Friday, September 24, 2010

Fantastical Fanciful Fantasy

One of the things that I love about this city is the volume of wondrous characters  - both cinematic and literary - associated with London and nearby areas.

My morning walk to class bears striking resemblance to Cherry Tree Lane, and I can almost imagine Admiral Boom shouting from a rooftop preparing for one of his twice-daily cannon firings or even Mary Poppins herself floating down from a particularly fluffy overhanging cloud. When I hear Big Ben toll the quarter hour, I am reminded of the view that stretched below Peter Pan and Wendy as they flew off to Neverland. In Oxford, there is a Pub that claims to have been the weekly meeting place of J.R.R. Tolken, C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll. If only to have been a fly on that wall! Not far down the road, as if from nowhere, a lone hill towers above the sidewalk: surely, the perfect home for a Hobbit! Arriving in Canary Warf, I spotted the premier meeting place of one Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson. In Bath, I walked in streets where Jane Austen once paced while pondering the plot of her latest work.

The inspiration behind so much of my literary life lies just under the surface of everyday London. It's as if I can feel the constant flow of energy from the immortal world of books pulsing almost at my finger tips, our auras almost touching, the energy of an alternate universe constantly flowing just beyond everyday reach. What an opportunity for a book lover!


In Kensington Gardens, I found Peter Pan.



In Oxford, I found a Hobbit Hole... 


... And the Oxford College, called Christ Church, that inspired the Great Hall in Harry Potter


In Bath, I found the world of Pride and Prejudice

3 comments:

  1. Wow Hannah, I'm loving your blog! It's great that London inspires you so much. Ever thought about publishing a book? You'd definitely have an audience for Hannah's Adventures in Wonderland.
    -Dom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hannah, I think you need to really feel this city, you're not quite soaking it up as much as you could...JK!!!!! I can almost feel this city through your words. I am loving it, and I love you.

    Mom

    ReplyDelete
  3. Props for finding Peter. He alluded me and Sam until the very end. In fairness we were looking for him in Hyde Park by accident but that's beside the point.

    Have you been to Leadenhall Market,its the supossed inspiration of Diagon Alley from HP if your interested. There's also Fleet St, I guess Sweeney Todd is more theater than literature but its definetly worth a wander. (and if you need a show cobbler I happen to know a guy right off of there)

    ReplyDelete