The twentieth volume of Babel published by the King’s Early Modern Studies Society is now available on the King’s website! Over the course of this year, despite all of the difficulties, King’s students have continued to do work that we can feel pride in, and this journal is a small selection of that work. This year’s Babel is also a demonstration of the breadth of the Early Modern Studies program and society; it includes papers from every year of King’s undergraduate programming, from two Foundation Year Program papers to papers from students in their final year, and they cover topics ranging from philosophy to dye production. The opportunity that this program offers for students to choose topics which interest them is truly one of the program’s great strengths, and this volume of Babel serves to showcase those diverse interests. I hope that, as you read, you might find some interests—new or old―of your own within these pages.
I doubt that, twenty years ago, any of the first group of Babel editors would have guessed that their successors would be putting this journal together from three different provinces, at the end of an entire year of remote learning. However, the passion and community of this program have persevered, and this year’s Babel is a testament to that passion and perseverance. Since we cannot celebrate the achievements—of individual students, of the society, and of the Early Modern Studies Program—that Babel Volume XX represents with an in-person launch, please celebrate with us by reading the online version of Babel.
Sophie Lawall is the Early Modern Studies Society president. She is in her third year, studying Early Modern Studies and English.
