3/29: Virginia Woolf, and an Eavesdropping Assignment

• A lovely essay about Virginia Woolf and her habit of "street haunting" in London can be found here.

Today, we'll be doing a little "street haunting" of our own in preparation for Creative Response #2.

We'll be headed to Trafalgar Square and its environs in order to eavesdrop on the conversations of people around us.  Trafalgar Square, specifically the base of Nelson's Tower, is nicknamed "the place where London meets." So, there should be plenty of people there.

Please record ten snatches of conversation EXACTLY as you hear them. The idea here is to hone our dialogue skills, and also practice what the American author, but total anglophile, Henry James suggested about a writer being a person "on whom nothing is lost." Perceptiveness! WE SHALL WORK ON IT!

Use good judgment. People should not know you are listening in. As Han Solo wisely said: "Keep your distance Chewie, but don't look like you're keeping your distance."

Nerd alert: Han shot first. Case closed.

Once you have your TEN snatches of conversation down, the rest of our time in Trafalgar Square is yours. Should the weather be unkind, you can gather your notes in the nearby National Portrait Gallery. St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, also nearby, is a lovely church, which has a nice café that might be good for eavesdropping, too.

We'll be taking the Bakerloo line to Charring Cross. There should be signs at CC that lead us to Trafalgar.

Additionally, the Strand, which Woolf mentions in "Street Haunting," begins at Trafalgar. You might wander that way, following Woolf's footsteps if you have time.

Virginia Woolf's bust in Tavistock Square, Bloomsbury

For Creative Response #2, please use some of the dialogue you recorded in a new scene, 2-3 pages long. This scene should feature a character out for a walk. The purpose of the walk is your decision. On this walk, the character should encounter other people, either in observation or interaction. Mold the dialogue you overheard to suit your purposes. Remember dialogue serves as text and subtext.

On Tuesday 6/4, please turn in a typed transcript of the conversations you took note of, as well as your CR #2, typed, titled, and double-spaced. Also for Tuesday, please read "Strange Comfort Afforded by the Profession" in your book.

p.s. In Lowry's story, the narrator wanders around Keats' house in Rome. You can visit another of Keats' houses, here in London. Check out the link!