On Sassy Gay Friend…

So, we all know and love Sassy Gay Friend. He’s helped out all our favorite Shakespearean literary heroines like Juliet, Ophelia, and Desdemona (just to name a few).

But, the last thing I expected was to have a scholarly conversation about him.

Just goes to show - expect the unexpected.

Because, today this is exactly what happened during the Twelfth Night lecture at Oxford University.

That’s right Ladies and Gentlemen. The Shakespeare lecturer at Oxford University, one of the oldest and most esteemed universities in the whole world, fangirled over Sassy Gay Friend.

But, the best part was, she actually made a lot of sense.

This was her basic argument: characters in Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies can be distinguished by whether or not they have friends. The characters in Twelfth Night have friends. The characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream have friends. The characters in The Merchant of Venice have friends. Those are all comedies. But, in a play such as The Most Awful, Tragic, Horrific, Gorey, and Gruesome Tragedy of Macbeth*, for example, nobody has any friends. Nope. Not a single one. And, it’s simple, really. Because if you have friends, they talk you out of doing really stupid things.

So, in conclusion, Oxford has taught me that everyone needs a Sassy Gay Friend. (Psh, as if I didn’t already know this.)

*Please note that this is not the actual title of Macbeth. I made it up for hyperbolic effect. If you’re mad, get over it.

Castles in my Future….

So, a couple of months ago a psychic (I know. Don’t laugh. It was for a party. Leave me alone) told me there would be castles in my future.

Now, I live next door to this gem. Literally, called Oxford Castle.

Coincidence? Maybe. But it’s a pretty big coincidence.

More on the Bod.

As it turns out, the Bod is pretty awesome.

Here’s Why:

1. It’s got a copy of the Gutenberg Bible. This is a pretty big deal.

2. It’s got a copy of Shakespeare’s first Folio. This is possibly an even bigger deal. Maybe.

3. It’s a copyright library. This means that it gets one copy of every book published in the UK. That’s a lot of books. Over 10 million so far.

4. The movie geniuses behind Harry Potter shot lots of Hogwarts scenes in the Bod. Including: the Hogwarts library, the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library, the Hospital Wing, and that weird room where all the Gryffindors a dance lesson in Goblet of Fire.

5. Part of it looks like this:

Off to Oxford

Welcome to my lovely blog! This is where I shall be keeping all logs of my adventures and mishaps in the wonderful land of Hogwarts Oxford and its surrounding areas. Well, most of them anyway. Anything over PG-13 will be omitted at my discretion, unless it’s really, really amusing.

So, first thing’s first. You’re probably all wondering, what is the Bod and why is Jack in it?

For all of you lowly Americans out there, the Bod is the nickname for the Bodleian Library, pride and joy of Oxford University.

If you look to your left, you will see a smashing picture of the outside of the Bodleian Library.

Side Note: This is not my picture. I stole it from Google. Don’t get angry. I’m sure I’ll have my own picture of it fairly soon.

Anyway, to answer your question, Jack will be in the Bod because people at Oxford have to read a lot (shocker!) and, as a result, I’m sure I will be spending lots of time in the library.

Also, it’s a pun. Like Jack in the Box. Get it?!

Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have even said anything. I’ve killed it. Cool.

Oh, whatever. Don’t judge me. It’s clever. Get over it.

Now, I’m off to be smart. Cheerio! (Do people actually say Cheerio? I don’t know. I’m off to find out.)