Tales from Cambridge Yesteryear: Discoveries

October 2004, Simone and I cycle to our supervisor's flat near the station. I'm still a bit scared of cycling on the roads and am getting used to my new form of transport; Simone cycles like a mad woman - an old habit from being constantly late for work and having to hurry. As afraid as I am of cycling, it's nothing compared to my fear of Medieval supervisions and Cambridge supervisors. We arrive at Charles's house for our first Chaucer supervision. I hesitate before going in, and say to Simone: "I know this is going to sound really thick, but when was Chaucer writing?". She says: "I don't know. No idea". I ask, "Yes, but what century?". Again, she says "I honestly have no idea. Fuck!". I think: how can Cambridge be accused of elitism when it accepts the two of us?

Months later, we are studying Shakespeare. I ring Simone with a remarkable discovery I have made:

Me: Simone! You'll never guess what I've discovered!

Mo: What? Tell me, tell me!

Me: Well, you know the John of Gaunt who was Chaucer's patron, the husband of Blanche, as in Book of the Duchess...?

Mo: Yes?

Me: Well, that's the same John of Gaunt that is in Shakespeare's Richard II!

Mo: NO!! Really? People should be told!

Furthermore, I later realise that the Richard II in Shakespeare's play of the same name is the very same Richard II who was on the throne when Chaucer was writing. Isn't that remarkable? I may get a paper published one day...

In later news: Simone discovers a punctuation mark in an Emily Dickinson poem...