the
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THE NEWSLETTER FOR KEBLE ALUMNI - ISSUE 48 e HILARY TERM 2010 o WWW.KEBLE.OX.AC.UK
Geoffrey Hill
At this year's Encaenia on 23 June, Oxford will honour In July: 2008 the
Professor Geoffrey Hill (Keble 1950, and Honorary
conference, Geoffrey Hill
Fellow). One of the most distinguished living English and his Contexts, was held
poets, Geoffrey will receive the award of honorary
at Keble, memorably
Doctor of Letters and be among a group of very
beginning with a session
worthy recipients of honorary degrees including
in which The. Archbishop
actress Dame Eileen Atkins, publisher and founder of of Canterbury, Dri Rowan
the Europaeum and the Weidenfeld scholarships Lord Williams and Geoffrey Hill
Weidenfeld, and Nobel-Prize winning chemist Roald
were heard in conversation
Hoffman.
about Geoffrey's work.
Since retiring from his Professorial chair at Boston
We are delighted and
University, Geoffrey Hill has lived in Cambridge. He
privileged that Professor
has been prolific in recent years, publishing his 14th Hill has agreed to speak Geoffrey Hill (left) at the Geoffrey Hill Conference in
collection, A Treatise of Civil Power in 2007 and his
to Old Members at the Keblei in 2008 with The Archbishop of Canterbury
and The Warden
Collected Critical Writings in 2008. His work is the
Pre-1960 Reunion
subject ofi immense critical acclaim and he has won
Weekend on 26 June, the
many awards, including the Hawthornden Prize and
same week he will receive
the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize.
the honour at Encaenia.
Visiting Singapore, Beijing & Hong Kong
As part of our increasing drive to involve Old
Members around the world, the Warden and Director
of Development recently visited Asia taking in
Singapore, Beijing & Hong Kong. Jenny Tudge was
joined by a small enthusiastic group at the Long Bar,
Raffles Hotel for the first Keble gathering in
At the China Club,
Singapore. After that she met the Warden in Beijing,
Beijinglto r:
where. Averil gave a seminar at the Institute for the
Chung Min Pang (1973),
Chongying Wang (2003), Study of World History and took the opportunity to
Daniel Nivern (1999),
meet Old Members and representatives of various
The Warden,
Peter Batey (1977)
educational establishments, to build connections for
and. Jenny Tudge
the future. One evening Peter Batey (1977) generously
hosted a delightful dinner for Old Members at the
China Club.
In Hong Kong, Averil and Jenny were joined by over
40 Old Members and friends for a celebration dinner,
followed by an enjoyable night at the races. The visit
was an excellent opportunity to gather alumni of all
Att the Races in Hong
ages, to celebrate the achievements under the
Kongltor r:
Warden's leadership and to discuss Keble's plans for
Anthony Lam (1992),
the future. The Warden and Jenny were touched by
Richard Orders (1973),
The Warden,
the warmth of the reception they were given wherever
Edward Cheng (1977),
they went and are extremely grateful to those Old
Louisa Professor. Cheng, Jim Griffin
Members who gave So much of their time and energy
and Jenny Tudge
to make the visits SO successful.
in this issue diary e interview 0 news . arts e sports e om news o archive o development news


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Diary
Keble College Music Society - see www.keblemusic.co.uk for Hilary Term Events. Old Members most welcome
Friday 16 and Saturday 17 April
Friday 25 Saturday 26 June
North American Reunion
Reunion Weekend
See: www.oxfordna.org for details
For Old Members who matriculated Pre-1960
Invitations distributed in March
Saturday 17. April
Enquiries: Annéka Salvat
Keble Dinner New York
Old Members and guests welcome
Saturday 3 July
Enquiries: Annéka Salvat
KA AGM
AGM: 5.30 - 6.30pm All members welcome
Sunday 25 April Trinity Term begins
(Trustees meeting: 5 - 5.30pm)
Friday 7 May
Summer Dinner
Eric Symes Abbot Memorial Lecture
Come and mark Isla Smith's retirement
Rt Revd Lord Harries of Pentregrath
Old Members and guests welcome
The Spirituality of Public Life
See page 11 for booking form
Chapel 5.30pm
Enquiries: Annéka Salvat
Saturday 8 May
BA Degree Day for 2009 Finalists
Some places still available for recent finalists
Saturday 31 July
(undergraduate or graduate).
Douglas Price Society Dinner
Enquiries: Annéka Salvat
Invitations distributed to Society members in April
ALCHEM
The Alchemist's Ball
Enquiries: Camilla Matterson
Tickets and more information available at
www.kebleball.com
Friday 24 September
The Warden's Retirement
welcome
Dinner
All Old Members
Old Members and guests welcome
Thursday 20 May
Booking form will be in the Trinity Term brick
Retirement
LE GE
The Warden's
KEBL
Friday 24 Saturday 25 September
Drinks Party
Reunion Weekend
The Athenaeum, Pall Mall,
For Old Members who matriculated 1960-66
London 6.30-8.30pm
Invitations distributed in April
Old Members welcome
Enquiries: Annéka Salvat
See page 11 for booking form
University of Oxford AlumniWeekend
Saturday 29 May
Meeting Minds - Shared Treasures
Rowing Society Dinner & AGM
www.alumniweekend.ox.ac.uk
and Eights Week Dinner
Old Members and guests welcome
Invitations to all members of the KC Rowing Society
distributed in March
Sunday 26 September
Enquiries: Camilla Matterson
50th Anniversary Lunch for 1960s
Invitations distributed in June
Garden Party
Enquiries: Ruth Cowen
Old Members can apply for tickets
(£12 each for adults, £5 for students)
Events
Invitations are extended to family members of 2nd
For more details of events and booking forms see:
year undergraduates and 1st year graduates.
www.keble.ox.ac.uk/alumni/events
Enquires: Trish Long
Contacts
Development Office, Keble College, Oxford OX1 3PG - www.keble.ox.ac.uk/alumni - dev.off@keble.ox.ac.uk
Jenny Tudge (Director of Development) jenny.tudge@keble.ox.ac.uk (01865 282308)
Duncan Mclntyre (Associate Director) duncan.mcintyre@keble.ox.ac.uk (01865 282506)
Ruth Cowen (Alumni Relations Officer) ruth.cowen@keble.ox.ac.uk (01865 282338)
Camilla Matterson (Senior Development Officer) camilla.matterson@keble.ox.ac.uk (01865 272794)
DB Lenck (Development Officer) db.ienck@keble.ox.acuk (01865 272799)
Annéka Salvat (Administrative Assistant) anneka.salvat@keble.ox.ac.uk (01865 282303)
Trish Long (Warden's PA) trish.long@keble.ox.ac.uk (01865 272700)


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Interview
Giles Coren (1988 English) writer, journalist, restaurant
critic and co-presenter of the Supersizers series on BBC
television was interviewed by Tatty Hennessy and Laura
Wilson (both 2008 English)
T: Why did you choose Keble?
G: didn't, I chose Wadham (laughs). chose Wadham
because it was the place to do English at the time. But had
no better excuse than 'my Dad went there', , SO I got into my
second choice instead - Keble. I was one of the first cohort of
students Nigel Smith had when he took over, and the English
was brilliant. l'm sure I was happier for being at Keble. I
particularly remember tutorials in the summer term in the
Fellows' Garden.
L: What did you think of the Keble food?
G: Um, a bit terrible. There was a tyranny in college, you
had to have a certain number of dinners in Hall and they gave
you a booklet of tickets. It was £1.31 per meal and don't
L: Do you think blog culture is a threat to professional
know what they were spending the other £1.30 on!
journalism?
L: Where would you recommend eating in Oxford?
G: It is a threat to journalism and for editorial staff. Blog
G:lu used to eat at Gees, which I know is still there, up
culture though baffles me; I don't blog because l'd rather
Banbury Road. Also Sojo, down near the station, which I
be paid for my writing. The other terrible thing is that it's
reviewed recently, serves really proper good Chinese food.
not edited - people write such long stuff and its read! It
Then there's the Magdalen Arms, up Iffley Road; it's just been
won't kill newspapers altogether but I think it will change
taken over and will be very good. It used to be a very scary,
them hugely. Fortunately I won't really be affected
local hooligan pub, now it's a posh gastro.
because I also do TV and my readers come from outside
The Times.
L: What did your tutor say about your writing?
G:1 I got by on writing well rather than on knowing much. I'm
L: What do you think of when you think of Keble now?
sure that's always the way with English students. thought
G: I'm fond of Keble now. I used to be a bit embarrassed.
about doing postgraduate research and my tutor (Nigel Smith)
People would ask where I studied and l'd say Oxford and
discouraged me, saying 'you'll have to sit in a library for
they'd say 'Oh marvellous, what college?", and following
fourteen hours a day' which actually wouldn't mind now.
up with Keble' was just not like saying 'Balliol'. Now I'm
Not at the time. I've found it helps enormously to write or
very proud. I got a good degree and my tutor was great.
speak well and it can cover a multitude of sins.
And when people are rude about it feel sort of
L: Did you have to do Old English?
defensive.
T: Tells us about
involvement with the
G: Yes, it was compulsory, and rightly SO. An English Degree
your
without it wouldn't mean much, I don't think. Old English is
Supersizers Series.
now one of those things few know and can talk about, unlike
G: It is a long story but there was an idea to do a
for example Jane Austen, who everyone has an opinion
programme on food history and then in America Morgan
about. The tutor was a guy called Malcolm Parkes : he was
Spurlock did a film on obesity call Super Size Me and the
very old school. We'd sit there with a big roaring fire smoking
idea for a TV series stemmed from that. had worked
tabs, drinking sherry and reading Beowulf. It was exactly what
with Sue Perkins before and wanted to do SO again. The
I thought Oxford ought to be.
Edwardians was the first one which got great ratings.
T: Is it true that an Oxbridge degree 'opens doors' or is it
Food from the Edwardian period and from the '20s was
in any way a hindrance?
some of best but it was the World War II food which was
the healthiest because of all the home-grown veg and the
G: Oh no, it's not a hindrance! It's a massive help. For better
restricted diet.
or worse, Oxford and Cambridge take some of the cleverest
people. I was determined to do well and got a first, and would
L: What is your next project?
have been depressed, frankly if hadn't. It has been a real
G:1 am bringing out a book in May called Anger
confidence booster.
Management for Beginners which is a collection of rants
L: What advice would you give to students who want to
and will be published by Hodder & Stoughton. In the
into
autumn there'll be a programme called I think, Giles and
get journalism?
Sue Live the Good Life on BBC2 celebrating The Good
G: My advice would be, glibly, try everything else first. There
Life's 35th Anniversary. We'll be stepping back to 1975
are SO few jobs worth having in journalism. Writing a couple of
and living the good life for real - healthy home-grown
features for Isis or Cherwell is probably worth it to put on a CV.
food again.


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Keble News
Scholars' Dinner
A new style Scholars' Dinner to celebrate the
academic and cultural achievements of Keble
students was held on Wednesday 3 March in
Hall. Scholars and their tutors were treated to
an after dinner speech by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
(English 1979), the screenwriter and children's
novelist, who combined fond recollections of
Malcolm Parkes' teaching at Keble with
inspirational advice to today's young
people. Frank was accompanied by his wife
Denise (Theology 1979); they are the first
recorded 'Keble couple'.
Back row from Ito r: Isla Smith, Richard Yates (History &
Politics), Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Dr lan Archer and
Joshua Harris (History) Front row: Denise Cottrell-Boyce
(left) and Hannah Martin (English)
Whittle Medal for Professor Sir Mike Brady
Mike Brady, Professorial Fellow of Information Engineering, received the Whittle
Medal for outstanding and sustained achievement which has contributed to the
well-being of the nation' from the Royal Academy of Engineering at the end of
January. At the same event he delivered the New Year Lecture, The development
of breakthroughs in medical imaging, describing the importance of bringing a
range of fields together in the development, and importantly to gain funding for
the application, of new technology. As Mike says, 'medical image analysis
demands a fruitful relationship between engineers, clinicians, and industry SO that
developments can progress from the white board to the clinic and to economic
success. For my work this means formulating and exploiting fundamental physics,
engineering, and biology models to ensure software systems that work 99.9% of
the time 24/7.'
BBC Radio 4 - The
History of the World in
100 Objects
The Warden will be talking about a mosaic
showing one of the earliest images of Christ
found at Hinton St Mary, Dorset as part of
the BBC Radio 4's History of the World in
100 Objects. Object 44 will be broadcast in
Series 2 from 17 May. See:
www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/
exploreraltflash/
Dining at High Table during Term Time
Old Members are welcome to dine at High Table on any Monday, Wednesday or Thursday during Full Term,
without a guest, 5 years or more after receiving their most recent degree.
Bookings should be made by telephone to the Development Office (01865 282303) no later than 10 am on
the day. Dinner costs £20 for three courses including wine or £13 without. Payment to be made at the time
of booking with a credit/debit card.


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Keble News
Oxford Professor of Poetry Election
This year the rules have changed and all Old Members who have
been admitted for a degree are now entitled to vote for the new
Oxford Professor of Poetry. The announcement will be made on
Friday 18 June.
Assuming the election is contested, anyone wishing to vote
must first register, between 12 April and 4 June, online at
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/poetry/ or by telephoning
3 la
in A C
Voting will take place either online or in person at the University
Offices in Wellington Square, from Friday 21 May until noon on
Wednesday 16 June.
C 6
Keble's own eminent poet, Geoffrey Hill (1950) has agreed to stand
and we encourage Old Members to vote.
Souther England's Best Historical Object
Dr Tom Higham, Research Associate in Archaeology, appeared on the BBC in
January in a programme linked to the Radio 4 series 'A History of the World in
100 Objects', to identify the 'best historical object' in southern England. Tom
discussed various objects in the Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean Museums, before
choosing a Roman coin from the Ashmolean. The coin was unearthed in
Finstock, Oxfordshire over 150 years ago and is a unique gold 'aureus' of
C.AD 70 of Emperor Vespasian. Unusually for Roman gold, and surprisingly
for a coin found in Britain, it probably came from Judaea or Syria about the time
oft the Roman sacking of Jerusalem when the Temple was destroyed in AD 70.
Tom suggests that the gold of the coin may have been taken from the Temple
itself.
Wandering Life I Led:
THE
WANDERING
Essays on Hortense Mancini, Duchess Mazarin
LIFEILED
and Early Modern Women's Border-Crossings
ESSATS ON
Hortense Mancini,
Duchess Masarin
Emeritus Fellow Denys Potts has published the concluding chapter
andEarly Modern
Women's Border- Crossings
of a collection of essays by scholars on the Duchesse Mazarin
(1646-1699). She was one of the four nieces of Cardinal Jules
SUSAN EDITED SHIFRIN BI
Mazarin, and fled an impossible marriage to end up as an exile in
England. Her various wanderings in Europe have been used as a
metaphor for the modern liberated woman. His chapter covers her
final years when, having established a brilliant salon in London, she
finally succumbed to debt, gambling and alcohol. During this time
she was faithfully watched over and supported by the exiled
philosopher Saint-Evremond and it is their relationship which Denys
explores. Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2009) pages 157-1892
The Warden's Retirement Year
The Warden is half way through her last year at Keble after 15 years as Head of the College. She will be
attending the usual round of College events (such as the BA Degree Day, Reunion Weekends and the Summer
Dinner) and in addition, a series of farewell events which began with Beijing & Hong Kong in early March (see
page 1). Further opportunities to catch her before she leaves Keble on 30 September are:
Saturday 17. April - Retirement Dinner at Harry Cipriani, New York
Thursday 20 May Drinks Party at the Athenaeum, London (see booking form on page 11)
Friday 24 September Retirement Dinner in Hall (booking form will be in the Trinity Term brick)
Further details and booking forms for all these events can also be found on the College website:
www.keble.ox.ac.uk/alumni/events


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Arts
Arts Week
Art in the Chapel
Keble Arts Week seems to
increase in scale each year, and
Award winning spatial artist Ken Wilder
2010 was no exception.
installed his work Plenum #4 in the majestic
Generously sponsored by the KA space of Keble Chapel during Arts Week.
and Ernst and Young, and
Plenum consists of a projected light creating
KEBLE
organised by Jennifer Cutting
the image of a breathing man who slowly
(JCR Arts and Publication Officer) fades away and returns. It was a truly
there was an ambitious
mesmerising piece. Ken Wilder, a senior
programme of events open to
lecturer at the Chelsea College of Art and
College as well as University
Design, also gave a talk on how religious art
students. Workshops, talks,
and the development of perspective had
competitions, an art installation
inspired the work.
and even an exhibition of Keble's
Jennifer Cutting
manuscripts enveloped the
College community in the arts
Fifth Week with live music, poetry readings
and film shows in the evenings.
Sponsored! by
Arts Week has become a
I ERNST&YOUNG
wonderful tradition at Keble and
Qualityl InE Everything Wel Do
adds a great deal to College life.
Drumming up Attention
Froml Ito r: The Chaplain, Jennifer Cutting and
During Arts' Week, many eager students had
Ken Wilder
a lesson in basic drumming, taught by Gary
Marshal. They learnt the history of these
ancient instruments, a
of different
Spirits
variety
High
drumming styles, and how to tell their tom-
The O'Reilly theatre was the setting for a
toms from their hi-hats. Gary's sense of
week of performances of Noel Coward's
humour kept the class entertained and
Blithe Spirit during Arts Week. The dry
curious about an instrument most had not
humour
and comedy was accompanied by
tried before. It was a hands-on experience
line-perfect and skilled acting, making the
and several students found they had a natural
most of a limited set and space. Several of
flair, leaving them keen to learn more.
the cast were Keblites: Ruth being played
Jenni Hunt
by Louisa-Claire Dunnigan (2009), Elvira by
Julia McLaren (2009) and Madame Arcarti
One Hundred Pounds for One Hundred Words by Tatty Hennessy (2008), with many more
helping behind the scenes. The shows were
A writing competition where entrants had to provide a piece of writing of exactly a well attended and enjoyed by all, in
hundred words, related to Keble and student life, was held during Arts Week with
particular Saturday's Black Tie Gala Night
the kind support of Roger Boden (the Bursar). Twenty entries were whittled down to which raised money for Streetwise Opera.
a final shortlist which were performed and judged by an audience of Keble
Jenni Hunt
students. Oneday by Aimee Cliff (2009 English) was widely admired and won the
majority vote.
Jennifer Cutting
Oneday.
Breathein. Sheets (you threw them in the throes) become pavements (throbbing in
the throng) in the sunsnowsleet (you are all feet) and you
hum that radiosong the city builds itself around you (it
won't wait) you are late and the bikes are kettlewhistling at
you (you think in parentheses) we'll find you between shelves
and ticktocking through corridors we'll find you sweating
the pulse of dancefloors we'll find you wondering what you
came in here for stop. Catch four winking hours.
Remember that this will be worth it oneday, hold on to the
mantra of your perfect oneday. Breatheout.
Aimee Cliff
Tatty Hennessy as Madame Arcarti


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Sports
Torpid Tension to First Division
This year's Torpids brought great success for the
Women's 1st VIII. After a swift bump on the first day,
Hertford were never a challenge as Keble fought for a
place in the first division. A run of bad luck sent
Pembroke down from the division above and although
beating them stroke for stroke, Keble were unable to
close the distance and had to race on the final day.
Although St Hilda's fell by the wayside, the race to the
first division was never going to be easy and the crowd
were on tenterhooks as 1st VIII passed the boathouse a
length behind Exeter. With a spurt of acceleration, they
finally bumped Exeter five strokes from the line to take
their rightful place in the first division. We thank Neptune
Asset Management for their support and applaud the hard
work and dedication of the crew and all involved.
Anna Fox
The Women's 1st VIII
Varsity
On the
Football Field..
At the recent Varsity Games, hosted by Oxford, a number of Keble athletes represented the
University.
Keble football experienced
Oxford University Netball President Laura Bell (2007) and Hannah McKay (2009) helped steer the
another successful season.
Dark Blues to an eventual 44-35 victory.
The 1st XI suffered from too
In Badminton, Adam Pimperton (2007) was part of an Oxford team that won their encounter 13-2,
many draws in the first half
helping Oxford to the first overall win over the Light Blues for four years.
of the season, but found
form later on to give a
Amy Greenberg (2009) took to the field as part of the Blues Lacrosse team, regrettably missing
healthy chance of surviving
out on a victory over Cambridge after a hard-fought game.
in the JCR 1st Division. The
In the Hockey matches, Nicholas Pointer (2008) and Katie Whicher (2008) represented Oxford, in
2nd XI experienced a
the Men's 3rd and Women's 3rd teams respectively and emerged victorious.
devastating loss to
Finally, Rowan Hamill-McMahon (2008), taking some time out from captaining the 2nd
Worcester the
in reserve
Volleyball
Team to represent the 1st team, was successful in defending Dark Blue honour.
Cuppers final Keble scored
Adam Pimperton
early, but Worcester
equalised in the second half.
A second goal in extra time
snatched the title from the
Keble team for the second
year running.
However, a mid-table finish
in the JCR reserve 1st
Division capped-off a strong
season. In addition, following
promotion last season, the
3rd XI is now at the mid-
point of the JCR 3rd
Division.
Blues, Half Blues and those who represent the University at Sport
Back Row Itor r: Aodhnait Fahy, Beth O'Brian (Half Blue), Ashley Massey (Blue) (all 3 Rugby Union), Bianca Reisdorf
and Hannah Kaye (both Lightweight Rowing), Ross MacAdam (Colleges Rugby Varsity), Babak Somekh (American
Football), Jonathan Hirst (Sailing). Middle Row to r: Nicholas Pointer (Hockey), Adam Pimperton (Badminton),
Jacqueline Kwan (Gymnastics), Ben Horsley (Athletics), Phil Robinson and Martin Rendell (both Ultimate Frisbee)
Front Row Ito r: James Cholerton (Pool), Hannah McKay and Laura Bell (Blue) (both Netball), Rowan Hamill-McMahon
(Half Blue, Volleyball), Anjoli Maheswaran-Foster (Tennis), Vivien Senior and Samuel Cherkas (both Skiing)


News of Old Members
Tony Hall Appointed to the House of Lords
Tony Hall (1970), Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House and chair of the
Cultural Olympiad Board, has been awarded a peerage. He was introduced
as a non-party political peer in March and will take the title, Lord Hall of
Birkenhead as that is where he was born as well as being the birthplace of
his father and grandfather.
He commented: 1 am hugely honoured to be offered this new role. It's a
real privilege and I'm delighted not only for myself but for the
extraordinary team of colleagues Thave at the Royal Opera House who
work SO hard day in, day out, to produce the very best opera and ballet in
the world. I remain fully committed to them and to ensuring that our work
continues to be seen by as many people, of all ages and backgrounds, as
possible.'
Cape Summer
CAPE SUMMER
Africa
Michael Burns (1976) has recently written and directed a film, Cape
Summer, the third in a series of cricket-history documentaries he was
commissioned to produce for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Using
rare archive film and interviews with players and journalists, Cape Summer
tells the story of the MCC team's six-month tour to South Africa in 1956-7.
In a hard fought series England were led by Cambridge University amateur
Peter May while their opponents were captained by Oxford rugby and
cricket Blue Clive van Ryneveld. The film provides a intriguing picture of
South Africa at a time when apartheid was just taking hold in the country
in the words of former Times journalist John Woodcock: 'It was somuch
another game, another world.'
DVO
APE
The Ape of Sorrows
THE
SORROWS
The Ape of Sorrows From Stranger to Destroyer: The Inside
Story of Humans by Maurice Rowdon (1941) philosopher,
historian, writer, has been published posthumously (see The
Record 2009 for his obituary). The book examines human
behaviour through the simple but powerful rubric of animal
intelligence, presenting a new view of humans as a
magnificent, if misguided species which lost its way as it
evolved beyond its niche to be niche-less, and separate, from
From Stranger to Destroyer: The Inside non-linguistic animal life. Maurice was a friend of Lucien
Story ofHumans
Freud who donated Small Portrait 2001 for use as the cover
MAURICE ROwDON illustration. Thelbook is published by iUniverse (2010).
The Very Thought of You
The Very
Thought of You Rosie Alison (1983) has published her debut novel The Very Thought of You which
has been shortlisted for Amazon's 2009 Rising Stars award, and longlisted for both
the 2010 Romantic Novel of the Year Award, and Le Prince Maurice Prize 'for
literary love stories. ': Set in England in 1939 with the world on the brink of war, it
tells the story of an eight-year-old girl evacuated to a large estate in Yorkshire.
There, she is drawn into the unravelling relationship and finds herself part-witness
and part-accomplice to a love affair. It is described by the publishers (Alma Books)
as 'a haunting coming-of-age novel with a love story at its heart.' ISBN:
9781846880865. Rosie is currently Head of Development at Heyday Films, where
she has recently co-produced two feature films: the Holocaust drama The Boy in
ROSIE ALISON the Striped Pyjamas, and the Michael Caine film Is There Anybody There?


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News of Old Members
The KA London Dinner
The 74th London Dinner, held at Brooks's in St James
at the end of January, was an enjoyable occasion and
this year it was JCR President, Ben Case, who gave a
lively speech on news of the College from the student
perspective. Hosted by Patrick Shovelton (1934), it
marked the last KA Dinner for David Senior (1954),
KA President, as his three-year tenures comes to an
end in July.
The Warden and David Senior with Patrick: Shovelton (right)
Nick Foskett
Two CBES in the New Year Honours
appointed VC
Jurgen Schlaeger (1965) has been awarded a CBE for his
contributions to British-German relations. When he came to Keble
Congratulations to Nick
to study English in 1965, he was the first Michael-Wills Scholar of
Foskett (Geography
the University. After his degree he was Professor of English and
1974) on being
Comparative Literature at the University of Konstanz before
appointed Vice-
becoming the founding director off the new interdisciplinary Centre
Chancellor of Keele
for British Studies at the Humboldt-University in 1995. He said at
University. He will take
the time that there were a great many people in Germany who
up the post in August
were interested in aspects of Britain and it was the task of the
from his current
Centre to respond to that. Since 2008 he has been semi-retired. positions as Professor of Education and
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Arts and
Social Sciences at the University of
Christopher Kit' Harling (1969) was appointed CBE in the List for
services to occupational health. Currently Director of NHS Plus, a Southampton. Nick says of his appointment
am delighted to be taking on the role of
national occupational health service, he spent more than 25 years
Vice-Chancellor at Keele in succession to
as a consultant physician in the NHS. He has spent time as an
Professor Dame Janet Finch. The next few
advisor to a number of Government Departments, President of the
Faculty of Occupational Medicine and Vice Chairman and
years will be challenging for all universities
but Keele is well placed to have a
Secretary of the Specialist Training Authority. Now living in South
strong
profile in the higher education world and in
Devon with his wife, he is Vice Chair of the Salcombe Harbour
its local community. also look forward to
Board.
returning to my roots in North Staffordshire."
Documentary Award
AI BBC film about how Gypsy Children
across Europe are forced to beg and
steal won Best Documentary at the
Foreign Press Association Awards in late
November. This World Gypsy Child
QATAI
Thieves edited by Andrew Evans (1980)
and produced and directed by Sam
Bagnall and Liviu Tipurita was aired on
BBC2 last September.
Pictured at the FPA award ceremony from I tor r:
Sandi Toksvig, thel Producer, thel Director,
Andrew Evans and Kate Adie
Still Rowing
Rex Delicate (1958) writes that he does not feature often in the Worcester Rowing
Club's Hall of Fame but did so early in the year. The Club had recently purchased two
new boats, a four and a quad, with the help of a local firm. The donors suggested a
race and elected to row in the four against a crew of similar weight and age hence
Rex, and three other senior club rowers were in the quad. On the day it was pouring
down with rain and Rex's crew won with photographic evidence to prove it, 'we would
have been drier if we had simply jumped in the river!' he said.


brick
From the Archivist
Rob Petre, College Archivist writes:
Touching manuscripts
As part of Arts Week Ralph Hanna gave a lively talk on the College's
collection ofi illuminated manuscripts. There were several volumes on
display and the title of the event, 'Hug a manuscript', was a cause of
some concern to me, as the slightest straying from very careful handling
of these treasures makes me very nervous.
Professor Hanna told us how the interests of Victorian bibliophiles and
the founders of the College coincided and created the marvellous
collection of manuscripts and early printed books that we now hold.
Indeed, our collections are the envy of many of the older Oxford
colleges. Then he described each of the displayed manuscripts, giving
us details of the backgrounds of each volume and highlighting elements
for us to look for. A particular gem was the Hebrew Bible 'vandalised' by
the (Christian) addition of illustrations. Another highlight was the earliest
manuscript in the College - not the 11th century glosses of St Paul, as I
had thought previously, but the 8th century fragments of a religious text
preserved in the bindings of a 15th century Venetian publication, the De
evangelica preparatione of Eusebius. Professor Hanna also told us that
the papers of Bishop Wilson, collected by John Keble himself but lost to
the College in the 1960s, were returned after being spotted in an auction
house catalogue by a librarian at Lambeth Palace Library.
Professor Hanna finished his talk by apologising for the inadvertent mis-
selling of the talk, but encouraging us, at the very most, to take a close
look at the volumes, a timely reminder to me that these items are not
merely artefacts for showing off but literary and theological works that
deserve to be studied closely.
Missing Links
Ruth Cowen in the Development Office received a letter in the New Year from Reg Price (1947), in which he
mentioned some poems he wrote for the Clock Tower while a student and how he would be thrilled if they could
be read again. Ruth asked me to dig out the Clock Tower from 1947-50 and while searching, I was brought
face-to-face with a problem the editions from Trinity Term 1949 to Hilary Term 1951 are missing, and
Knowledge (copied below) was the only poem I could find by Reg Price. It made me wonder what other printed
ephemera' of the College literati has gone missing over the years, and whether Old Members might fill the
voids. In particular there are gaps in the literary and satirical histories of the College. For the former, we have a
Reble of June 1933, Aurions from 1972-1975 and Forwards for 1983 and 1984, but nothing else. Did Keble
literature really stop 25 years ago, or have you such works in your loft or garage which you could lend me SO
that I may take preservation copies'?
The preservation of satire is perhaps less patchy, as the Archives contain copies of many such periodicals
covering roughly 1977 to 1999. Again, if you have copies of older (or more recent) vintages please get in touch.
Ify you do not want to send your copies but can scan them, e-mail them to me at archives@keble.ox.ac.uk.
From the Clock Tower Issue December 1948 page 9
The C
Knowledge
Knowledge is more than knowing
because it diminishes as we know.
Iti is more than a tape measure
stretching from pole to pole.
Iti is a slip knot on the soul, a spark
from the heart, an impress on the mind;
Where we find
an answer behind the light, escaping attention
like darkness in the night.
RI Price (1947)


brick
Development News
Higher Education Funding
The financial support of Old Members and Friends is a
bright ray of sunshine which breaks through the
current gloomy backdrop of ever-increasing cuts to
higher education. This support remains critical to the
College's success in meeting its aims of providing the
very best academic provision in a stimulating
environment for students who are themselves the very
YOU
best of their generation.
As a whole, the higher education sector is facing
financial cuts totalling nearly £450m next year alone.
Oxford's share is as yet undetermined though it is
anticipated to be larger than this year's £11m+ cuts.
The University has recently made its submission to the
Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance, chaired by Lord Browne. The Review
has to date focussed on what has happened since the introduction of tuition fees. The next phase of the Review,
on what the future should look like, won't be revealed until after the general election. The media focus is
predictably with the fee level. But as the Vice Chancellor, Andrew Hamilton has stated 'focussing on the level of
fees in isolation would be a serious mistake. The remit of the review is rather broader, and it is to be hoped that
it takes a long hard look at the wider context and the overall funding model. We have encouraged it to do SO
and we will, I am sure, be emphasising that point in a subsequent submission.'
The Talbot Fund is one of the best performing annual funds across Oxford, with one in three Old Members
contributing to date, and is greatly helping Keble to plug the funding gap. Membership of the Douglas Price
Legacy Society also continues to grow and is an especially valued way of supporting Keble. The College has
received legacies of more than £500,000 in the last two years to date. We truly appreciate the immense goodwill
and support of Old Members and Friends, past and present.
Please give today, and help the College thrive tomorrow.
Donate online at: www.keble.ox.ac.uk/alumni/development or email: talbot.fund@keble.ox.ac.uk
The Warden's Retirement Drinks Party
Summer Dinner and Parking Permit
Payment Details
Thursday 20 May
lenclose a cheque for the Total Amount (see overleaf) made payable to Keble
The Athenaeum, Pall Mall, London
College
Please charge my credit/debit card: Visa / MasterCard / Switch / Delta
Dress code: Jacket and tie
(please circle) for £
Grand Total see overleaf)
Tickets £20 to Old Members
Card Number
Please complete booking form and payment details (on flap above right)
and return to the Development Office.
Expiry Date (mm/yy)
Security Code
Switch Issue Date (mm/yy)
Switch Issue Number
Name
Year
Summer Dinner to mark the retirement of Isla Smith
Address_
Saturday 3 July
Postcode_
Email
Isla Smith, former Development Director retired at the end of 2009 after 12 years at the College
come and join us to mark her years at Keble
Signature_
Date
Drinks Reception at 7.00 pm followed by Dinner in Hall at 7.30 pm (Black Tie or Lounge Suit)
Parking 2010 Summer Dinner
Tickets £30 per person
Some parking permits in the Science Area, opposite Keble, are available at
28 each; valid from 7am Saturday 3. July until 7pm Sunday 4. July.
Guests Welcome
Iwould like a Parking Permit for the Science Area and:
Overnight accommodation available £35 for a single, £50 for a couple (including breakfast)
enclose a cheque for £8 (made out to Keble College)
Please complete booking form and payment details (on flap to right) and return to the Development Office.
authorise you to charge my credit/debit card with £8
This will only be charged to your account if a permit is allocated.


the
the
brick
brick
And Finally...
The Warden's
Keble Mother's Day Cards
Retirement Drinks
Party
For the first time the JCR have produced and sold Mothering Sunday
DE le
The Athenaeum
cards to raise money for charity. They chose to support Operation
Smile which helps children with cleft palates. Two images, taken by
Thursday 20 May 2010
Jason Sengel (2008), were sold to students and staff. It was a great
Please reserve a place for me at the Drinks Party
success and it is hoped, will become a tradition.
Tickets are £20 each (including light refreshments)
Abraham Knight
lenclose a cheque for (made payable to Keble College) or charge
my credit/debit card: Visa / MasterCard / Switch / Delta (please circle) for
£.. (we cannot accept American Express)
Tile Delivery
Card Number
The College took delivery of 7,500 tiles from specialist period tile manufacturers, Craven
Dunhill Jackfield, in December. With 1,200 still to come, there will be sufficient to replace
Expiry Date (mm/yy)
Start Date (mm/yy)
the entire Hall floor over time.
Issue No
NB Security Code
Made from pressed clay-dust, the new tiles are perfectly colour-matched to the originals
The College cannot process your payment without the 3-digit security code on
and have continuous colour throughout the 20mm thickness. The original grey tiles were
the reverse of your card. You may prefer to send this number under separate
encaustic, having the colour only on the surface, which wore away over time.
cover, i.e. post, email or phone
The first phase of the Hall floor repair to the worst affected areas, in the serving area and
Signature_
the middle part of an aisle, was completed over the Christmas break in 2008. The
Please send tickets to me:
remaining floor will be replaced in phases as it wears out and begins to fail, which could
take 50-60
Name
Matriculation
years.
Address
Mystery return
Postcode_
AI Keble Association
Email
sign (black lettering
Please sendi this form to:
on varnished oak)
Annéka Salvat, Development Office, Keble College, Oxford OX1 3PG
was
Tel: 01865 282303 Email: anneka.salvat@kebled .oX. ac.uk
mysteriously
returned to the
College in
mid-March. It had
2010 Summer Dinner
KEBLE
evidently been
to mark the retirement of
displayed in the
College at one time.
Isla Smith
ASSOCIATION Posted from the USA
in an envelope with
Saturday 3 July 2010
the words 'St John's Class of 1988' in the top left
Please send me.
..Summer Dinner tickets @ £30 each
hand corner, there is no clue as to who might
have sent it. The name 'Barry Mackenzie' is
Summer Dinner Total £.
pencilled on the back but with a bit of sleuthing
Please reserve the following accommodation:
we found no such person at St John's or indeed
at Keble dispelling our first thoughts that a
Single room @ £35.00
Couple rate @ £50.00
guilt-ridden St John's Old Member was returning In January a 'Snow Warden' appeared by the Halls steps but didn't
ill-gotten spoils! Any ideas?
hang around long...
Twin room preference (allocated on first-come basis)
the brick
Total Amount (Dinner and B&B) £
thel brick is written, designed and produced by current Keble students, with the assistance off thel Keble Development Office.
Special Dietary or other Requirements (self & guests
Producer/Designer: Seacourt Printing
Development Office: Jenny Tudge, Ruth Cowen, Camilla Matterson and DB Lenck
Published by Keble College, Oxford. Printed in the UKI by Seacourt Printing. Distribution Services by Oxford Address.
the brick is copyright O 2010 Keble College, Oxford, OX1 3PG. All rights of the individual contributors arer reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or translated in any form, by any means mechanical, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent of
Summer Dinner guest name/s
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Printedby *Seacourt to the most stringent environmental systems using Waterless Offset (0%
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Please return this form by Friday 18 June to:
and FSC
The Development Office, Keble College, Oxford OX1 3PG Tel: 01865 282303
Editors: Jenny Cutting, Lynn Edwards, Cordelia Hay, Jennifer Hunt, Jason Sengel and Laura Wilson
Contributors and photographers: The Warden, Michael Burns, Anna Fox, Tatiana Hennessy, Jemimah Kuhfeld, Abraham Knight,
Rob Petre, Adam Pimperton and Jason Sengel


Dr Elias, with some amusement, imitated my look of shock over the medieval
lover's urine. His one good eye behind enormous thick lenses made me feel ashamed
at being caught in a moment of stupidity. But that stupidity' had nothing to do with
me at all, although I of course, in the adolescent way, blamed myself for it. What
automated my facial muscles, long before any conscious thoughts had formed in my
head, was an inherited notion which said specific things about urine. And these had
been laid down not by my mother but by people perhaps centuries before her. She
inherited it like I did.
When the paranoiac sees derision in a slight raising of the eyebrows he perceives
wrongly. For himself, he perceives rightly. In fact he knows. But he doesn't know at
all. He knows falsely.
Ibegan to suspect that we know' the outside world falsely, and that much of
what we call objective knowledge is false knowledge. My mistake hitherto had been to
see thoughts as always conscious and therefore chosen. Whereas they are as hidden
from us as the nerve-transmission is that makes my hand recoil from scalding water.
Our word environment shows how little we take our own perceiving into account.
It encloses a false idea. It describes something that doesn't exist. It means inside a
circuit', as if there were a fixed world outside' us and a receiving world inside'. But
our perceptions make the outside'. Itis they that process all information. And when
we use the world alienation we really refer not to the state of being alienated from an
outside' world but one of self-alienation--from our own perceptions, which lead us
where we wish not to go, and put into our mouths sentences we wish not to speak.
The word habitat is much better because it includes us as a function within its
processes. It takes in the ideas of nourishment and sustenance. So we describe cities
and industrial sites as environments while tropical forests are habitats.


Clisf 26
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only but Europe 'which got us all into war'. A spectator on board a cruiser in the
Gulf claps his hands politely at the launch of a missile which in a moment will be
the cause of screams he will never hear. No welfare officers for these people? no
sympathetic eerie doctors? no fine questioning to establish the degree of
discrimination "? What discrimination? It is the normality that has to be
investigated, not the aberration.
Chap.31 ISpy with a Killer's Eye. I examine the trial of the Russian serial killer
Andrei Chikatillo (1992). His capture was especially difficult because everyone
thought he must be a departure from the norm, on the basis of the theory that the
norm is the sane. Communist doctrine (which turned the inherited do-evil-for-good
reflex into a philosophical school) was sensitive on this issue. More than 100
homosexuals were booked. Not until Lieut. Colonel Burakov called in a
psychiatrist who knew something about Western investigations of such crimes did
the hunt proper start. A serial killer doing time gave him a tip: look for someone of
moral rectitude. Chikatillo was a quiet married man with two children, a one-time
teacher whose dream was to own an impressive private library. He committed 56
(known) murders. He wasjudged sane. The theology on this subject is that the
killer has shown an excess of animality, not insanity. In fact an excess ofthought is
the cause, belonging more to the effete than to any form of wildlife. Freud (no
disbeliever in this animality theology) said homo homini lupus, man is a wolf and
you had better defend yourself against him. Accurate or calculated killing depends
on a low state ofanimal energy, not a high one. In the case of the soldier hot
animal energy distracts from battle tasks. Terror too eclipses concentration. This is
why a shot of rum got them 'over the top' in the 1914 war, and why some officers
of suicidal intent got drunk in order to fling themselves on the enemy in the 1939
war. A one-time sniper in the 7th Marines in Vietnam killed 41 men in the course
ofhis duties. He tells how he, like all soldiers, was trained to kill without emotion.
'But despite what the Marine Corps teaches, you're never quite prepared to take a
life'. Much ofhis distress when he looks back lies in his memory of the last gaze of
the man he killed, seen through a telescopic lens. The train drivers on the 170-mile
commuter link in Los Angeles display an immediate sane distress at causing death.
People walk on the line, cars try to slip round the closed gate. Again, it is looking
into those people'seyes. One engineer had to live through 17 fatalities.
Sleeplessness, withdrawal, flashbacks, mental rewriting of the scene, moments of
extreme agitation, stomach and head problems, sweaty palms, heat palpitations,
sore muscles are the response, the natural response. But wherever the human
gloats on death and cruelty, fictive or otherwise, the sympathetic bond (a
physiological facet not an attitude) that unites every animal group erodes slowly but
surely.
Chap.32 Fleet Footed Hermes, Flat Footed Man. Iexamine the concept 'enemy'
in our civilisation, that is the creature who must be removed, made to suffer,
degraded with pleasure. The word itself comes from the root non-friend as in the
word 'inimical'. . It is apparent in the first stages of the Hellenic civilisation. It
gripped Ulysses as it did every hero since. It gripped Christian mystical thought as
satan, the infidel, the pagan, the 'bent'. Yet not until now did ordinary people,
those who produced the food and stabled the horses and milked the cows, show


signs ofinstability. Until the end of the 1939 war 'we could rely on a firm ballast
ofs sound-nerved labouring families to compensate for the actions of enlightened
people at the top.' , After 1945 there was ever more talk of a virtually new
phenomenon, 'depression', which quickly gave way to 'stress', , as it became clear
that it was a seeming pressure from outside. At first these complaints came most
from the affluent classes, just as the 'unmotivated' crime did. As new money
circulated a much large middle class came into being until there was nothing else
but middle class. European wisdom saw this as the inevitable americanisation of
the world following on an American war victory but in fact it was a process that
had been going on since medieval times, namely the fragmentation ofauthority
wherever it showed its head More books were read, more plays and films were
seen, more music was heard and more discussion went on but there were increasing
indications that this had nothing to do with the propagation of old middle class
values at all. So the new universal middle class wasn'ta middle class in anything
but name (another word corpsed but in full currency). Everyone was now an
intellectual, even ifhe was illiterate. It was what the schoolmen had dreamed about
and nineteenth-century evangelism yearned for universal education would alone
bring the hominid to peace and virtue). Children were growing up with SO little
contact with the habitat (itself collapsing) that by 1998 vaccinologists were
suggesting a 'dirt' vaccine which put back needed wild bacteria into the body's
system, lest auto-immunity break down altogether in this new strange breed of
disconnected entities. The upwardly mobile enlightenment programme which by
now had been in action for over two thousand years, far from having got us to the
light at the top, had us wallowing in the darkness at the bottom. The species was
clearly sending out distress signals in the same way as that giant immune system
we call the outer habitat was. Elm trees were dying, plant life galore, namely the
food and oxygen source for the many thousands of species, which also began
dying. It was apparently not a good idea for intellectuals to have SO much power
over the physiological resources which provided them with life. Finally we were
promised holidays in space in space suits and on the moon in our special oxygen
tents, looking out on a landscape where nothing grows and into a space that is
simply, simply blue. The 'situation' was now SO blatantly, perilously obvious that
only a new phase in our civilisation could offer if not hope at least survival, since it
would mean the uprooting of attitudes, for attitudes contain the design ofhow we
act. When walking dementia goes beyond certain set limits containment techniques
begin to take over, and the first symptom is a proliferation of sects, lethal as well as
holy. The old civilisation (still present in our thought-reflexes like the dead knight
borne along on his horse) hits out at these, indicting and sometimes banning and
even gutting their abodes, but soon itself begins to look like just another sect
maintaining its point of view. At this point we are free. It is the kind of freedom
from the past and future that belongs specifically to the fall of a civilisation. Among
other things we are free for the first time to see that our fallen civilisation derived
from -a sect. The competition is on and from the freedom which frightens us
because we all need a system to live by comes a new dementia-containing
theology, and with joy freedom is abandoned for truth once again.
V11


Aras-prias
hhvs
NOT ANOTHER REBIRTH?
Chap.33 Decoding Our Forbidden Origins. The moment we are provided with
an up to date picture of 'what went wrong (for this is always our shrewd way of
covering up our inherited baggage of destructive ideas to imply that things could
have gone 'right") we have a further duplicitous reflex-thought waiting in the
wings: the most deceitful question homo sapiens ever put, What are we going to do
about it' By this time our animal study should have put us on permanent alert
against sapiens attitudes, and disciplined us to look inside them in order to test the
ground for sanity. Rebirth has had an obsessive hold on both the first and the third
phase of the Hellenic civilisation, for this is what our civilisation is. Rebirth was
implicit in the reincarnation theme of Greek religion, i.e. we reincarnate in ever
better forms, and can go back to animal form ijf we aren 't attentive. Socrates was
most eloquent in praise of the after-life. Aristotle's happy man, self-fulfilled,
couldn't say ifhe was happy or self-fulfilled until most ofhis life had already been
lived (this is the birth of 'historical man', , a creature as far from an animal as can be
conceived). In Christianity the rebirth idea, detached from reincarnation (this being
abolished in committee), became a struggle to emerge from darkness to light, sin to
grace, and directly reflected the non-animal theology which say humans as
emerging by effort from animality. There is hardly a period in Christian history that
couldn'tbe or hasn't been called a rebirth. The nineteenth century, hyperactive
with steam energy and the promise ofi instant global communication, was both
convinced that steam was a rebirth and that it was nemesis, according to who was
speaking. The middle ages were studied again and found to be superior by some
and inferior by others to the new steamy life. In that same period the word
Renaissance came into vogue, the French giving elegance to a notion that the best
scholars off the Medici Florence like John Hale reject but are obliged to follow if
they are going to make sense to others. The Renaissance was (and is) seen by most
historians as what started the modern' world, SO there is an enlightenment
programme interest behind this. The only new thing about the epoch, and the key to
it, more than any rebirth, was the ancient Greek texts which Cosimo Medici sent
people, particularly Arabs, far and wide in search of Yet what I call 'the Greek
code' was never cracked. It was never allowed to. The price was too high, as
Giordano Bruno saw. So our origins have never been understood, and much of
what Christendom has sought helter-skelter to attain (particularly in science) has
been based on a misunderstanding. We are still Greeks, a fact which the Christian
sect (because many of them were Greek) wished to prevent. Ifyou look at one of
the last scenes in Homer's Odyssey (reminding yourself that this was the Hellenic
bible) you will find a Hollywood filmscript wherein precisely the same self-
vindicating paranoia of the 'hero' bent on a murder spree is present, a script which
though in Homer's hand conveyed no longer the artist but the hysteria excited by
visualised revenge. In the Hollywood material stunt men fly head-first through
glass partitions onto other stunt men and crashing tables. Chairs, mirrors, bottles fly
too. For the cowboy variant all you need is a sandy square big enough to house say
twenty corpses spreadeagled. There is shooting from the hip, from arm's length,
from the eye. The self-vindicating cowboy is attacked from behind and sideways as
well as from the front but he swings round and there in the last twitches is another


corpse. The square is beginning to look like an open-air abattoir without a system.
The hero strolls hippily away, a walking-tall sample of walking dementia. In the
same pubescent tone Homer describes the return ofUlysses to his own court. He
faces courtiers who have tried to usurp his crown and marry his queen. He hears
about their intrigues. And one by one he carves the courtiers down. They too spring
at him from all sides. In fact they fill the doorways like tiny armies. It is the birth of
the arch-paranoiac Superman, SO far gone in his destruction of the hurt and hunted
animal within that he isn't even rude to those whom he destroys. Ulysses's son
Telemachus is rightly perplexed by all this, as ifto say What's s happened to dad all
ofa sudden?' Itis a cheap and tawdry scene that runs in our blood It manifests in
the doubt that haunts The Odyssey, assails all its characters from time to time. Here
was life as an hyperactive ejourney ofquest From this life-eroding fantasy we have
never been free, not in three thousand years. Future time has always been the best
time. So the question isn'tl how can we get it right but when do we choose to
relinquish this fantasy of the hero who stars in his own ridiculous stories and
behind whom sits an animal pure and simple and haunted?
Chap.34. The Golden Genitals. The Greek word psyche (more properly psuche)
came from the verb 'to blow' or 'to cool' It meant soul and mind and thought, and
it cooled the fevered heart. Hermes fleet off foot, winged, brought messages from
the gods, that is intelligence in the two senses (illumination and information) and
these came through the psyche. He was the successor of Thoth the Egyptian god of
wisdom, knowledge and (white) magic. The Greek temples had different initiatory
forms but the four Orphic stages of the initiation were stages shared by all of them,
and by all forms ofinitiation we know about. True initiation, whether in central
Africa or Siberia, seems to accord with the shared human physiology. The stages
were as follows: purification (the therapeutic effect), 'descent' into a condition like
sleep or trance (katàbasis or the journey into the underworld), unification with the
daemon or 'real' or 'peer' self for the first time, and finally a state ofidentity with
Dionysios, the god ofrebirth. This last was the jewel in the crown, a rebirth strictly
in terms of visions and a sense of mastery which had nothing to do with power or
tools extension or navigating the habitat. It simply changed the initiate for ever. He
or she could only look back on the former life like a sympathetic and curious
stranger. Dionysios was the god of all the Greek mysteries or initiations. Like
Apollo he was a son of Zeus. Apollo was god of the sun, also associated with
Orpheus, who took fire as the symbol of what initiation achieved (hence "Orphic'
rites). The Greek gods themselves were already a kind of rebirth (through
initiation) from the earlier Titans, the 'wild' gods who weren't subtle enough in
Homer's sense. Initiation was designed to end alienation in the human, SO that he
belonged, and in this it was the very basis ofthe Hellenic civilisation, its technique
to contain the human tragedy of eroded faculties. This isn'tto say that it always
succeeded, or that it had the same strength (masters) in every place and every
epoch. The emperor Julian was initiated at Eleusis in the Orphic rite and his habit
of sacrificing thousand ofheifers at a time didn't change. We shall never crack the
code of the Greek gods, why they existed and what they were doing unless we see
them as demonstrating and dramatising the initiation. Greek tragedy too was the
same code, designed to baffle but move (through 'pity and terror', , the chief


emotions ofi initiation) the non-initiate. Ariadne and the golden thread, Cybele and
Attis, Orpheus and his search for his dead wife, Demeter and her search for her
daughter (in the underworld), Isis's search for Osiris, they are references to
initiation. Isis finds that Osiris has been cut into little pieces and she puts them
together again but the genitals are missing and these she remakes from gold, a
reference to the new. sex that comes with the new birth, a sex of such delight that it
is called divine (we kiss under mistletoe because this was sometimes twined round
the thyrsis carried by the Bearer of the Phallus in the Dionysiac celebrations)
Aristotle and Plato both mention the initiations, Socrates speaks in the visionary
manner of one who has been through initiation, is describing and living the
'rebirth'. The initiations degenerated and tended to disappear in Roman times but
were still extant in some form in the Christian era. This is perhaps why the idea of
a1 mediator or saviour was much in the Roman air, a longing for someone who
would come into the world and transform it, give it a material rebirth, after the
decline of the old initiatory masters. The idea was prevalent in the popular
Mithraist sect which came from Persia. Mithras was the power ofl light or the sun,
born from a rock. He fought with the sun and then came his ally. He killed a bull
whose blood poured blessing on the earth and turned his head away while plunging
the knife in because he was killing a fellow being created divinely. It means the
birth ofa 'light' person, the death oft the dark' one. From this derives the use ofthe
bull for acrobatic play at Knossos and the typical Christian perversion into slow
torture death in a bull 'fight' (the old concept of a bull game is reviving, viz. the
Nimes arena games, now twenty years old). The Christian era did it best to sink the
Hellenic world into a crude and superstitious void, while adopting its initiatory
terms, even 'mystery', but never understanding them. The result was that 'rebirth'
and 'quest' and journey' were thought to be about the world, and knowledge ofi it,
and power in it, and not about the self. This was fatal even for Christianity. I recall
an earlier reference in this book to my philosophy teacher Donald Mackinnon's
book The Borderlands ofTheology which mentioned the Hegelian interpretation of
Christ's Noli me tangere' to Mary Magdalene after he had risen as meaning that
she shouldn't attach herself so closely to him in the flesh (this echoes a similar
admonition from St. Paul, 11 Corinthians) but be him in themselves. This failure of
understanding compounded difficulties for a human already different from other
animals in not having an inherited self Initiation' and 'religion' and vision' and
'gods' and civilisation' are simply our names for ways to refind this inherited self,
not systems or cosmogonies. They are methods of conveying the visionary to large
numbers and may not have the terms 'God' or immortality' or heaven' or 'hell' or
'creation' in their vocabulary (Buddhism is an example). We carry about with us an
astonishing archival system which we cannot explain with our present dead terms
for explaining things. We archive an infinite number of memories and attitudes and
ideas and doctrines and half-thoughts and personal predispositions and goals
apparently unconscious until they are achieved without these archives being visible
or physical. They are SO vast that we frequently find our recall system inadequate.
This is SO when someone else remembers a scene which we shared with them much
better than we do. Then, after a few reminding words, we have a flash and can
remember aspects of the scene which seem very close to us, such that we can't


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MARVIN (çont.) I must say that last scream was even better than the first.
LIZZY:
I wasn't acting that time.
MARVIN:
You never do otherwise than act, my dear, we are ofthe same breed.
(Taking her affectionately round the waist) I suppose you're
wondering what that little display ofl knives is about?
LIZZY:
Yes ham.
MARVIN:
It's my little museum. Several of the daggers date backto 1701.
(Pulling one out) Garrick! (Replacing it and pulling out two others)
These were used to murder Duncan in Henry Irving's Lyceum
production in 1888. (Replacing them) And thén of course there are
the most up to date ones you can find on the market. I used a 1963
spring dagger onyou which quite frankly Vdidn't expect to work. But,
as you see (indicating her blood) it was most efficient. Now why don't
you slip behind that screen and put on my dressing gowns? (Drawing
her to the screen) You'll find a wash basin, hopefully it won't have
stained your lovely costume too much, put it in soak of course.
She follows his instructions
helplessly, disappearing behind
the screen. We hear running
water.
MARVIN (cont.) That is Clarissa's dress from May Buds isn't it?
LIZZY (off)
Yes.
MARVIN:
Ihave éyes in my little arse don't I? Did you put it on to flatter me?
LIZZY (off)
I thought it might give you pleasure.
MARVIN:
Where did you find it?
LIZZY (off)
An opera house.
MARVIN:
Which one?
LIZZY (off)
That's my business. I know someone in Wardrobe there. They'd want