Off to England

[Petrarch's Love]

Hello Lit. Net. friends,

I won some grant money in the spring for research in England which means that I'm departing from LAX for Heathrow on Sept. 10th and in the midst of busy and excited preparations. I'll be there for a little over 7 weeks until 1st November, with a month's stay at Oxford to storm the special collections at the Bodleian, a couple weeks in London, and a few other, shorter stays, including one brief dash across the channel for a weekend in Paris (did I ever mention that academics suffer a great deal ). It occurred to me that the sophisticated international citizens of lit. net. might have some tips or suggestions for a yank hopping across the pond to conduct literary research. Do you know the best pub in Oxford? Have insight into the must see show on the London Theatre scene this fall? Fear I may miss out on the once in a lifetime experience of visiting an obscure but charming village with unexpected historical attractions? Feel that you need to warn me not to say something that sounds perfectly normal to people in the states but is unforgivably rude in the eyes of the average British citizen? Think it's about time this Renaissance Lit. scholar was informed that "wherefore" may not still be contemporary parlance in Stratford? Any and all friendly suggestions of things to do or not do while I am there are welcome. Also, if any of my lit. net friends happen to be near Oxford or London during the time I'm there and would like to meet up for some tea or a pint, I'd be happy to see you, and if any other lit. net. friends care to send me their postal addresses via pm I'll be happy to drop them a postcard during my trip.

Cheers!

[Lynne50]

Have a safe and wonderful trip! How exciting this must be for you. Take a lot of pictures, can't wait to hear all about it when you get home.

[Niamh]

You must, i repeat must! go see a show in The Globe Theatre in London!

[MarkBastable]

http://ezinearticles.com/?Literary-L...hors&id=952813

http://www.visitlondon.com/maps/itin...london-weekend

These might give you a start...

[Emil Miller]

There is an amusing story about the Bodleian library and an American visitor.
After making a tour of the library, the visitor said to a member of staff:

" Say, this is a wonderful place you have here. I wonder if we have any libraries like this in the USA."

" I don't think that's possible sir, the Bodleian was founded before America was discovered." came the reply.

[MANICHAEAN]

OUR MAN IN ENGLAND.
1.Parlance: Don't be surprised if you say something & get some blank stares or a suppressed giggle. Your "pants" are our "trousers", your "trunk" is our "boot" and the US "keep your pecker up" has different connatations in the UK where it means "to keep your spirits/morale up" I hesitate in all due decorum to investigate any further linkage. Another favourite of mine in different Anglo/American meetings I have attended is when you ask the way i.e. the "route" pronounced "raut". We pronounce it "root" as in the subterranean branches of a tree or plant. Apart from that you should do fine as long as you steer clear of Glasgow & Sunderland where the dialect is only intelligible to those born there. When you go to France, play the Englishman abroad and address them slowly and loudly. Everybody south of Calais is assumed to have a rudimentary grasp of the English language if spoken to in a firm manner.
2. Food & Drink: The beer is served at room temperature unless you get an extra cold Guinness in an Irish pub in Kilburn High Road in London. But you will grow to love it & spurn on your return the pee pee d'an served ice cold in the States. The price of beer however is frightening & the pub business is in free fall due to this factor & the ban on smoking. The British as a result of Empire developed a taste for curry which is eaten on average once a week. The standard & range of curry restaurants has attained a meridian splendour and is only surpassed in selective enclaves on the fringes of Bombay.
3. Native Characteristics: Normally reserved from birth as part of our upbringing, we do utter a few monosyllables in response to enquiries. Things have improved from the time when American troops were stationed here prior to D Day and when the general complaint against them was "They are overpaid, oversexed & over here". The $ / Sterling exchange rate has changed all that.
Trust that helps.
Bon Voyage.

[Emil Miller]

OUR MAN IN ENGLAND.
1.Parlance: Don't be surprised if you say something & get some blank stares or a suppressed giggle. Your "pants" are our "trousers", your "trunk" is our "boot" and the US "keep your pecker up" has different connatations in the UK where it means "to keep your spirits/morale up" I hesitate in all due decorum to investigate any further linkage. Another favourite of mine in different Anglo/American meetings I have attended is when you ask the way i.e. the "route" pronounced "raut". We pronounce it "root" as in the subterranean branches of a tree or plant. Apart from that you should do fine as long as you steer clear of Glasgow & Sunderland where the dialect is only intelligible to those born there. When you go to France, play the Englishman abroad and address them slowly and loudly. Everybody south of Calais is assumed to have a rudimentary grasp of the English language if spoken to in a firm manner.
2. Food & Drink: The beer is served at room temperature unless you get an extra cold Guinness in an Irish pub in Kilburn High Road in London. But you will grow to love it & spurn on your return the pee pee d'an served ice cold in the States. The price of beer however is frightening & the pub business is in free fall due to this factor & the ban on smoking. The British as a result of Empire developed a taste for curry which is eaten on average once a week. The standard & range of curry restaurants has attained a meridian splendour and is only surpassed in selective enclaves on the fringes of Bombay.
3. Native Characteristics: Normally reserved from birth as part of our upbringing, we do utter a few monosyllables in response to enquiries. Things have improved from the time when American troops were stationed here prior to D Day and when the general complaint against them was "They are overpaid, oversexed & over here". The $ / Sterling exchange rate has changed all that.
Trust that helps.
Bon Voyage.

Very useful advice and I would underline the fact that the English are rather more conservative than citizens of the USA and, unless they are drunk, are not given to expressing themselves overtly.
In a TV interview with a visiting US personality, the interviewer was surprised when his guest asked him to explain the rules of cricket. Asked why he wanted to know, he said that it would be useful in getting the next buttoned-up Brit he found himself sitting next to on an aircraft to engage in conversation.

[Virgil]

How wonderful Petrarch! I obviously have no tips, but just enjoy yourself. Please do take pictures.

[MANICHAEAN]

Brian
Thank you for your concurrence. One of the most civilising characteristics of any race is an ability to poke fun at one's own acknowledged national traits. Evelyn Waugh was so good at it in his novels.
The imminent prospect of Petrarch dropping down into Blighty touched a chord. As a student many years ago, I went on a trip to Perpignan in France with a fellow Brit of the traditional mould called Mike Kenyon. We were put in with about 20 French kids and were housed in a school closed for the traditional summer one month break. Everything was new to us: the language, salads with vinigrette, no tomato sauce or HP, wine, funny shaped bread, garlic, Gaulois cigarettes, squat toilets & horse steaks. The most amusing part was at the conclusion of this holiday, when we all had to line up to be embraced in French fashion by the grizzly senior patron of this enterprise who we were obliged to embrace & kiss on both cheeks. You can well imagine how the alarm at this early stage of our English lives was engendered by the prospect of physical contact with another man transcribing the boundaries of a good British handshake. I duly submitted with as much good grace as I could muster to this foreign ritual and Mike followed modestly, proffering both cheeks. Upon completion, he turned to me and said "Tim, the chap hasn't even shaved!"

[Janine]

Mind thy thou's and thee's (at least while in Stratford)....that is about all I can come up with Petrarch...being a Yankee myself. How wonderful to have won a trip and 7 week stay in England! No one nicer could deserve to go. Like the others before me said, take a lot of photos and post them when you return, so we can all share in your experience. I guess knowing some of your interests, I would say go where Shakespeare hung out. A performance at the Globe would surely be amazing! Have a great time and relax. I am sure when you get there, you will find out many more interesting places to see.

[mono]

Unfortunately, I have no recommendations either, Petrarch's Love, as I have never visited England (hopefully someday), but congratulations, and I hope you have a blast! Take lots of pictures, and I will wait in anticipation for some good stories of your trip!

[Scheherazade]

Eeek!

I have just finished reading The Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie, which is based on American academics' stay in London for a research. You might like to pick it up as a flight-read if you haven't read it already.

I am sure you are already familiar with all the tourist attractions I can list here. Just be prepared for lack of sunshine and good food.

Other than that, have fun and good luck!

[Virgil]

Just be prepared for lack of sunshine and good food.

I was fascinated by that sentence Scher. I can understand the lack of sunshine. But does the adjective "lack" also modify "good food?" Are you saying: Be prepared for the good food or be prepared for the lack of good food? There's a huge difference.

[Scheherazade]

Are you saying: Be prepared for the good food or be prepared for the lack of good food? There's a huge difference.

Since we are talking about the UK, "be prepared for the good food" is a warning one would never issue.

[Virgil]

Since we are talking about the UK, "be prepared for the good food" is a warning one would never issue.

Well, I'm not going to give my opinion there. But my one trip to England I did enjoy the fish and chips and a pot pie.