This course will explore the idea of “England” through British literature, poetry, histrorical texts, and film by asking students to consider it as a constructed space that cultural producers have sought to “reboot” almost since its inception. A term borrowed from the lexicon of computing, to “reboot” means to restart a machine or operating system. In cultural and literary terms, “rebooting” means something similar: to start anew with fresh ideas in a way that is consistent with the principals of the original, but not unnecessarily constrained by what has taken place before. Beginning with a reading of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Britonum and the notion that Britain derives its name from Brutus, the alleged great-grandson of Aeneas (who, arguably, arrived on English shores with the idea of rebooting Troy), students will move through redactions of Arthurian legend, Shakespearean drama (our focus will be on the particularity with which contemporary performances of Shakespeare are inevitably in conversation with contemporary articulations of Englishness) and conclude with a consideration of how nineteenth century London novel (as exemplified by Dickens) compares with the twenty-first century productions of Zadie Smith, Hanif Kureishi, and the BBC rebooting of Sherlock.
On Saturday we went to the British Museum, the famed repository of ancient art. I had been there several times before, but this time was to be different. Instead of a leisurely stroll, we saw it through an “Amazing Race” style competition. Although in retrospect I, along with my teammates…
This past week was filled with tons of adventures. During one of the first nights we were all sitting outside munching on fish and chips, until we saw a herd of cows walking above our house. Due to our teenage tendencies, we immediately made bets on who could kiss a cow first. Suddenly Will, Hayley,…
As I write this, people are filing onto the rapidly filling train heading from the outskirts of England into the heart of the country and one of the biggest cities in the world: London. But before we launch right into London, I’ll take a bit of time and reflect on my time in picturesque Cornwall…
Samantha Silverman September 6, 2015 Sonder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkoML0_FiV4 Sonder- n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands…
I love cycling. Nothing beats hopping onto a perfectly engineered piece of machinery and, with minimal effort, moving faster than you could hope to run. It’s been almost three weeks since I left home and when I left I didn’t think that I’d be riding a bike any time soon. I’d become content with the fact…
Nothing could make me feel more at home than hiking, biking, and being a part of the outdoors. In Minnesota I love to walk to the lakes, be outside, bike around the lakes, and simply revel in the outdoors. Biking through the green on the way to Portzeath I thought of home, how far away…
On our third night in Port Isaac, the squad and I decided to walk up to the top of a hillside near our house that was rumored to be a common hangout for the local cow population. Upon summiting the peak of the knoll we spotted a sizable herd of cows to try and semi-domesticate….
The small neatly wrapped gift boxes immediately caught my eye as I walked by Granny Wobbly’s Fudge Pantry. Granny Wobbly’s is a small fudge shop in Wadebridge that is painted the color pink inside and out. It is inescapable. Each box, wrapped in colorful wrapping paper, is even neatly secured with a pink bow. When…
My first week in Cornwall has been interesting. The beaches and whitewashed cottages recalls Cape Cod quite a bit for me, but the surprisingly excellent fish and chips at the takeout remind me this is England. Many of the most distinctive aspects about England, such as rolling countrysides with stately castles dotted about, seem magnified…
The night after seeing Othello preformed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, I found myself being ushered into the cast party and meeting most the troupe. The unbelievable turn of events were kicked off when my homeboys Hollis and Charlie and I split up on a night in Stratford-upon-Avon to have our individual adventures. I decided,…
