British Wit

This past week we traveled to the towns of High Wycombe and Stratford-upon-Avon, both of which gave me a little taste of some British wit.  We traveled back in time to the Dashwood family estate of West Wycombe and its 18th century humor. Then we went further back in time for a taste of Elizabethan comedy in Stratford where we saw Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  Both excursions were significant to the two authors I am studying while here in Oxford, although one may be more obvious than the other.  

For all you Jane Austen fans, you may be interested to know that West Wycombe is the home of the Dashwood family, the name of whom Jane Austen uses as her main characters' name in her novel "Sense and Sensibility," and whose infamous reputation inspired her for the novel as well.  Sir Francis Dashwood, eleventh baronet (i.e., a wealthy, prominent man), gave the family its tainted name for his rakish lifestyle that consisted of indulgent and excessive behavior, dealing in debauchery, and dedicated devotion to the god Bacchus and the goddess Venus. His estate is famous, because the lewd gardens, paintings, and architecture reflect his character and lifestyle. Sir Francis also founded the infamous Hellfire Club, of which, for the sake of maintaining this blog's G rating, I will not divulge any more information. (Google it at your own risk.) Writers of his time loved writing about him and his estate, therefore giving you 18th century humor (as if his estate wasn't enough).

You may recognize West Wycombe, because it has been in many films, including "The Importance of Being Earnest," "Vanity Fair," "An Ideal Husband," and a Clint Eastwood movie ("White Hunter Black Heart"). "The Duchess," staring Keira Knightley and soon to be released, was also filmed here. The day we visited the BBC was actually there filming "Little Dorritt" (by Charles Dickens). 

The pond in the gardens is infamous for its shape as a swan. Myth has it that Zeus turned into a swan in order to do a certain something he partook in quite frequently. Brownie points to anyone who makes the connection. 

I'm holding a polo ball out in the middle of the polo field on the estate grounds. 

The name of this temple is the "Cockpit"

This is actually the front of the estate where many famous scenes in movies took place, and where many infamous paintings line the ceilings, of which I won't go into detail.

For the Shakespearians out there, here are some photos of our journey to Stratford-upon-Avon. There we toured Shakespeare's birthplace and the museum. Stratford is also home to one of the most famous English theatres, The Swan, which was the theatre of Shakespeare's rival, Ben Jonson. ("Shakespeare in Love" movie viewers will have the insight advantage here.) That night we saw one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the Elizabethan equivalent of a modern-day romantic comedy. It was fantastic and has unfortunately (or fortunately, which ever way you look at it) set the standards very high for all other plays I will ever see in my lifetime. I really do wish everyone could have the experience of seeing a Shakespeare play, performed in England by English actors. It was amazing and captivating for the whole audience, children included. 

"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact." -  A Midsummer Night's Dream

The lunatic, the lover, and the poet himself on the wall in the museum. (Some of my friends kissed him on the cheek, but I went straight for the lips.)

A nice snapshot of myself in the gardens at Shakespeare's first home.

Front view of Shakespeare's birthplace

So although both trips included salacious elements, it was all put forth rather obliquely, and therefore was all still very family-friendly and witty. It just wouldn't have been British if it had been any other way.