Shakespeare in the news

This morning, there was an article in the Houston Chronicle about the recovery of a 1623 First Folio (the first ever printed edition of Shakespeare's complete works) that was stolen a decade ago from Durham University in England.

I couldn't help laughing as I read the article; the whole story seems like it should be the synopsis of a novel, not a real news event. Ten years ago someone broke into a glass case with a crowbar, took the First Folio and seven other old and rare books, and to disguise the fact of the robbery, laid a painter's cloth over the case (which apparently worked, at least for a time).

Then, for ten years, no one heard anything about the missing books, of which the First Folio alone is now estimated to be worth $30 million. That was, until two weeks ago, when a mysterious man with a British accent showed up unannounced at the Folger LIbrary in Washington, D. C. He claimed to be an international businessman working for a family in Cuba who had a copy of what seemed to be the First Folio in their library. He wanted to know if it was authentic.

He left the volume with the Folger experts, who requested time to study it. Before long they discovered not only that it was authentic, but that it was the stolen Folio from Durham. The British police were alerted, and the man was arrested back at his home in England.

I won't comment on how ridiculous it is that the man thought he could get away with selling a stolen copy of the First Folio to a bunch of Shakespeare experts. It might be compared with stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and then trying to sell it back to them a decade later. (I found this in a garage sale in NYC, really I did...)

Thinking about how entertaining this story is led me to reflect on the many other stories (and myths) surrounding Shakespeare. One of my favorites is that after the Third Folio was printed, Oxford got rid of its First Folio, considering it an extra. It took them a while to realize their enormous mistake, and after a couple hundred years had to purchase it back. I wondered, then, reading the story this morning, whether there existed any Shakespeare news blogs on the internet (and whether they were enough news to make such an idea viable).

I was glad to find that there is at least one that a short Google search led me to: Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet. A short look told me that yes, there is enough news out there to make a blog out of (though it occurs to me that there might be more than even this blogger is finding); however, I was almost put off from reading the blog by the second post, dated July 8.

Apparently the British government is introducing a new program to start sharing Shakespeare with students as young as five. This blogger's reaction was: "Is it appropriate to introduce so complex an author to such young children?"

In a word: yes!

This seems to betray a disgustingly snobbish and high-minded view of literature. Perhaps this blogger was envisioning a kindergarten teacher trying to explain the complexities of Hamlet's character or the structure of Pericles. If this were the case, I'd have to agree, that isn't appropriate. But the study of Shakespeare doesn't always have to be scholarly. As fun as it is for scholars and critics to pick apart the finer points of the plays and poems, these works were meant to be enjoyed, not studied.

If a teacher can get five year olds to read Shakespeare and enjoy it, then surely we should encourage it. The lives of those children will be enriched, I'm sure. Learning to enjoy literature is never a bad thing.

Travel web sites universally unhelpful for long-term travelers

Is it just me, or are travel advice web sites almost universally unhelpful?

I'm not talking about finding the right hotel or car rental agency (both of which are questions I am mostly uninterested in). My questions are more along the lines of: what (and how) should I pack? how can I protect my belongings? and what are the mistakes most people make that I should be aware of?

I encountered this problem before, the first time I moved to London. I spent four months there in fall 2006. While I was probably more prepared than many travellers, there were still many things I wished I had known.

For example, I only found out recently that wheeled luggage are really about the worst thing you can take if you have to carry them around yourself anywhere but the airport. Not only can they hold much less (both in terms of space and also weight restrictions if you're checking them), but the handle on one of mine broke on my way to the airport while still in the US, and so I spent almost a week (before I was able to move into my flat) lugging around a piece of luggage that I couldn't wheel properly. From now on it's soft-sided rectangular bags sans wheels for me.

I did, thankfully, pack most of the right clothes. A friend told me about the immensely helpful web site journeywoman.com before I left, which instructed me about the type of clothes and shoes mostly worn in Europe. Who knew that bright colors and sneakers will peg you as someone who ought to be pickpocketed? (It seems that a lot of the rest of the world has the mistaken assumption that all Americans carry wads of cash in their pockets. Sometimes I wish for a sign I could wear reading "poor student.")

This time around, however, I'm encountering other problems and questions that I'm having a hard time finding answers for. For example, the last time I lived in London, my laptop had an awful time. While no one has been able to explain to me exactly what happened, as near as I can tell it was this:

The higher voltage in Europe led to a build-up of static in my laptop's motherboard. This both decreased the life of the battery and made the computer switch off and refuse to restart. I had to take out the battery, disconnect the AC adapter, and hold down the power button until the static had flushed itself out of the computer. Then (sometimes) it would turn back on.

In the beginning, this process took 30 seconds. In the end, it might take upwards of 5 or 10 minutes. And once I returned to the US, the computer was never the same. This spring it began exhibiting the same symptoms and eventually died completely.

This left me with an interesting dilemma. By that time, I knew that I would be returning to London in the fall for an extended stay. I had the opportunity to buy a computer that would hold up better on British power. I decided to research what type of computer would work better abroad.

I was unable, through many Google searches, to find anyone who had encountered a similar problem. But I did find that other users with a similar computer to mine had trouble with AC adapters catching on fire and their computers shocking them when they touched them. Apparently this had something to do with the material used in the laptop's casing. I decided that this was about the closest I would get to a similar problem, and started looking for a computer with a non-shock casing.

This wasn't my only problem. When my computer wouldn't start while I was in London, I had to call the US service desk, be put on hold, and then try to explain to them what I was seeing. I couldn't send it in for repairs--they couldn't send or receive computers outside of the US--and their only repair center was in Kentucky. Naturally, I wasn't looking forward to this expensive and hassling experience again.

In the end, I bought a Macbook, which doesn't shock me and which is the same computer both in the US and the UK, which I hope means that it will work. Plus, I can bring it for repairs to any Apple store, which are located almost anywhere I might want to go. But now as my departure draws nearer, I'm beginning to worry. Supposedly, since the AC Adapter works from 100-240 volts, it should work with just a plug converter. But is that enough? Is there something else I should do to protect it? I can't find a web site that will tell me.

I've been searching travel web sites, looking for one that is even partially useful. Besides Journey Woman, onebag.com has some useful tips for packing and some really very random information that I might not use but I'm glad I know. (Did you know that you can use your watch as a compass? Or that you've been tying your shoelaces the wrong way your entire life?) And according to kropla.com, I really do only need a plug converter (not that this confirmation puts my mind at ease).

I searched for travel sites, and I found flight and hotel information, and I searched for business travel tips, and found information on packing light. Why isn't there information for someone who frequently moves back and forth between countries and wants answers to her silly questions, such as what do I do if I need a guarantor for renting a flat and I don't know anyone in the country I'm moving to? and what should I do first, open a bank account or find a place to live?

I can't be alone. Today, in an age where we can't live without our electronic "accessories" and hopping countries--and continents--by plane is easier than ever, you'd think that travel web sites would have caught up. In the lack thereof, I suppose it's a good thing I have some time to spend searching the internet before I leave.

A mission statement for a new blog

Write what you know. What curious advice this is, for I often feel as if I don't know what I know until I write it down.

There's a term for this: epistemology, which is the theory or science of the method or grounds of knowledge, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. I don't know a whole lot about the scientific field, but for my own purposes, I think there are three ways of, basically, getting smarter. Simply put, they are:

READ MORE
One of the things I learned as an undergraduate which has really stuck with me was something that a professor who I never took a class from said in passing during a chance meeting I had with him. We were talking about the possibility of my doing graduate work, and he said something about "when you're older, when you've read more and gotten smarter."

Isn't it funny, the way it sometimes takes someone saying something for us to get it? Of course I knew that reading makes you smarter, but until I heard this guy say it, I didn't realize that I knew it. The purpose of education is to introduce ourselves to new ideas and to broaden the way we think. Professors do this very well, but books do too.

DO MORE
Another professor (one I did take classes from) gave me a piece of advice which is now famous among my family and close friends: the way to become a better writer is to work for a year at a 7-11. This is not something I ever intended to do, but I see his point. The way to better understanding, to a greater knowledge of the world, and to a greater sensibility and flexibility as a writer is to gain new experiences.

This fall I will be moving to London to begin a Master of Arts program (should I write programme?) in English at University College London. As Samuel Johnson said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." I am looking forward not only to what I will see and learn in London, but the opportunities in my most favorite of cities for jobs in publishing.

WRITE MORE
This brings me back to my original thought. In London I'll be furthering my education and also trying to make it in the publishing industry and as a freelance writer and Copy Editor. This blog will reflect my thoughts about what I'm reading, what I'm doing, and what I'm writing. It is an intellection: an attempt to understand the world around me and the place I am making for myself in it.