Scan barcode
A review by gosia_maria99
Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
2.0
I was hoping to love this, but the pretentious condescension of an academic voice the author adopts was super annoying.
What do I mean? As a Brit, it was fun reading about the quintessential parts of English culture that Weber spent time in. I grew up as a child in Cambridge, after all.
But there was a constant running thread of the frustrating attitude that I have unfortunately experienced among many US expats in the UK - the "I must put down my upbringing and nation all the time to make myself more likeable to the British". That is simply not true - us Brits have zero respect for that disrespect of your country (which has nothing to do with being aware of your country's unique problems and weaknesses and poking gentle fun at the place you came from), and really would rather you didn't do that.
Secondly, the book was smattered with constant classical and literary quotes that honestly had nothing to do with the story or the author's reflections. Honestly, it sounded like the author was trying to be pretentious and snobby about her knowledge of the classics and British literary fiction (is that her impression of what posh and academic Brits are like? Because the ones I know well do sound very educated and occasionally pretentious, but not half as try-hard!).
Perhaps I am being harsh. Like I said, I really thought I would love this book, as it was recommended to me by those who share my reading tastes. I was very disappointed. If you want a true image of what posh British universities are like, without the rose-coloured glasses of "oh! everyone talks like Downton Abbey here!", read Brideshead Revisited. The debauchery, dissipation, debate described there are much more accurate, even today!
**please note that this review was written mildly sarcastically, and isn't to be taken TOO seriously. I genuinely wanted to like the book, and didn't, but I did read it the whole way through**
What do I mean? As a Brit, it was fun reading about the quintessential parts of English culture that Weber spent time in. I grew up as a child in Cambridge, after all.
But there was a constant running thread of the frustrating attitude that I have unfortunately experienced among many US expats in the UK - the "I must put down my upbringing and nation all the time to make myself more likeable to the British". That is simply not true - us Brits have zero respect for that disrespect of your country (which has nothing to do with being aware of your country's unique problems and weaknesses and poking gentle fun at the place you came from), and really would rather you didn't do that.
Secondly, the book was smattered with constant classical and literary quotes that honestly had nothing to do with the story or the author's reflections. Honestly, it sounded like the author was trying to be pretentious and snobby about her knowledge of the classics and British literary fiction (is that her impression of what posh and academic Brits are like? Because the ones I know well do sound very educated and occasionally pretentious, but not half as try-hard!).
Perhaps I am being harsh. Like I said, I really thought I would love this book, as it was recommended to me by those who share my reading tastes. I was very disappointed. If you want a true image of what posh British universities are like, without the rose-coloured glasses of "oh! everyone talks like Downton Abbey here!", read Brideshead Revisited. The debauchery, dissipation, debate described there are much more accurate, even today!
**please note that this review was written mildly sarcastically, and isn't to be taken TOO seriously. I genuinely wanted to like the book, and didn't, but I did read it the whole way through**