2015 Classical Languages and Literature Hi! I’m Holly and I’m in my second year of a DPhil in Classics. I arrived at Balliol to study for my BA in 2015, and they haven’t been able to get rid of me yet. My DPhil project is using modern cognitive approaches to humour theory to analyse ancient comedy plays. In particular, I am fascinated by the political influence that comedy can sometimes evince, but other times fails to. Along these lines, my Pathfinders project is to attend as many stand-up comedy gigs as I can, and then interview lots of audience members, and hopefully some comedians, too, to find out about the perceived political impact of the comedy, and the comedians’ intentions. Going to lots of comedy shows, all across America… it’s going to be a tough project, but I think I’m up to the challenge! I’m very excited to go on this adventure, explore a new country, and I can’t wait to meet all you Balliol alumni across the pond.