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There were three reasons for the most recent trip to Oxford, from which we're just back.
The first was to see the Other Worlds and Imaginary Beings, the current exhibition on at Christ Church:
http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/library/exhibitions/2013/other-worlds-and-imaginary-beings
Alas, no show, closed due to staff illness, so that's still on the to-do list.
The second, and the reason for going this particular date: last year there was a particularly good exhibition at the Bodleian library on the theme of magical books: how the older treasures of the library influenced fantasy literature. Yesterday, the two curators of the exhibition gave linked talks, the first, by Carolyne Larrington, concentrating on the way Tolkien and Lewis had influenced the next generation of children's fantasy writers, not only through their own books but also through their emphasis on a thorough grounding in Old English and related languages. Larrington demonstrated this by tracing the imagery of wolves in snow, from the Fimbulwinter and the great wolf Fenrir devouring the sun, through Lewis and Tolkien's love of "pure Northernness" to Alan Garner. This was followed by Diane Purkiss' look at the creative process. Her chief point was that while most creative writing courses advocate careful planning and research, the Inklings and their successors are clear exemplars of what is called "discovery writing" - having successfully internalized their own libraries. This is not always as smooth a process as it sounds, with re-writes leading to sometimes dramatic transformation, for example of Tolkien's Trotter into Strider, or for Lewis of four children named Ann, Martin, Rose and Peter into Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Purkiss gave us a ripple of mild amusement by describing Tolkien and Lewis as each others' beta readers.
Two very interesting lectures, but unfortunately not as well attended as they should have been, because anyone who came through the main door (not us, we'd come in from the other side) was greeted by a large sign saying "Talk cancelled". It was referring to a different event; but quite a few people, including three friends of ours, never found that out and went away disappointed.
But the final reason was as a little break to mark our birthdays, and to meet up with my father, newly back from much globe-trotting. Mission accomplished, with a nice hotel, a couple of excellent dinners (one in college, the next in a Lebanese restaurant), and fritillaries just beginning to flower in Magdalen meadows.
ETA: And some photos: http://wellinghall.livejournal.com/1075004.html
The first was to see the Other Worlds and Imaginary Beings, the current exhibition on at Christ Church:
http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/library/exhibitions/2013/other-worlds-and-imaginary-beings
Alas, no show, closed due to staff illness, so that's still on the to-do list.
The second, and the reason for going this particular date: last year there was a particularly good exhibition at the Bodleian library on the theme of magical books: how the older treasures of the library influenced fantasy literature. Yesterday, the two curators of the exhibition gave linked talks, the first, by Carolyne Larrington, concentrating on the way Tolkien and Lewis had influenced the next generation of children's fantasy writers, not only through their own books but also through their emphasis on a thorough grounding in Old English and related languages. Larrington demonstrated this by tracing the imagery of wolves in snow, from the Fimbulwinter and the great wolf Fenrir devouring the sun, through Lewis and Tolkien's love of "pure Northernness" to Alan Garner. This was followed by Diane Purkiss' look at the creative process. Her chief point was that while most creative writing courses advocate careful planning and research, the Inklings and their successors are clear exemplars of what is called "discovery writing" - having successfully internalized their own libraries. This is not always as smooth a process as it sounds, with re-writes leading to sometimes dramatic transformation, for example of Tolkien's Trotter into Strider, or for Lewis of four children named Ann, Martin, Rose and Peter into Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Purkiss gave us a ripple of mild amusement by describing Tolkien and Lewis as each others' beta readers.
Two very interesting lectures, but unfortunately not as well attended as they should have been, because anyone who came through the main door (not us, we'd come in from the other side) was greeted by a large sign saying "Talk cancelled". It was referring to a different event; but quite a few people, including three friends of ours, never found that out and went away disappointed.
But the final reason was as a little break to mark our birthdays, and to meet up with my father, newly back from much globe-trotting. Mission accomplished, with a nice hotel, a couple of excellent dinners (one in college, the next in a Lebanese restaurant), and fritillaries just beginning to flower in Magdalen meadows.
ETA: And some photos: http://wellinghall.livejournal.com/1075004.html
