This time, I decided to write something a bit different.
I’ve realised that all of my posts are dedicated to the year abroad, which is fine, considering this was the purpose: what I do here, trips, university, nice photos and, mainly, lots of complaining. In short, all very nice slash fun, but it could be anyone writing. And, after all, this is my blog. My friends more or less know me, but I want to leave something behind, something that, in 40 or 50 years’ time (hopefully), I could look back to, to remember how I was, my obsessions interests, in short what made my 21-year-old self… myself.
I might regret writing this, so let’s write while I’m still in the mood. Films, books, tv series, mainly. I don’t need much, really. That and a good internet connection, otherwise I might freak out. (Katy called it my need for an “internet fix”, how true…)
1. Harry Potter
I can’t even begin to describe how big an impact this series had had on my life, especially the books. I received a copy of the Italian translation of the Philosopher’s Stone on my eighth birthday, a lovely gift by my friend Giulia, so it’s been 13 years now, almost 14. I didn’t know this then, of course, but I am now fully aware that a chain of events started then, leading to myself attending a British university and, probably, if everything goes as planned, spending the rest of my life in the UK. I learnt first proper Italian with the translation, and English the way I know it, which I suppose isn’t that bad, thanks to the original. It’s the book I always turn to when I’m upset, when I’m sad and nothing else works. Besides, I don’t know what came first, liking Hermione or growing up to be like her. There’s no literary character I’ve ever felt this close to. I’m not as remotely intelligent as she is, of course, and she’s far braver, but her decisions could be mine, the way she deals with feelings, the willingness to learn, her inner strength and her frailties… Plus, she’s a badass.
I might not always think about Harry Potter, in fact I might not think about it for months, but then, all of a sudden, memories come back from the past and I realise how big it has been. And the best thing about it is that I’m not the only one. Harry Potter has been the highlight of my generation, and of this I’m very proud.
2. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
The other huge part of my childhood, that’s what Tolkien’s world has been to me. The Lord of the Rings is a tale of epic proportions, together with film trilogy, which, to be honest, came first. I had tried reading the book by myself when I was 8, but it was maybe too early. I set things right at 12 and now Middle Earth is a world I wouldn’t be able to leave even if I could: it is the archetype of fantasy, but there’s so much more. History, a language created from scratch, poetry and universal values, that’s what makes this story so special to me. On a side note, Eowyn is badass as well.
The Hobbit has not marked my childhood, of course, but I see it as a natural continuation of my LotR love, albeit as a prequel. I think a tiny but persistent crush on Martin Freeman is due to this film. And it was partly thanks to this that I got to obsession n.3.
3. Sherlock
You know those moments when your life completely changes? That’s basically what happened to my 19-year-old self in the evening of 27th January 2013. My friend Ana had told me: “Have you watched BBC Sherlock? I think you might like it.” And she didn’t know how big an understatement that was, although I don’t know how I got to be this hopelessly devoted to this show. It has honestly been a turning point in my interests: I love how witty the plot of the episodes is, the depth of the psychological characterisation of protagonists and secondary characters alike, the numerous and clever winks to the Canon and the complex nature of John and Sherlock’s relationship (I will just leave it there on this particular point…). Hermione is, after all, a young Sherlock Holmes (maybe that’s why I love both to bits), a huge part of crime fiction literature derives from A. C. Doyle’s creation, and that’s mainly thanks to Sherlock that I got interested into certain specific social themes. I’m not sure that was exactly the point of the show (although I could give a thousand reasons why it would be the second endgame), but that’s the result. Together with a huge, undying crush on Benedict Cumberbatch.
4. Doctor Who
Ana’s second big mistake was telling me about Doctor Who and how amazing it was. I knew it was a very big part of British popular culture, so I was bound to watch it sooner or later, but I couldn’t imagine how it would grow on me, how fond I would become of it. I loved the first four series, basically the R. T. Davies era, and I have a very difficult and ambiguous position on the Moffat era (Moff, please, go back to Sherlock, I like you better as a writer than as a showrunner). I like how sci-fi and the human, emotional side of the characters manage to coexist here. Love, friendship, courage and an awful lot of humour, what else could I desire? (The little crush on David Tennant goes without saying)
5. Downton Abbey
I started watching this series last summer because my mum, who’s not the average soap-opera viewer (I doubt she ever watched an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, which is unfortunately very popular in Italy, and I don’t think she’d ever want to know about British soaps) literally loved Downton to bits, and this made me curious. I watched the first episode and I was interested. I watched the second and I quite enjoyed it. From the third onwards, I was completely hooked. And so it happened that I got to the end of series five a few weeks ago (it premiered on ITV on 21st September 2014). Romance, social classes either co-existing or clashing, this is a period drama with all the characteristics of its genre, but with unexpected plot twists, lavish costumes and a stunning Hampshire manor as the main set.
6. A Song of Ice and Fire
Violent, brutal, realistic, but with remarkable character psychological analysis and development, ASoIaF is a rougher, more down-to-earth homage to The Lord of the Rings. The plot is incredibly varied and complex, although the huge quantity of names that seems to trouble the majority of the fans has never really bothered me. The narration, split into points of view for each character, is quite interesting, and there’s a wide variety of well-developed female characters of every age and social class. My favourite character is Tyrion, the young dwarf whose weapon lies in his wit. I liked the first TV series, Game of Thrones, whilst the others were too much of a fanfiction of the books, so I watched, but didn’t get myself too involved with the fandom and the shooting of the new series. I’m waiting for the 6th book, but I don’t know what will come first, this or Sherlock series 4.
7. European history
There’s not much to say about this: I’ve always loved history, ever since I was a little girl. One of the first books I read was Mino Milani’s The Story of Henry VIII and His Six Wives, which made thi kings life and achievements very appealing to children, and then, well, historical films, period drama and reading of biographies. My favourite is Carolly Erickson’s The First Elizabeth, but there have been many others. If it weren’t for the fact that it weighs at least 1 kg, I’d have brought my Françoise Hildesheimer’s Richelieu, but, alas, it seems clothes and French grammar books were more important items to bring to Spain. In my opinion, biographies of people who lived in a certain historical period can help us understand a lot more about history than schoolbooks, which are indispensable, sure, but lack the passion, the feeling and the logic, and, sometimes, the motivation behind every act that ever happened in history.
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