a plethora of reasons to love British storytelling
While I cannot be 100% sure about this, I think today’s going to be a pretty crappy day. My brother is now in Great Britain, which, while exciting, is also blergh. But since I’m already going to be thinking about England, I might as well write about it.
So. British storytelling. Undoubtedly you’ve read or watched some form of entertainment from Britain. Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock, Anything Written by Shakespeare, Chronicles of Narnia, Doctor Who, Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings, just to name a few.
But why should we love them?
Thanks for askin’.
• Fantastical stories instead of realistic ones
British storytelling tends to draw from England’s wealth of myths and legends, whereas American literature is mostly set in reality. This is especially true for children’s literature.
If you compare stories like The Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit, and Peter Pan to Huckleberry Finn, Little Women, and Charlotte’s Web, the differences are pretty clear. And there’s no problem with that. It just reveals the culture’s values and heritage.
But I, for one, enjoy the fantasy genre and the imagination that goes into it, and the imagination it encourages each reader to have.
• Memorable characters
And by “memorable” I suppose I mean well-known?
Because doesn’t everyone know who Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are? And Romeo and Juliet, the Queen of Hearts and Alice, and Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy?
British stories have some of the best known characters in all of fiction.
• Cozy settings
221B Baker Street. The Gryffindor Common Room. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s house. The TARDIS (obviously David Tennant’s, because his was the best.)
These all have a coziness factor that I can feel when I think of them.
Also, British stories have tea.
And I don’t even like tea.
• The Jane Austen novels not passing the reverse Bechdel test
What’s the Bechdel test, you ask? Simple. A method for evaluating women’s portrayal in fiction. If at some time in a book or movie two women have a conversation about something other than men, then it passes the test.
And surprisingly, not much passes this test.
But what I find hilarious is that Jane Austen’s books (at least all the ones I’ve read) don’t pass the reverse Bechdel test. There are little to no scenes of men talking without women present, and when they do talk, it’s mostly about who they intend to court or marry. Their sole purpose is to be love interests for the book’s heroine.
• ACCENTS
*Sigh*
• Swords and other weaponry
Sometimes it feels like I’m the only person who appreciates this, but, seriously, SWORDS. Who doesn’t want an Elvish dagger that detects goblins or orcs? Or a sword that will respond to appeals for help from any true Gryffindor?
Plus there’s the added bonus of being able to name your sword something awesome or using the highly polished blade to make sure your hair looks good before you do battle. Can you do that with your gun? I don’t think so.
• And lastly, we have to read half of these for school anyway, so shouldn’t we like them?
I’ve found that if I read a book before I have to read it for literature, I’m much more likely to enjoy it. And then when school demands me to reread it, I can laugh in the face of my curriculum because it’s doing exactly what I want it to do. If this isn’t playing the system, then I don’t what is.
Yo Momma
No, you don’t like tea, but you LOVE Walkers Shortbreads! Still a hard ‘no’ on the sword, even if you’re going to check your hair and makeup with it. I have enjoyed Tana French lately, but I think she is actually Irish. And lastly, is that a dig at Mr. Chris? You know he cannot stand Dickens!
Grace
I was really hoping you’d buy into that angle with the sword, but I guess I’ll just have to be satisfied with the wooden one.
Also, since when does Mr. Chris dislike Charles Dickens?
Matthew
First off, my favorite British author is J. R. R. Tolkien.
Second, The Bechdel-Wallace test was inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s own.”, which discussed the unfair treatment of women in literature.
Third, I didn’t know Chris didn’t like Dickens, though he has reason not to.
Grace
What reason?
Matthew
Who are Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy?
Yo Momma
What???! You’ve never read Pride and Prejudice??! Oh Matthew…
Chris Blystone
Well clearly I’m behind the 8-ball on this comment section, so I’ll gladly weigh in. I dislike Dickens because his writing makes me feel claustrophobic. I don’t want a writer to include every single detail of every setting they’re writing. It sucks the imagination out of reading. I want to feel pulled into a story, not like I’m reading a report by a forensics specialist. I can tolerate “A Christmas Carol,” but “Great Expectations” only loses out to “The Scarlet Letter” as the worst book I’ve ever read. So Dickens isn’t even the best at being the worst.
My favorite British author is not a mystery, it is J.K., although I love Sherlock Holmes. I am not really a huge Lord of the Rings fan, although I enjoyed them. Also, I have a controversial opinion of C.S. Lewis as well. I love his nonfiction work, but have always felt like the Chronicles of Narnia is overrated. *ducks*.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is my absolute favorite book, full stop. It is brilliant, and perfect in basically every way. Deathly Hallows is a close second, followed by Goblet of Fire.
I have to admit, though, that if you take one book out of the Harry Potter series and attempt to stand them alone, you lose something. Half the beauty of the series is the intricacy with which they are weaved together. As far as overall Britishness, that series does a great job of making you feel as though you at least somewhat understand what it is like to be British.
*The man was sitting at a small chestnut brown desk, the legs of which were intricately engraved, in a way that only a very skilled man could do. The surface of the desk was worn, the wood discolored and tinged with ink that had been spilled there and hastily cleaned off. On the right side of it was a small drawer, whose round brass handle hung lose, having been pulled out and never properly repaired. Upon the desk sat a number of curious items. A velvety black mouse pad was placed with evident care, its surface smooth and raised near the point where the user’s wrist would rest upon it. The gel in this portion was worn down in the middle, the clear evidence of heavy use. The mouse itself sat upon the pad, its bright green light casting a dull glow which gave it the appearance, or nearly so, of being alive. It was trimmed in black and its gray cover contained print which had been blurred from the clicking and dragging of one accustomed to a reasonable amount of time spent perusing the web.*
See, annoying.
Grace
I understand, that definitely is annoying.
Also, “Dickens isn’t even the best at being the worst.” Um, SNAP.
Matthew
Mr. Chris perfectly summed up my view of Dickens. However, I would use the word boring, not annoying.