Is it worth it to do a PhD in literature in 2025?

Sure why not. You can probably publish your first thesis as a book like DFW, then live in obscurity for decades as you ride off that perpetual high of being an unnoticed author. Probably a better outcome than most people here can hope for.

>>24563355 (OP)
If you’re rich, sure

>>24563355 (OP)

phd is very indulgent.
can you afford the cost?
can you afford the years?

>>24563355 (OP)
Nope. A lit phd can only do book jobs for 100k starting. As a math phd you can do any job you want for 300k starting

>>24563377
might have been believable if not for the 450k in debt part

My ex used to say she hated her ex but bragged he was a published autor. She had his book and it was a double the size of a playing card and shit poems. But he probably still pulls hipster bitches with the published author line today.

>>24563920
Why were you with her?

>>24563924
Great sex and she was actually pretty fun. Was never destined to last because I'm not the typical provider women will marry.

>>24563958
Humanities major bvll?

>>24563377
Someone post the follow-up.

>>24563364
How well would that pay

>>24563355 (OP)
>is a Marxist and Communist
>exclusively specializes in conservative authors who were opposed to communism
Holy shit.

>>24563377
>screen capping a pasta from over ten years ago when it gets reposted in 2023
What is wrong with newfags?

>>24563355 (OP)
Go for it. If I could, so can you.

>>24564736
>conservative authors
>Beckett
>Joyce
>LeGuin
>Pynchon

>>24563377
>can you afford the cost?
if you aren't offered funding to do a phd, you should not do a phd.

>>24563355 (OP)
>wanting a degree
why deliberately dehumanize yourself?

>>24563355 (OP)
>My research interests are... race
>Specific authors: all white
lmao, /pol/chuds think woke ruined academia, as if they actually ever cared about literature, when the reality it's just a painted rebranding for white people to do research papers on the same white authors they were doing research papers on before

FUCK NO unless you're independently wealthy or going to a top 3 program in the entire world and already confident you understand the ecosystem well enough to game it and get a job (and in that case you're probably a soulless Chinese broad writing about generational trauma)

>>24563355 (OP)
academia at the grad school level is a massive pyramid scheme, ESPECIALLY in the arts. a 1 year MA is understandable but committing to a PhD or postdoc in the current year is simply retarded. when you are finished, you will re-enter the job market at the same level as someone with a GED but with a 5 year gap in work experience, and nobody will hire you because you are overqualified and probably submitting applications to different unis every day

>>24566841
protip: if you are currently in university enjoy the education as much as possible, but you must see it principally as a form of networking. if you're not making friends with other students or going to professor's office hours you are simply wasting your time and money.

make as many friends as you can in your program and keep in touch with them after graduating. if one of them has a family business or lands a cushy corporate job hit them up. go attend book launches, student events, department parties etc and schmooze with everyone possible. this is the real value of your tuition; you can always read books and write screenplays while you're working at Walmart in the future

>>24563355 (OP)
You'd have to start networking for a job in movie or game reviewing early on.
A Literature PhD can provide decent job security with that kind of thing.
Long term you'd want to target creative consultancy after a few years of grinding reviews and teaching yourself screenwriting.
By the time you have your PhD you might be well connected and experienced enough to break into smaller creative oversight roles.

>>24563355 (OP)
Average modernist fan

>>24563496
You can get that number fairly easily with some assumptions.
>55k tuition per year of undergrad at an expensive private college with zero financial aid whatsoever
>10k per year cost of living
>doesn't work at all
>60k in total for two years of a master's
>10k per year cost of living for those years
That's ~$300k.