Leaver's Post ...

Sadly, at the end of this term, SPS is saying farewell to Miss Muir, dedicated supporter of all things environmental and literary, founder of EcoSoc (and its excellent blog) and generous contributor to many of our posts over the last six years. After Easter, Miss Muir is returning to her original career as an English teacher: she very kindly paused in her preparations for next term's teaching to answer the book blog's leaver's questionnaire.   

What were you reading when you were a teenager?

When I was 14 years old, I was not fond of reading. I found it tedious to sit around and read words without any purpose. However, everything changed when I picked up J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. 

The first-person narrative voice of Holden Caulfield and the setting of New York caught my attention and sparked my interest in literature. I found the novel relevant and essential to my teenage life, and I couldn't help but agree with Holden Caulfield's opinion of humanity - that most people were 'phony'.

After reading The Catcher in the Rye, I started spending all my pocket money to take a bus into town every Saturday to buy a book (since online shopping was not yet available in those days). I knew I had found my passion and wanted to immerse myself in literature at university.

What are you planning to read this holiday?

After Easter, I will resume teaching English. Therefore, I plan to spend most of my time re-reading and revisiting the exam texts during the upcoming holidays. I am also eagerly anticipating the release of Elif Shafak's new novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, when published this summer. I find her writing style concise yet captivating.

What/who is your all-time favourite book/writer?

This question is quite challenging, but if I had to choose, I would say that Shakespeare is my favourite writer. I realise he's a typical and obvious choice, and I wanted to sound cooler by mentioning an obscure writer. 

(Shakespeare is always cool)

However, Shakespeare's words never fail to move me, no matter how often I read or hear them. Shakespeare's work has also contributed significantly to English literature and influenced idiomatic expressions and culture. Therefore, I always bow down to the Bard!

Who’s your favourite fictional character?

My favourite fictional characters inspire me. I aspire to embody a combination of Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle, Flora Poste from Cold Comfort Farm, and Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. All three characters possess impressive intelligence, practicality, and a keen understanding of others.

Romola Garai, Kate Beckinsale and Emma Thompson as Cassandra, Flora and Elinor respectively

Do you have a favourite word/favourite line from a book?

Miss Muir replied: 'I have too many favourite lines, so please edit if you wish!'  But we wouldn't dream of it: her favourite lines are all fabulous, and deserve to be shared.  

'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.' (I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith)

'Well, when I am fifty-three or so I would like to write a novel as good as Persuasion but with a modern setting, of course. For the next thirty years or so, I shall be collecting material for it. If anyone asks me what I work at, I shall say, 'Collecting material'. No one can object to that.' (Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons)

'She liked Victorian novels. They were the only kind of novel you could read while eating an apple.' (also from Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons)

'I will be calm; I will be mistress of myself.' (Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen)

'We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.' ('Human Family', Maya Angelou: and you can hear Maya Angelou reading the whole of this poem here)

 

'The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,

And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,

When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,

Then how should I begin

To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?' 

('The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock', T S Eliot)

T S Eliot in 1910-11, around the time that he wrote 'Prufrock'

'There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.' (Hamlet, Shakespeare)

Papa Essiedu as Hamlet (RSC, 2016)

If you had to recommend one book that everyone should read, what would it be?

I would like to share my opinions on two books that I read. Firstly, my favourite book of 2023 was Babel by R.F. Kuang, which I mentioned in a previous blog post. It combines magic realism with colonialist issues and is presented as a bildungsroman, making it a perfect literary joy for me!

Secondly, I highly recommend the novel Ocean Sea by Alessandro Barrico. I first read it in 2000, and it was like reading a tonic after studying some heavy English texts while at Oxford! The book is a magical realist story that showcases a diverse set of characters whose lives intersect and then diverge again, mirroring the ebb and flow of the ocean. 

Structurally, the novel is like a cubist painting, and the narrative flows lyrically; it's so beautifully written that I often read it aloud.

We'd like to thank Miss Muir, not just for taking the time to provide such lovely answers to the book blog's questions, but for everything she's given so generously to SPS and its community over the last six years. We're very sorry to see her go, but we wish her all the best in her return to English teaching after Easter: her students will be incredibly lucky to have the support of her wisdom, patience, good humour and insight in their future studies. Happy holidays and happy reading!