End of Term Report

Wow, has anyone else noticed a drastic decrease in blogage this term? Sorry about that. This was really a busy term; in fact, "busy" doesn't even begin to cover it. The two shows I was in, Little Shop and the Richard O'Brien's (not the Rocky Horror Richard O'Brien, but a second year at Brasenose) Instead of Beauty, sucked up so much time, but the both went well. Opening night reviews for Little Shop were iffy as we had just got done building the set 30 minutes before the house opened!!! Actually, fun fact: part of the set fell when I tried to open the door to my own shop, and then part of it fell on our leading lady. One reviewer understood the technical problems, concluding that technically speaking, the show was not ready, but performance-wise, the musical was solid. Another reviewer said the entire thing was awful and that readers should be warned to "not feed the plants or spend your money at the Pembroke musical." It was a vicious review, and the author even remarked that I had too much energy. Too much energy in a musical? Didn't really think that was possible... Critics were very receptive to O'Brien's work and our production in general. Audiences, even our older ones, really got into it as well, which is surprising because a lot of the subject matter is pretty sexually charged. I really enjoyed being immersed in the Oxford theatre scene this term, even though my life has been hectic because of it.

Academically, I've still been highly engaged with what I'm studying. My Modern Lit tutorials with John (my tutor last term for Wilde) went well. He enjoyed my work and we had some very productive, enthusiastic, and absolutely nerdy tutes, especially on James Joyce. Aw, I'm going to miss John next term. My other tutorial, Renaissance Lit, went surprisingly well. See, I was terrified because political history is not my strong point, and in the early modern period, the literature is inseparable from the political world: the court was central to poets and playwrights alike. Despite my shying away from political strife during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James II, I managed to scrape together some good work, according to my tutor. She really enjoyed my essays on Shakespeare's late plays and we had a really good discussion on The Winter's Tale. Also, she like my readings of John Donne's poetry. I think my favorite, though, was our tutorial on John Ford's works: Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Broken Heart, and The Lover's Melancholy. I was really moved by Ford's language and his exploration of an early working of psychology was fascinating as well. I think Ford is severally under-read, and the critic conversation surrounding his works is equally limited. In one way, it's a shame, but in another way it's a way into the critical world if I could extend my essay and probing of my work. Lynn, my tutor, wants to see my essay pushed further because she thought I was on to some very interesting discoveries with Ford's works. Overall, I got the equivalent of an A in both tutes and I feel really well versed in Renaissance stagecraft. Yay!

OK, so right now I'm in Nice, France, in the hostel's cafe area after traveling to Dublin and Paris. I will blog about this experience in full soon, I promise. Also, next term I should be less busy as I ONLY HAVE ONE TUTORIAL! I am so thrilled. And it's with Lynn, my Renaissance tutor, and we get on well. I have the opportunity to get very intimate with Restoration Lit, starting with Milton's Paradise Lost. Trinity term is going to be magnificent--trust me.