Sometimes I read something that, perhaps unintendedly, is very funny.
The Literary Society welcomed Professor Thomas Burton, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Adelaide, for a fantastic talk on William Barnes and Dorset dialect poetry. About twenty boys attended and were priviliged to hear readings of Barnes’s work in Dorset dialect as well as discover the rich and varied work of this sometimes neglected and underrated poet. As usual with Literary Society meetings the questions at the end resulted in a lively debate.
That comes straight out of Lucky Jim except it’s not by Sir Kingsley, my Scotch Malt Whisky Society tasting friend. (Seldom does a name go undropped here.) “Neglected”, “underrated” and “lively” conjure up a picture of the boys’ enthusiasm for Dorset dialect poetry. The talk was delivered to the Eton Literary Society. There are about 1,300 boys at Eton. I think there might have been a better turn-out if there was a talk with a different theme. Indeed some Old Etonians have been in touch: Lord “Chuffy” Chuffnell, Lord Emsworth, Richard “Bingo” Little, Rupert Psmith (expelled), The Hon Freddie Threepwood (also expelled) and Bertram Wooster. They think it’s about time the Lit Sock had someone to talk about them. So do I.