Taking Plant Imagery Too Far
I have begun marking some essays for a first year course. The professor and I got to talking about hilarious essays in general. When I was a TA in Classics we used to pass around a sheet of paper to keep track of all of the hilarity (anything from temples to Jesus being built in 100 BC... to the Ancient Greeks playing 'Polisopoly' or that the Ancient Greeks 'invented the atomic bomb and possibly medicine'). I think my favourite was how 'illiteracy' was one of the foundations of the Roman education system. Have little Gaius flogged! He's not done his not reading today! I've never taught the Brontes before, but here's a lovely example the professor shared with me of a hilarious Jane Eyre essay.
"When Mr Rochester is talking with Jane in the garden romaine will fall."
I wonder what our friend Rochester the Botanist would say about such potentious lettuce! That would make getting back to the house more perilous and less romantic, I think with Jane and Rochester trying to duck the flying lettuce.
7 comments:
Wouldn't the Ancient Greeks have invented Acropoly as well?? I wonder what made that person choose Romaine for the romantic lettuce of choice. There are so many others that are prettier and I'd think that the loose leaf type would pose less of a threat. At least it was not cabbages...
Maybe Acropoly was borrowed from the Phonecians- or the Americans. I'm from Ontario but that didn't stop one student from putting my home town on a map of ancient Egypt, across from 'Indianapolis.' One of the classes I was a TA for was 'Leisure and Pleasure in the Ancient World' and delt explicitly with sexual practices. I had some VERY interesting answers from that class.
The lettuce brings to mind the over wrought and baffling prose of Henry Brocken. I think my favourite part was when he says that he was reminded of the sky of the atlantic storms as Mr Rochester stirred his tea. I can see it now. Ah, the most demythologized lettuce!
Hilarious!!
"Good God! Get out the Vegetable-Umbrellas, quick!"
Ahhh, into everyone's life, a little romaine must fall.
(Don't you just hate it when that happens?) ;-)
to mandy:
Glad to be of service! :)
to jersp:
Exactly, precisely! ;)
to anonymous:
Momma said there'd be days like this. ;)
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