Elena Petricone

= Division III =

This article is part of a 'Climax'Div III Issue''. By Dan Clarendon, Layout Editor.''

After spending a few minutes trying to describe her Div III, Elena Petricone broke it down simply: “It’s really about zombies and kittens.” Her project, “Humans, Zombies, and Feline Familiars,” is composed of two parts: a novella called “Nine Lives” and a media studies paper entitled “Bringing Humans Back to Life: An Examination of the Film Fido.”

The novella is comprised of intersecting stories, images, and characters revolving around a “corporeal assault” in the wake of a viral outbreak. The kittens are “cute yet sinister,” and the zombies have a dance number—and yes, “Thriller” was a source of inspiration. In regards to her interest in the subject matter, Petricone said, “I had always been interested in what is a source of anxiety and fear in particular cultural moments—in which monsters become popular, in what moment and why, what physicality they have, what anxieties they play on.”

So why go the zombie route? “Zombies are experiencing a very large surge in popularity,” said Petricone. “I think that’s interesting because zombies are reduced to one drive. They’re often paired with a particular ideology, like zombie Nazis, for example.”

Petricone found the guidance of her committee (Nell Arnold, Lise Sanders, and Susana Loza) to be invaluable. “Coming to Hampshire wasn’t just a positive experience because I was able to structure my education,” she said, “but because I also had faculty to guide me along the way and encourage that education.”

She advises students to make the most of their four years at Hampshire and to take advantage of the services at the college. Though she’ll miss the “beautiful surroundings and the beautiful people,” Petricone plans on moving closer to Boston to pursue a writing internship and an MFA in fiction.