The End of Hilary Term
What should have been the finale of Hilary term turned out to be the prologue of Trinity term. Some of the beginnings that started this week lasted for a few terms, but some things lasted for the rest of my life. When you are planting seeds for the future, you do not know at the time if they are annuals or perennials.
Shrove Tuesday
I have no recollection of eating pancakes on the Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday prior to coming to Oxford. The chaplain invited us to his room for pancakes, which were nothing like the American pancakes that I was expecting. They were thin, crepe-like pancakes, pale yellow with dark spots. There was no maple syrup. The pancakes were sprinkled with white sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, then folded or rolled. The idea was to finish off the eggs and fat that would be given up for Lent but also to fill up on carbohydrates to make it through the next day’s fast on Ash Wednesday. The chaplain invited us to attend the Ash Wednesday service at 6:00 p.m. the next day, then stop by his room afterwards for some soup and bread to break the fast. This was the beginning of Lent.
Encounter in the Rain
Victor and I had been seeing each other secretly all term. For some reason, on Wednesday night, we decided to change from my room to Victor’s flat at 48 Beaumont Place. It was a five-minute walk on a rainy night close to midnight, so we thought it would be safe to walk together. That was a miscalculation. In the Lamb & Flag passage, we ran into someone that Victor knew. I hid my face underneath the umbrella and could not see the man he was talking to, who had a slightly French accent. The man inquired who I was, so Victor introduced us.
When I peeked out from underneath the umbrella, I saw a tall, black man with gold-rimmed glasses. Victor said his name was Moïse (Moses) Chilufya and that he was a Rhodes scholar from Zambia and president of the Africa Society. We talked for a few more minutes then went on. I thought that it was unlikely that Moïse knew K.P., so no harm was done—I simply failed to imagine where this was going.
Finding an Income
I continued to do child-minding for the Goldeys as I had during Michaelmas term, but I added two new sources of income at the end of Hilary term.
As I wrote to my mother in a letter dated March 8, 1987, “I have been hired as a tutor by a small American liberal arts college called Shimer College. The way it works is that Shimer College sends about a dozen students to live in Oxford for the school year. They send one faculty member who teaches them their basic core courses. This faculty member then arranges people to tutor them in their elective courses. So, I have one student that I am teaching about James Joyce. We will meet for an hour each week (for which I am paid £15 pounds or about $25). This is not exactly earning a living, but it is enough money to pay for my food. More important is that I can list this as teaching experience on my resume.”
When I first arrived in Oxford, I had contacted Oxford University Press and asked to do freelance copyediting. They finally got back to me. I was invited to be part of a group of six new freelance editors. Another American graduate student and English major, Christine Ferdinand, was also in the group. I knew her from our classes. She was the student that I saw walking with our Bibliography professor on Park Street.
We had an in-house training session with the Editorial Department at the Oxford University Press building on Walton Street and were sent home with our first manuscripts to edit.
A Plan for My Thesis
With the exams behind me, I made a plan for my thesis. This is what I wrote in my notebook from 1987:
“1. Translate entire Les Phéniciens et l'Odyssée.
2. Trace the words from Notebook VIII.A.5 in Ulysses text. (A) Hanley word list; (B) Gabler hand list; (C) entire re-reading of the book.
3. Analysis of Stuart Gilbert’s treatment of Bérard.
4. Analysis of Michael Seidel’s treatment of Bérard.
5. Read of all [Joyce’s] letters for material on Bérard. (A) 3 published volumes; (B) locate all unpublished letters.
6. Complete review of materials in the James Joyce Archive for other materials related to Bérard.
7. Examine facsimile of Rosenbach manuscript.
8. Identification of all Bérard papers that are still extant and their locations.
9. Review Bérard’s papers for evidence of contact with Joyce, Eliot, or their acquaintances.
10: Analysis: What of himself did Joyce find in Bérard? Why and how did Joyce use Bérard’s work?
11. Extensive review of secondary material and compilation of bibliography.”
Spring Break
In the letter to my mother, I wrote, “And finally I should mention that I will be coming back to the USA for the first three weeks of April. [My housemate/ex] is paying for my flight [to visit him in Columbia, Missouri, where he had a one-year teaching position in the History Department at the University of Missouri]. There is only a slight chance that we will be coming North during that period. But at least we will be able to talk on the phone. Say hello to Joan and Matt and the kids when you see them. Also, I hope you have a good Spring Break, be sure to drive carefully.”
The newsletter will resume at the start of Trinity term on April 24, 2022.
Until then, have a fun Spring Break and Happy Easter.
The pancakes actually look tasty....