Good luck with the rest of your dissertation, Pig. I can't really give you any other advice, cause I'm in a similar mess:
I have 12,000 words on 'fate as (meta)narrative device in LOTR'; 3,000 words on 'ideology and viewpoint in lexis'; 6 Shakespeare plays and Paradise Lost/Samson Agonistes/Paradise Regained to read - in four weeks.
It's going to be a hell of a rush.
