2008 Woodie Awards
An American in Oxford
Mike Walsh
Issue date: 12/6/06 Section: Features
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My current residence is on Botley Road, which is situated west of the Oxford city centre. The rain woke me up this morning in its usual fashion, tapping against my window and providing a pleasant clatter to hear upon waking. I rode my rented bicycle past the Oxford Castle, Saint Aldates Chambers, and made my way to my teacher. The whole time I was maneuvering between double-decker buses and pedestrians, while confined to the narrow bike lane flooded by the morning rain.
Saint Edmund's Hall, the longest surviving medieval hall in Oxford, is where I meet with my British Romanticism tutor. The session is one-on-one and I must be well prepared to analyze the tumultuous times and poetry of the Romantic era. With an essay due every time we meet most of my afternoons are spent studying in the Bodleian Library, where, since an agreement made in 1610, holds every book published in England. Close to the Bodleian Library is the Roman-styled Sheldonian Theatre. The ceiling has a sky mural to illustrate the victory of art and science over ignorance. My Arthurian legend tutorial is given at Oriel College, which has architecture rich in the Gothic style. Amidst these 17th century buildings we discuss the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Thomas Malory, Wolfram von Eschenbach, T.S. Eliot, and T.H. White, among others.
While not buried beneath literature, my British friends and I explore the active town. We stroll down cobbled stone alleyways between crooked 16th century houses and drink locally brewed Ale at the Turf Tavern. We eat lunch at the Eagle and Child, the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met weekly with their academic and literary circle, "the Inklings." We order dinner at the Christ Church Dining Hall, which serves as Hogwarts' Great Hall in the Harry Potter films. At the end of the day we watch political and public figures lecture and debate at the Oxford Union Society.
Oxford University is comprised of over thirty individual colleges. The one I attend is Saint Catherine's College. Its school motto is Nova et Vetera, which is Latin for "the new and the old". The buildings at Saint Catherine's were designed by the Danish architect Arne Jacobsen and are noted for their modern feel. The hybrid of contemporary resources and a time-honored layout perfectly demonstrate the school's motto. I'm on the verge of finishing my first term here and will continue studying at Oxford for the remainder of my junior year.
Saint Edmund's Hall, the longest surviving medieval hall in Oxford, is where I meet with my British Romanticism tutor. The session is one-on-one and I must be well prepared to analyze the tumultuous times and poetry of the Romantic era. With an essay due every time we meet most of my afternoons are spent studying in the Bodleian Library, where, since an agreement made in 1610, holds every book published in England. Close to the Bodleian Library is the Roman-styled Sheldonian Theatre. The ceiling has a sky mural to illustrate the victory of art and science over ignorance. My Arthurian legend tutorial is given at Oriel College, which has architecture rich in the Gothic style. Amidst these 17th century buildings we discuss the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Thomas Malory, Wolfram von Eschenbach, T.S. Eliot, and T.H. White, among others.
While not buried beneath literature, my British friends and I explore the active town. We stroll down cobbled stone alleyways between crooked 16th century houses and drink locally brewed Ale at the Turf Tavern. We eat lunch at the Eagle and Child, the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met weekly with their academic and literary circle, "the Inklings." We order dinner at the Christ Church Dining Hall, which serves as Hogwarts' Great Hall in the Harry Potter films. At the end of the day we watch political and public figures lecture and debate at the Oxford Union Society.
Oxford University is comprised of over thirty individual colleges. The one I attend is Saint Catherine's College. Its school motto is Nova et Vetera, which is Latin for "the new and the old". The buildings at Saint Catherine's were designed by the Danish architect Arne Jacobsen and are noted for their modern feel. The hybrid of contemporary resources and a time-honored layout perfectly demonstrate the school's motto. I'm on the verge of finishing my first term here and will continue studying at Oxford for the remainder of my junior year.