier '15
Where are you from?
I'm coming to Knox from Madison, Wis.; that's where I did my graduate work [at University of Wisconsin - Madison], but I'm originally from New Jersey.
What brought you to Knox?
I was in the job market. I saw that the two-year visiting professor position was available and I thought 'That's perfect.' I saw a place where I could work in a small school in liberal arts context, which is ideal for me. It's a place that stressed academic rigor, where I could teach. It was a perfect fit and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity.
Where did you do your undergrad?
In a school kind of like Knox. It's called Bowdoin; it's in Maine and no one outside of the east coast has really heard of it. It's also a very small, liberal arts school.
What's your favorite Bowdoin memory?
Well, we are not a very athletic school. It's just something that was never very high on our radar and I'm not normally a sports person, personally, but I do remember one weekend, we beat Colby College. I know sports weren't much of an event, but beating Colby definitely was.
What's your biggest regret?
In life? Wow, I don't know. Probably not learning Latin. I took Latin for three years and then I ended up basically ditching Latin for French and I really wish I wouldn't have done that. All of my authors are fluent in both Greek and Latin and I think that creates a bigger divide between me and them, because I'm not going to have the command of the languages that they have and that can kind of drive me crazy at times.
Who are your authors?
Well, Shakespeare of course. Shakespeare is everyone's author, and then there's Milton. I'd have to say that Milton is really my guy. Then of course there's Spenser and Herbert. I'm really starting to focus in on female authors. There are so many profound female influences in literature but it's easy for them to get upstaged.
Where would you be if you weren't at Knox?
Oh, I don't even like to think about that. I'm perfect just where I am for the moment. I'm not really sure what I'd be doing if I wasn't here, but I do know that I'm perfectly contented for the moment and I love being able to teach what I get to teach.
