It's hot enough to burn a Martyr

-

 

The first week out of quarantine has been nothing short of brilliant. I hadn't realized how much I missed walking or even just being outside. This week our Shakespeare class focused on The Life of Henry VIII and the Oxford martyrs--both of which have deep context here in Oxford. It was wonderful to tour around the city multiple times, highlighting the Martyr's Memorial, St. Michael's Church and the site of the burnings on Broad Street, even though it's been so warm here for the whole week. The history of the reformation, among other historical periods, is very tangible here in a way that it is not in the Western United States, and the ability to walk to sites where such historic events happened is fascinating.  I keep catching myself falling down the existential hole of considering all of the people who have walked these streets before me, all of the hands that helped to build these buildings. I'm truly in awe of this place! Our class time has also been super productive, and it's crazy to consider that we've already covered one whole play and that so much of our time here has already gone by. I'm glad that we've been so lucky to get to participate in this program.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Quiet Moments

-
Image
       When I'm at home, all I do is walk. I'll feel that I've been sitting too long, throw on an album, and just explore. I think that I must have acclimated quickly to Oxford because that's exactly what I've been doing here. It has made this little community feel more like my own. I'm starting to find joy in recognizing my way around: turn left at the family owned Thai place, continue past the grocery store covered in scaffolding, take a moment to admire the university press, and jolt across the median before the light turns red again, finding yourself next to an old brick wall with foliage growing over it. This last week, my tutorial lined up perfectly for me. My tutor had to change our meeting location, and it happened that we met a block away from The Ashmolean library, where we were going as a group later that day. I woke up early, and I began my walk, accompanied by  Animals  by Pink Floyd. I walked into a cafe I had never noticed before and ordered an es
Read more

From Romans to Bridgerton: The True Bath Experience

-
Image
On Saturday, June 26th, the class took a field trip to Bath to see the Roman baths! The baths were very ancient, and it was cool to see how they were restored to a more modern-day glory (minus the roof. The roof is just gone).  Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy a luxurious spa day. After the baths, Tobin, Sam, Cole, and I hiked up to the Royal Crescent, and that’s where my Bridgerton filming locations scavenger hunt began (I would highly recommend watching the hit Netflix series “Bridgerton”). The Royal Crescent is a massive apartment complex, a hotel, and hosts a museum in the NO. 1 apartment (home to the Featheringtons in the Bridgerton series).  After the crescent, I went to Beaufort Square, a charming outdoor space in a quaint little neighborhood. Funny enough, when I was watching the show, I wondered where that shot was located and hoped to see it one day. And after going down a side street to avoid some crowds, I literally ran into it! However, I did get a few looks from
Read more

Dancing with Mr. Darcy

-
Image
  This past Wednesday, I sat in my living room scrolling through Google's tourist generated list of "Must See Sights in Bath" when I suddenly remembered Dr. Hentschell having mentioned the Jane Austen Centre was there. I asked my flat mate, Karina, if she wanted to come along with me, hoping desperately to convert her into a fan. She agreed, and I promptly booked our tickets before she could change her mind.  Jane and I            We entered the centre and were promptly greeted by a cast of Austen characters, from Mr. Darcy to Catherine Moorland. The experience began with sitting in a small room, doing Jane Austen trivia and word searches, and learning about the filming of Persuasion. We were then greeted by Mr. George Knightley (from Emma ) who talked to us all about Jane's (or as he liked to call her, his employer's) life. Following this lecture, we were led downstairs to the exhibit where we got to view portraits of what artists think Jane
Read more