"The Adventure of English"

[Suzanne Kemmer]

I screen episodes #1, 2 and 4  for my class "Words in English: Structure, History, Use".  (I make the whole series available to the students, and if they make an extra credit video (5-minute limit) they sometimes consult the other episodes for topics, information, and inspiration).  

The landscape and architectural footage is gorgeous; I never get tired of watching these. The students like the series, especially the first episode which includes scenes of young people in pubs etc..  

It is boosterish, as the prime motivation for this is highlighting British cultural heritage to Brits through linguistic heritage.  The students sometimes take note of the British point of view.  Some seem to have assumed that British culture (and language) pretty much stopped a while ago and the U.S. then developed the culture and the language for better or worse; so they're a bit surprised and interested at the 'boosterism-with-a-somewhat-different-center' and the living language and culture on view.

I think there is less in this one that linguists would object to than The Story of English. Instead of the Welsh historical fiction writer with her stereotypical heroic analysis of the Welsh character through Welsh language (somewhat cringeworthy), there is Seamus Heaney talking about Beowulf. A  little stereotypical 'essence of the character revealed in the language' stuff but more intelligently done, and the English lit students sometimes know Heaney and his translation, and are excited that he is in there. 

Bragg consulted with and featured women scholars, too;  if makers of The Story of English consulted any women scholars, they are invisible in the series, in my remembrance.

The Battle for the Bible episode is of interest to a significant minority here (I'm in the Bible Belt). The non-religious ones take little interest in this episode and it seems less about language than the others. 

All in all, it's not a perfect series but very watchable and a lot can be learned from it. 

Suzanne


On Feb 10, 2013, at 10:12 AM, Johanna Rubba wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I know there are at least a few historians of English on this list. Someone recommended the serious "The Adventure of English" to me. I'm teaching HEL next quarter and it would be great to have some video to show to my media-saturated students (one lone comment on a student evaluation: "more movies!"). Has anyone watched this ITV Melvyn Bragg series? Is it worthwhile? "The Story of English" is certainly seriously outdated, and has a false point here and there (and is somewhat boosterish).
> 
> I'll post responses.
> 
> Jo
> 
> Dr. Johanna Rubba, Professor, Linguistics       
> Linguistics Minor Advisor
> English Department
> Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo
> Tel. 805.756.2184
> Dept. Tel 805.756.2596
> E-mail:  jrubba at calpoly.edu
> URL: http://cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
> *******************************************
> "Justice is what love looks like in public."
> - Cornel West
> 
> 
> 
>