Harlaxton 2017: Lewis, Tolkien, and Free Time in London

By: Jacob Harris

At around 7:30 this morning, a chorus of alarms sounded throughout Nutford House, and the owners of these hateful devices—our group—began preparing for class. We trudged downstairs and competed with the other occupants for a spot at breakfast. Following our meal, it was time for class. Here we received the true British experience: settled comfortably into the scattered mix of chairs and sofas, we turned our attention to Prof. Rutledge’s lecture on traditional British literature.

Today, Professor Rutledge schooled us on the lives and works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. We learned of the two men’s friendship, and how their experiences in World War I and their shared passion for linguistics drew them together. We learned how Tolkien incorporated Old English influences into much of his writing, and how C.S. Lewis was a fervent defender of the fantasy novel’s place in classic literature. Rutledge rounded off our day’s lecture with an introduction to poetry, preparation for our upcoming expeditions into the writing of English poets.

As class came to a close, we were given free time to explore the city of London. Rising from the seats of our antique classroom, we stepped out into the gentle afternoon rain of London. We strolled under the romantic, water-color sky to the nearest Tube stop: Marble Arch. From here, we were off! We raced through the busy streets of London, pencils flying furiously as we scratched items off of our “to-see” lists. The group I was with spent time at Abbey Road, and stopped by the British Library. It was a packed day, and that night we welcomed our much-needed rest!