HISTORICAL CONTEXT + CURRENT CREATIVE PERSPECTIVE
PAST MEETS PRESENT
“William Shakespeare: playwright, poet, actor; Stratford’s proudest flower. A man who, despite the ravages of male pattern baldness, planted the potent seed of his poetical genius in the fertile womb of Elizabeth’s England. And there, it took root and spread through the lymphatic system of Western civilization, until it became the oozing carbuncle of knowledge and understanding that grows even today.”
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]
WHAT IS LIVING LITERARY LONDON?
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From its strong and fertile literary roots to its vibrant branches of creativity that blossom today, we will see London from many perspectives. In Living Literary London, we will immerse ourselves in the city and its cultures, past and present.
For centuries, London has stood at the center of English language literary culture, and Shakespeare's impact continues to reverberate from within that literary tradition. While the Shakespeare we encounter on the page and stage may seem daunting, encountering Shakespeare and his texts, contexts, and inheritors on their own soil, at their place of origin, can resolve many of the challenges that tend to alienate readers. In his geographic and historical context, Shakespeare becomes a (formerly) living, breathing (still genius) human being instead of an intimidating literary giant. During this excursion, we will read plays, see them performed, and talk to artists involved in their current production. We will take backstage tours and have talkbacks with artists who are reinterpreting classical texts in the present, as well as artists who are creating new work with roots in the past. From its strong and fertile literary roots to its vibrant branches of creativity that blossom today, we will see London from many perspectives. In Living Literary London, we will immerse ourselves in the city and its cultures, past and present. |
For centuries, London has stood at the center of English language literary culture, and Shakespeare's impact continues to reverberate from within that literary tradition. While the Shakespeare we encounter on the page and stage may seem daunting, encountering Shakespeare and his texts, contexts, and inheritors on their own soil, at their place of origin, can resolve many of the challenges that tend to alienate readers. In his geographic and historical context, Shakespeare becomes a (formerly) living, breathing (still genius) human being instead of an intimidating literary giant.
During this excursion, we will read plays, see them performed, and talk to artists involved in their current production. We will take backstage tours and have talkbacks with artists who are reinterpreting classical texts in the present, as well as artists who are creating new work with roots in the past.
During this excursion, we will read plays, see them performed, and talk to artists involved in their current production. We will take backstage tours and have talkbacks with artists who are reinterpreting classical texts in the present, as well as artists who are creating new work with roots in the past.
As we learn more about the city, students will take on leadership roles in our exploration of neighborhoods and cultural experiences. In groups, students will also select an author, text, or tradition to adapt and present at the end of Excursion 2018. In doing so, students will develop their own specific creative voice and interpretation of what they find while grappling with the then and the now, the there and the here, and the unique intersection of all of these.
ITINERARY
*subject to change
2 January 2018 |
Meet at Galloway at noon for pre-trip lunch, team meeting, itinerary review, and other last minute details. Travel from Galloway to the airport for nonstop flight to London in the evening.
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We’ll check into The Ridgemount Hotel, our home base for the trip, located in central London near the British Museum and multiple convenient Tube stops. From there, we will set off for a London orientation tour to defeat jet lag. Sightseeing will include standards like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the changing of the guard as well as lesser-known sites as we learn to navigate the city via the Tube, our main mode of transportation while in London. In the evening we’ll enjoy a welcome dinner together.
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3 January 2018 |
4 January 2018 |
The morning begins with a visit to one of England’s finest museums, the Tate Britain. We’ll have free time to explore in the afternoon before reconvening to see our first play and participate in a discussion with artists from the show.
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Our first overnight trip takes us to Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. We’ll read a play in the St. John’s college reading room, see the town from the Radcliffe Camera, take a tour of Christchurch college, and look for magpies while reading the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins in the Port Meadow. Visits to renowned bookshops Blackwell’s and Albion Beatnik before return via train to London.
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5 January 2018 |
6 January 2018 |
Travel to Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon for an exploration of Shakespeare’s life. We’ll see a performance of Julius Caesar at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the evening and settle into a rural Bed and Breakfast for the night.
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After a morning tour of Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage, we’ll return to London for an East End walking tour that shows off London’s cultural and culinary diversity. We’ll shop at the renowned street markets before settling in to read for the afternoon in coffee shops and libraries across the city. In the evening, we’ll travel across town to a performance on London’s version of Broadway, the West End theaters.
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7 January 2018 |
8 January 2018 |
We’ll travel a little farther afield today to the ancient Roman baths in the aptly-named town of Bath. In addition to ancient history (the town was built on the order of Emperor Claudius), we’ll read selections from the work of Jane Austen, many of whose wealthy characters traveled to the Roman baths for its legendary healing powers.
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Students begin to lead the trip on Day 8, as they spread out in groups to several of London’s Belgravia, Bloomsbury, and Hampstead neighborhoods. Students work with teachers to plan a neighborhood tour with a Cultural and Literary London theme. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Flower Market before attending the National Theater in the evening.
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9 January 2018 |
10 January 2018 |
Morning walking tour and interview with the cast of our next performance and a visit to the Tate Modern bring our first taste of London’s contemporary artistic scene. We’ll spend the afternoon reading Mrs. Dalloway in Bloomsbury, the neighborhood where Virginia Woolf lived and worked.
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A morning to explore will lead us to a lunchtime concert from the London Symphony Orchestra. In the evening, we will gather to look back on the trip so far and look ahead to student group mini-excursions and passion projects.
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11 January 2018 |
12-13 January 2018Today each group will set off with their faculty sponsor to their passion project destination. The project will serve as the capstone for a trip devoted to London’s artistic heritage from Shakespeare’s day to the present. Perhaps your group will choose the beautiful Lake District in the north of England to hike, visit Wordsworth’s cottage, and read Romantic-era poetry. Or perhaps your group's passion will lead you to Edinburgh, Scotland to immerse yourselves in the world of Walter Scott and Robert Burns. Or maybe your group will head off to Dover for a deep dive into the location of some of the most powerful scenes of Shakespearean drama, the heath and cliffs of King Lear. Your destination and passion projects are only bound by your imagination!
14 January 2018Return to London in the evening, excited to plan your artifacts and share about your adventure with your fellow travelers!
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15 January 2018 |
Spend the day packing and exploring. In the evening, we will enjoy a group dinner where students will present their passion projects to the rest of teh group.
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Morning departure for Atlanta. Arrive back at Galloway that evening.
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16 January 2018 |