Tuesday 22nd July 2025
Blog Page 648

Football Varsity double- header to remain at The Hive for a further three years

Cal Flintoff
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Football Varsity double- header to remain at The Hive for a further three years

The Men’s and Women’s Football Varsity matches will continue to take place at The Hive, home of Barnet FC, for at least the next three years.

This news comes after a deal was signed to continue the relationship the fixture has forged with the venue, Cherwell can reveal.

The oldest fixture in the world, taking place for the first time in 1873 and abating only for the two World Wars, has recently struggled with securing a permanent home after editions at Cambridge’s Abbey Stadium and Fulham’s Craven Cottage.

This issue that came to a head in the build-up to the 2017 matches, but ultimately culminated in a successful inaugural double-header at the Hive Stadium.

At last season’s second successive renewal at the venue, the Women’s fixture became the showpiece of the occasion for the first time, kicking off after the completion of the Men’s fixture.

The Men’s and Women’s fixtures will alternate being the being the showpiece each year, Oxford Counsellors Service spends most per student of any university an agreement which will last for at least the next five years.

The club has recently been in period of financial difficulty after the attendance of the 2016 match.

This year’s fixtures will take place on Sunday 10th March, the day after term concludes, with the Women’s match kicking-off at 12:30pm and the Men’s at 15:00pm.

The Oxford sides will be aiming for a 4th consecutive double-victory – their 3rd at The Hive – over the light Blues, after last year saw the Men triumph 3-0 before the Women went on to clinch their match 4-2 on penal- ties following a 3-3 draw in which they twice came from behind.

The Hive stadium opened in July 2013 in North London and has a capacity in excess of 6000. The main stand, The Legends Stand, seats 2684 and has been used to house both the Oxford and Cambridge fans in the double-headers played to date, generating a lively atmosphere on the day.

Barnet FC recently submitted major expansion plans – approved by Harrow Council – that would see redevelopment of both the South and East stands of the stadium, pushing the total cost of the venue past the £60 million mark.

The venue has also proved popular as a hub for International sides, both for train- ing purposes before fixtures at Wembley, and as a choice of home venue, with Nigeria playing against Senegal and Burkina Faso in 2017, before taking on Serbia just days after last year’s Varsity match. Prior to their Champions League fixture with Tottenham last night, Borussia Dortmund also used the pitch to fine-tune their preparation.

Lib Dem MEP deems Polish Soc disinvitation “censorship on campus”

Libby Cherry
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Lib Dem MEP deems Polish Soc disinvitation “censorship on campus”

Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder will be writing to the Vice-Chancellor to protest her ‘disinvitation’ from the Congress of Polish Student Societies, which is being hosted by Oxford University Polish Society this weekend.

Bearder was set to debate prominent Brexiter MP Daniel Kawczynski on the impacts of Brexit on European countries, but was disinvited from the event after a tweet of hers garnered “negative attention”, according to an email chain seen by Cherwell.  

The Congress takes place annually and attracts students from 30 university Polish societies nationwide.

Bearder originally tweeted: “”I’m debating Daniel Kawczynski MP in Oxford this Saturday in front of Polish university students studying in the UK. When I say debating, I mean trying to put the little unicorns Daniel lets free every now and then back in their stables.”

A spokesperson for Bearder told Cherwell that the disinvitation was “most unusual and rare, even by the times we live in.”

They said: “In my opinion, this has got Daniel Kawczynski MP written all over it. He and his lobbyist friend Marek Matraszek from CEC Government Relations who helps organise the Congress share pro-Brexit views together on Twitter regularly.

“They clearly weren’t prepared to face Catherine and be challenged on their views. It’s shocking and looks like censorship on campus.”

President of the Oxford Lib Dems told Cherwell: “Having been alerted to the fact that Catherine Bearder MEP was uninvited to debate Daniel Kawczynski MP amidst allegations that she had pulled out when this was not the case, we are concerned that that the Congress of Polish Student Societies has seemed to cause a great deal of confusion close to the event resulting in attendees being unable to access out on a pro-Remain counter to Daniel’s views, which are crucial in a debate about the effects of Brexit regardless of what one’s views are. We hope the Congress soon clarifies why this occurs.”

Oxford University Polish Society told Cherwell: “We decided to change one of guest speakers – Mrs Catherine Bearder – collectively, as the Conference’s organising committee. An online exchange, primarily concerned with issues irrelevant to the Polish student community in the UK, caused concerns that the panel debate would be overshadowed by issues specific to internal British political controversies, however topical.

“We strongly deny the charges of stifling free speech, let alone censorship. We are deeply committed to free speech and consider it to be an important part of our identity as a student body.

“In organising the conference, we are doing our utmost to ensure that the conditions for free debate are ensured and that a range of views are duly represented. We therefore invited Mr Stefan Kasprzyk, a Liberal Democrat and a vocal supporter of the Remain campaign, to represent views that are opposed to Mr Kawczynski’s.

“We therefore consider the charges to be unfounded. While we regret Mrs Catherine Bearder tweeted a private e-mail exchange with a member of our team, we would like to apologise to her for the manner in which we communicated the change of arrangements to her, and any upset or embarrassment caused. The Congress organisers consider the matter closed.”

The Congress organisers had raised Bearder’s Twitter activity as a cause of concern prior to her invitation.

In an email to Bearder they wrote: “Yesterday we’ve been asked about the tweets Catherine posted about the debate. We appreciate that Catherine feels strongly about people who advocate for Brexit and this is the reason why we invited her to take part in the debate.

“However, I’d like to make it clear that the debate will be mainly about the effects of Brexit on European (and, of course, especially Polish) relations; and less so on the domestic side of things. We are looking forward to a high-quality debate with compelling arguments. We are very excited to be hosting both Catherine and Daniel, and as it is a student conference aimed at networking, we would like it to run in a friendly, positive atmosphere.”

Daniel Kawczynski MP has been contacted for comment.

Best Muffin In Town?

Sophie Haldane
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Best Muffin In Town?

Almond and Cherry – G & D’s

This muffin pulls off a classic flavour combination reminiscent of a cherry bakewell, albeit it with a slight artificial cherry taste. Although a very dry texture, it is the perfect compliment to a cup of coffee and is sufficiently filling for your library-break snack. The addition of glace cherries in the centre, however, was a textural disappointment. 7/10

Blueberry muffin – Gail’s

This muffin comes in an unconventional shape – more like a bread roll – which took me slightly aback but competition is fierce in the muffin industry and the need for defining features is understandable. The first few bites of this muffin were, I’ll admit, a disappointment. The dry bread-like texture was rather savoury – not what I look for in a muffin. However, the centre brought a whole new dimension to this avant-garde muffin. Just the right amount of a light custard – not the dense custard to be found inside a Gregg’s doughnut – topped with several zingy blueberries provided the perfect taste delight. 8/10

Blueberry – Café Nero

A frequent destination for my coffee breaks, it is a misfortune that the Café Nero blueberry muffin does not live up to my muffin expectations. Whilst many muffins lie on the dry side, this muffin is the exact opposite – moisture central – like the excess oily sebum on an acne-prone teenager. While this is not a colossal problem in itself, when combined with the diabetically sweet jam centre – this taste experience proves far too much even for a muffin connoisseur like myself. 5/10 

Blueberry – Café Crème

This muffin is the muffin. The muffin to end all muffins. The holy grail of muffins – if you will. This is where my muffin search began – I had to put into words its simple beauty. Now from this glowing review you would probably be slightly disappointed if you were to try it. However, the pleasure of the muffin is unlike the taste of the richest of chocolate cakes, the most intense orgasm or a hit (being Scottish entails I have limited scope for cultural references which don’t involve substance abuse). That would be to miss the beauty of the muffin. For the beauty of the muffin is in the simple balances between moist and dry, sweet and sickly. That bliss point strikes a balance between all combinations. Focus too hard on the details and you miss the subtlety, get too distracted and you miss the beauty. This baked delight is as wholesome as it gets; a comfort in trying times; the support that only food is able to give. It is for this reason I get slight flashbacks to my over reliance during exam times, but nevertheless nothing can detract from the sweet bliss that is this wholesome muffin. 10/10

Hanging by Thread: Vintage Fashion

Sophie Grapentin
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Hanging by Thread: Vintage Fashion

With 300,000 tons of clothing entering landfill each year in the UK alone, it is clear that the fashion industry has a problem. New clothes are mass produced to meet demands for the latest trends, then discarded just as quickly. Wearing second-hand or vintage does not use any new resources and is far more environmentally friendly. But clothes aren’t created for eternity and they will inevitably decay when exposed to sunlight, dust or parasites. It is a funny little irony that conservators and vintage dealers are struggling to preserve a few pieces while we are desperately looking for a solution to free ourselves of the insane amounts of contemporary fashion that is thrown out every year.

According to industry standard, a piece has to be at least 20 years old to
be ‘vintage’. If it is over 50 years old, it may proudly call itself ‘antique’. This concept alone is interesting. For furniture to be considered antique it has to be either pre-1885 or over 100 years old. But in the case of fashion, time runs a tight schedule and the delicacy of many vintage garments hinders them from being a full alternative to the fast fashion industry.

With trends changing almost as quickly in the past as they do today,
vintage clothing encompasses a huge range. The racks of vintage clothing
stores boast sturdy 90’s denim beside a fluffy 50’s party-dress or a 70’s
polyester blouse of nightmares. What connects them all though, is that they
will require a lot of your attention: sewing on buttons, mending rips and
tears, treating spots and hand-washing. Most vintage clothes will keep you
on your toes to keep them presentable.

But do not despair. There are many ways to get the earlier 20th century
look you want for way less work and money. If you love the strong-shouldered power silhouette of the 40s, look for 80s dresses and jackets. They will give you the same look but the clothes will be in a much better condition, and in my experience often only a third of the price while being just as glamorous. If you have fallen for the sleek 1930s bias-cut gowns that hug your curves like nothing else, did you know that the exact same style was popular in the 90s? There are many evening dresses from that decade that still have plenty of parties and dancing left in them without you having to worry about rips or stains.

So, use vintage clothing as inspiration to dream, create or put looks together, but more importantly, use it to adopt an attitude of true appreciation and care for your clothes. What is available from a decade varies drastically. Some dresses were worn until they became rags. Others were altered to the point of being unrecognisable, a men’s coat becomes a children’s jacket, a sundress is turned into an apron. The ones that survived are rare cultural artefacts. Whilst these may be far too much of a rarity to displace fast fashion, the very existence of vintage fashion is enough to counter wasteful buying and disposing tendencies. Vintage fashion’s biggest promise may be in its capacity to teach us how to value today’s clothes.

New data reveals suspension gender gap among postgrads

Libby Cherry
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New data reveals suspension gender gap among postgrads

New data shows that 8.7% of female postgraduates suspended their studies in 2016/17, one-third higher than the rate for men (6.5%).

The gender discrepancy was mirrored in withdrawal rates, which were 1.37% for men compared to 1.64% for women.

The data, obtained from the University by Cherwell, reveals a consistent gender dispar- ity in suspension and withdrawal rates over the previous 8 years.

Suspensions are when a single student pauses their study during a given year, with one student potentially accruing multiple suspension ‘counts’, in the rare event that they do so more than once.

Withdrawals are when a student completely withdraws from their programme of study. This does not include those that have been transferred to a different programme of study.

A spokesperson for the University told Cherwell: “These numbers are relatively low so we should be careful about drawing conclusions from them without understanding the context. We offer high levels of academic and pastoral support to our graduate students through their departments, colleges and central University services.

“There are many reasons why a student’s status might be suspended, including health, maternity or paternity, personal circumstances, academic dif culties and disciplinary matters. Suspension is often a voluntary decision by a student, and in most cases students return from periods of suspension to successfully complete their course.”

A History Masters student at St Catherine’s, Hannah Grange-Sales, told Cherwell: “Women are conditioned to believe they are less intelligent than men, therefore there is both a real and imagined need to work harder to be considered men’s intellectual equals.

“Girls and women are also taught from an early age to internalise ‘unbecoming’ emotions, such as anger, frustration and hopelessness.

“Considering the historic argument against women’s right to education that they do not hold the mental rigour to undertake study, there is a double pressure to overcome this stigma and maintain a facade of capability when, for a variety of personal reasons not linked to their intellect, this may not be the case.

“The increased pressure for women to prove themselves intellectually coupled with the internalisation of emotion can surely be considered a factor in the higher rate of men- tal health issues amongst female students.”

The overall suspension rate for all postgraduate students has also increased year on year from 2013/14 to 2016/17 from 5.98% to 7.93%, although there was a slight decrease last year to 7.5%.

The withdrawal rate has remained con- sistent at about 1.5%, peaking in 2013/14 at 1.82%.

graph by Simon Hunt

There was also a marked contrast between those on research and taught postgraduate degrees, with the former having consistently higher levels of suspension and withdrawal. In 2016/17 just under 10% of research gradu- ates suspended their studies compared to 6% of taught graduates. This gure decreased slightly to 9% last year.

Cherwell understands that the disparity in the figures could be due to the length of postgraduate research degree, which are typically three years. Taught degrees can be as short as 9 months, meaning that there is less opportunity for students to suspend or withdraw from their studies. Just under 52% of enrolments in 2017/18 were in taught degrees.

Oxford SU VP for Graduates, Alison D’Ambrosia told Cherwell: “It is a ticking time bomb the issue of graduate student welfare. With a huge increase in graduate numbers over the past several years, we have seen minimal investment in their welfare provi- sion and support.

“From a counselling service that is only open during term time to students been pushed from college to department to seek help, more needs to be done to properly support the graduate student body. It seems that the first call of action is for students to suspend rather than tackle the causes of suspension and offer proper support for students.”

According to the SU’s recently published counselling report, postgraduate students were proportionally less likely to seek help than undergraduates, with 10.8% of post- graduate researchers and 9.2% of taught students receiving counselling to 12.3% of undergraduates.

The report added that the lower take up of provision could be due to cultural differences. In 2016/17, 64% of graduates were non-UK students.

Counselling referral rates among highest in Russell Group

Fin Kavanagh
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Counselling referral rates among highest in Russell Group

Increased demand has forced Oxford University’s Counselling Service to further reduce the number of counselling sessions per student, with this year seeing an “all-time low” of 3.1 sessions per student according to the University Counselling Service’s annual report.

Counselling referral rates among Oxford undergraduates rank some of the highest in the Russell Group, with female, mixed heritage, and humanities students among those most likely to seek help.

12.3% of the undergraduate body sought the support of the University Counselling Service last year, a marginal increase from 2016-17, and the highest number since the inception of the service. In comparison, 7.1% of the student body at Cambridge used their counselling service in 2016-17.

The report read: “The view of our clini- cal staff team is that we are approaching a watershed with any further reduction in the number of sessions likely to mean the type of counselling will necessarily change into a very different enterprise as has happened in many other university counselling services.

“If the counselling service was to move to becoming a mainly triage service it would undermine the enterprise of brief therapeutic work and vastly reduce the effectiveness to make positive change for each student using the service.”

Oxford University Disabilities Campaign told Cherwell: “Oxford SU Disabilities Campaign are extremely concerned by the significant problems regarding mental health occurring at this university. The Counselling Service’s annual report highlights a reduction in the average number of appointments offered to students which they, and we, find concerning.

“We are working with the SU Sabbatical Officers (particularly Ellie Macdonald, VP WEO and Joe Inwood, President) to consider how a new university-wide mental health strategy can be implemented that effectively considers diversity of student needs.

“There may be a place in this university for a triage-type service to be created, but it is important to recognise that this should not be the responsibility or purpose of the counselling service. Oxford SU Disabilities Campaign encourages senior staff of the central university to commit to supporting the implementation of a comprehensive, university-wide mental health strategy for the sake of student wellbeing.”

According to the report, one in five students seen by the counselling service last year admitted that they were thinking of suspending their studies; however, this number dropped to one in twenty after they had spoken to a counsellor.

Anxiety and low mood continued to represent the two largest presenting needs among students, totalling over 1,150 appointments between undergraduates and postgraduates. Self-identity and academic reasons made up a further fifth of referrals.

Mixed heritage students were among those more likely to seek mental health support, with 14.7% of students from “mixed or multiple ethnic groups” contacting the service. By comparison, 11.5% of white students were referred, and 9.6% of black students.

Students in the Maths, Physics, and Life Sciences division were half a likely to seek help compared to those that studied hu- manities. While those who studied the social sciences represented just over a quarter of referrals.

Male students were also half as likely to seek mental health support compared to female students, despite making up marginally more of the University’s students. The service does not provide any breakdown for gender minorities, though the report also stated this academic year: “[a] particular focus will be to promote awareness and engagement with students from the transgender community, and students from BAME communities.”

Oxford’s undergraduate referral rates continue to rank amongst the highest in the Russell Group, where around 8% of undergraduates are referred on average.

The University of Exeter displayed very similar results to Oxford last year, with 12.3% of their undergraduates being referred, while at Warwick 11.2% of students received support. Cambridge are yet to release their data for 2017-18. Liverpool and Queen’s Belfast were among the Universities where less than 3.5% of the undergraduate body sought support from their university counselling services; however, the way students are referred, and the services offered differs greatly between institutions.

Student perception of the counselling service remains overwhelmingly positive, with 93% of students rating their experience “very good” or “good”; however, the overall satisfaction rate remains slightly below the Russell Group and UK university average. While waiting times for the service increased slightly, students now having to wait on average 8.8 days for an appointment, they remain some of the fastest in the UK. Self- referrals represented roughly half the total number of students seen.

Last year, it was revealed that the Uni- versity spends more on mental health per student than any other UK institution, the bill totalling £1.14 million in 2016-17.

This year, the service is set to continue to widen its network of in-house counsellors, which currently operate at eleven colleges at least one day a week, as well as revamping its Peer Support system.

A spokesperson for the University said: “Our counselling service is of a high standard and follows best practices in the field, and we encourage all students who require support to contact the service.”

A spokesperson for the University of Exeter added:

“It isn’t accurate simply to compare statistics from different universities, as the wellbeing services they provide, how students are referred and the way in which they are offered will vary by institution. ”

“Our priority is for students to have the easiest possible access to our broad range of services, and we operate a triage system, so everyone seeking support is seen as quickly as possible. In recent years we have worked to boost awareness of our support and have invested in extra services.

“As well as traditional, structured psychological therapies we offer a broad range of additional support including single sessions, drop-ins and workshops, all of which allow swifter access to support for more students. Students refer themselves directly to our wellbeing services, and in other institutions this may not always be the case. Statistics about how our wellbeing services are being used will reflect this.”

Landslide for librarian

Joanna Lonergan
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Landslide for librarian

Librarian for the Oxford Union, Brendan McGrath, has survived calls for impeachment after winning yesterday’s poll by 400 votes to 189.

A motion for McGrath’s impeachment was led on Thursday last week, 7th February, as a result of concerns over his decision to ask the Returning Officer, Liam Frahm, to review the ‘Trial Slate Ban’ implemented last term and that he was using his position for political gain.

The ban was ruled invalid, prompting the resignation of the Union’s Chief of Staff, Ray Williams, after the Thatcher debate last Thursday and the beginnings of the impeach- ment process, culminating in a poll of Union members.

The motion for impeachment read: “We the undersigned hereby wish to impeach the Officer, Brendan McGrath (Librarian, Oriel College) on the following grounds: abuse of office, and the deliberate subversion of the expressed will of the Membership and the Rules of the Society, for his own electoral bene t and contrary to the fundamental principles of democracy upon which the Oxford Union was founded.” McGrath was accused of abusing his office in order to further his own ambitions for the Presidency, and of subverting “the express will of the membership”.
A number of students came out in support of Brendan, asking members to “Stand Up to Toxic Politics: Vote No”, and expressing their views in Facebook statuses.

Last night it was revealed that the outcome of the poll was 68% in favour of McGrath, with a notice was pinned to the Oxford Union notice- board stating “The Librarian remains in office.”

Commenting on the result, McGrath told Cherwell: “The size of this result shows that the Union’s members won’t accept the ridiculous games and public bullying that the supporters of impeachment engaged in. I am disappointed in Jim Brennan and Brian Wong; the latter using the title of Access Officer to attack an opponent of their preferred candidate for President. However, I have reached out to both to wish them well – I look forward to working with them in the future, if the opportunity presents itself.

“People expect the Union to be political, but even given that expectation the members have rejected a type of Union based on fear, manipulation, and humiliation. I’m looking forward to going back to what I was elected to do.

“The motion was brought because I made a mistake, not raising a rules issue in good enough time.

“But the behaviour surrounding the motion was the most outrageous display of ruthless character assassination I have ever witnessed.

“The supporters of impeachment attempted to forge signatures, tricked drunk ball attendees, and at every step tried to tear me down in a public forum.

“Towards the end of the day, “evidence” of me colluding to have someone abuse their office was being circulated by anonymous actors on social media – it is worth noting that this “evidence” had also been submit- ted to OxStu and Cherwell, and was rejected as either illegally-obtained or fraudulent. As usual, a principled question was hijacked for purely political goals, namely the cut- ting out of a candidate from this term’s elections.

“I will always be grateful to the people who helped me today. At my lowest moment, they were there for me consistently and to a stunning level.

“They helped me realise that when your opponents insist on using the structure of a debating society to wear down your mental health, you’re allowed to call that out.

“Oxford deserves better than the Union it’s seen this week.

“I hope this result is the beginning of that better Union.”

The Oxford Union told Cherwell: “It would be inappropriate for the President to com- ment on ongoing political disputes within the Union.

“Yesterday the members voted overwhelmingly in support of the Librarian. “Hopefully the committee can move past the events of the last week and focus per- forming the roles the members have elected us to do, namely executing an excellent sequence of events for the last few weeks of term.”
Former Chief of Staff, Ray Williams, a key supporter of the impeachment campaign, and former Senior Access Officer Brian Wong were contacted for comment.

Reality check: the power of relatable crises

Meha Razdan
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Reality check: the power of relatable crises

A pivotal scene in Middlemarch, George Eliot’s magnum opus and white whale of the average English fresher’s reading list, is the blossoming relationship between heroine Dorothea Brooke, and her dead husband’s younger, more attractive relative, Will Ladislaw. It reaches a sudden and immediately disruptive curveball as Will is caught by the ever-virtuous Dorothea in a compromising position with another woman, throwing a wrench in their courtship for a while, and leading to pages of Will’s introspective self-loathing as he berates himself for appearing unworthy of the impeccable object of his affections. Although the couple do find their happiness eventually, Will’s moment of apparent indiscretion almost destroys the dalliance before it begins.

The scandal in question?

Dorothea enters a room unannounced and spots another woman touching Will’s hand.

By modern standards, the summary of this crisis reads as almost slapstick in its minuteness. But the book itself has more or less withstood the test of time, and is even today widely regarded as one of the finest novels penned in the English language. And whilst the Will-Dorothea scandal is far from the most prominent plot point in the behemoth tome, it is still very much an inciting incident in the respective development of those characters and their relationship. It is, therefore, very much part of the success of the book – not simply a trapping of the social sensibilities of a bygone era that the rest of the novel’s prowess has managed to overcome.

The ability of classic literature to endure and strike us with as powerful and resonant emotional chords now as it did in its contemporaneous era is testament to the fact that the conflict characters and plots face does not necessarily need to be immediately or recognisably “relatable” to modern audiences to function.

It’s a sentiment that seems obvious. Lydia and Wickham running off unmarried, or Margaret Hale walking beside a man unaccompanied would hardly draw the kind of gossip in the current day and age as they do in Pride and Prejudice and North and South respectively. On the flip side, the rather more melodramatic conflicts at the center of ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore (in which a pair of siblings enter and adulterous, incestuous relationship and then the brother kills his sister and soliloquises to her heart as he holds it impaled on a dagger), or Wuthering Heights (in which Heathcliff and Cathy soliloquise to and about each other while generally doing their best to ruin lives in deliciously dramatic ways) don’t exactly ring of truth, as popular as they may be.

Whether by antiquated customs and ideals, or simply by being deliberately far removed from the realms of reality, the crises and conflicts that sit at the hearts of books are often alien to us in their most literal representation. But what makes literature such as Middlemarch or Wuthering Heights endure and capture the hearts and minds of readers even now is that their crises function on an emotionally resonant level, if not a practical or obviously accessible one.

The fact is that whilst the physical experiences undergone by various characters written into different worlds by different authors at different times cannot possibly retain universality, the substance of these various conflicts and crises stems from some of the most ubiquitous trials of human experience, both small and big. Will Ladislaw’s angst is accessible not because we understand Victorian ideas of propriety, but because most of us understand his feelings of inadequacy, the frailty that surrounds new and untested relationships, the worry that we may have done something to irreparably damage our chances.

Books can strive for anything from down-to-the-detail ‘realism’ to Gothic extravagances of the melodramatic, but the strength of their appeal lies in their understanding of the core of human experiences, no matter how they are dressed up and presented.

Conflicts in literature don’t work when they fail to resonate. A character having a crisis over something as removed from our understanding of reality as a scandalous elopement, but motivated by visceral and widely accessible human emotions (guilt, shame, or struggling with societal expectation) is far more impactful than a character struggling with a more ‘realistic’ problem but having no real depth for audiences to latch on to beyond plot-related concerns.

There’s no rule saying that the purpose of literature, or of any art, is to be relatable, but there is an undeniable power in art that is rooted in genuine experience. What makes the role of ‘crisis’ in literature over-the-top or out-of-touch, therefore, isn’t necessarily dramatic sequences of events or books set in worlds alien to our own. It is conflict written without an understanding of the emotional and internal forces that drive conflict in real life. It is an often-quoted piece of advice that writers should “write what you know,” but the sheer breadth of genre fiction makes it clear that taken literally, this sentiment is pointless and inapplicable.

What you know doesn’t have to be locations or events, but rather understandings of the interiority of people – the people who read your books and are by extension represented in them. Frodo Baggins’ quest to return the ring to Mordor whilst resisting its temptation may not be nearly as recognisable a crisis to us as Pippin and Merry’s constant concerns about their next meal, but the idea of temptation, of the insecurity and anxiety that surrounds an ordinary person being burdened with an overwhelming responsibility, is perhaps a far more widely recognisable struggle than a casual glance at an epic fantasy would betray.

Conflict, struggle, choice – all these things are the bread-and-butter of developing plot, raising stakes, and growing characters. But they also form the backbone of the kinds of struggles each of us face in daily life, and it is in understanding this commonality that they key to successfully writing a crisis lies.

Preview: Made in Dagenham

Katie Knight
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Preview: Made in Dagenham

It’s a week before the first performance, and I’m told the choreography is being changed to incorporate rotations. Rotations? Is this a particular piece of dance terminology I’m unfamiliar with? Eventually it’s clarified – no, it’s an actual revolving stage. That’s perhaps the best way to summarise FourSevenTwo Productions’ version of Made In Dagenham – an exploration into “seeing how far we could go”.

At least the whole venture seems to be in capable hands. Miranda Mackay strikes me as an incredibly competent director, a fourth year with a whole host of theatre experience under her belt (being involved in 25 productions, six in a directing role). In the time I spend speaking to her she is constantly on the go, offering notes and occasionally handing out cheese and crackers (in what appears to be her secondary role of production motherfigure). Last term she directed the critically acclaimed Nice Guy at the BT, but this is a very different beast. The Michaelmas term production was heart-wrenching, intimate, with a skeleton cast and crew; Dagenham is a bright, bold, flashy production, operating with a cast numbering well into the twenties.

It’s a musical well suited to the Playhouse stage. In fact the script practically demands it – “you can tell it was designed for the West End because it has scenes with nine foldup tables”, she jokes. There are, she tells me, 464 lighting cues (a mere eight away from the company’s own name, which would have made for a particularly opportune coincidence). It’s a student production on a professional scale. In a way, it’s the only way this theatre can operate – you can’t have close intimacy in a 500-plus seat theatre. You need to go all out.

Aside from the aforementioned rotating stage, the production has enlisted the help of the local youth – four children from the local theatre group to play Rita’s two children on a rotating basis. It’s a rarity for a student production, and apparently the kids do remarkably well, although as might be expected, some of the language within rehearsals needs to be toned down. And as someone who’s observed one too many dress-rehearsal day disasters, I’m pleased to see that an understudy has been planned and accounted for regarding one of the major roles.

The Playhouse is also unique in that it able to attract a slightly older audience from the local area – which holds particular significance within the context of Made in Dagenham. Although some of the characters are fictional, key players such as Barbara Castle and Harold Wilson feature heavily – and, of course, the 1968 Dagenham workers’ strike did indeed happen. Some of the audience will be old enough to remember the event – one actor says her nan from the East End is particularly excited to see the show – and that adds another layer of sensitivity to the production.

Mackay tells me the message of the musical shines through as clear as it ever was – it’s hardly a play with a subtle message, it must be said, but unfortunately, equal work for equal pay is still a contentious issue in the current day. However, there have been some developments to account for this new age of feminism. Mackay is keen to emphasise how ‘stereotypical femininity’ and hardline feminism can go hand in hand – one shouldn’t have to change one’s appearance to be taken seriously.

This core message is presented in the form of 60s glam, with some particularly stunning outfit combinations. I assume that the costume department are enjoying themselves? I’m told yes – they’re having a field day, with outfits made to order, Lisa’s dresses being a particular delight.

What I’m surprisingly struck by is just how refreshing it is to have an upbeat, optimistic show made in Oxford. Made in Dagenham is certainly a play which deals with serious themes, but it’s relentlessly idealistic (as Ella Tournes’ fantastic rendition of ‘An Ideal World’ demonstrates far more succinctly than I could ever put into words). In a sea of short, intense theatre and even more depressing real-world politics, it feels like an absolute relief – a feeling that the world might just be alright. After all, it’s managed it before.

But it’s also a performance of great emotional intensity – Mckay is adamant that you need the lows in order to appreciate the happiness of the plot, to understand the individual characters’ motivations just as much as you would in a smaller piece. It’s a curiously challenging work, which switches from scenes of high intensity to light-hearted humour at the drop of a hat – the highly emotional ‘We Could Have Had It All’, a song of breath-taking intensity, is juxtaposed with ‘Viva Eastbourne’, a surreal ensemble piece with prime minister Harold Wilson and dancing umbrellas.

I am lucky enough to not only get to speak with the director herself, but watch a choreography rehearsal of one of the main ensemble songs, ‘Payday’, from halfway through Act One. Although it’s not a song of intrinsic importance to the plot, I’m told it all contributes to the spectacle. Led by choreographer Hannah Klim with rigorous precision – “Did you straighten your back leg? You didn’t” – I’m able to see the whole thing take shape before me, resulting in a wonderfully crisp and energetic final form.

With four weeks of rehearsals behind them, I’m also impressed just how easily each and every cast member manages to slip into character. An initial run-through of the dance is vastly improved upon simply by including everyone’s arrival at the party, with an energetic babble increasing the levels of energy tenfold. Some particularly rowdy male ensemble members steal the scene at points (with some cast members never quite seeming to break character), but it’s wonderful to see so many of the cast together in one scene, giving a flavour of what will be even in a scene which has relatively little plot importance.

Partway through the preview I’m invited to observe the blocking of a transitional scene between our heroine, Rita O’Grady (Maddy Page), and Barbara Castle (Ella Tournes). I feel incredibly privileged to view the close dynamic between actor and director, and even more so to see how easily the two step into their characters. There’s almost a conversational quality to the dynamic: when Mckay asks what Rita is feeling at this moment, Page launches into several sentences’ worth of rigorous analysis, detailing where her character was at the start of the play and how she might feel now. Previous scenes are brought in, examined, and utilised. It’s a technique which really seems to give the actors a chance to explore their characters fully – inquisitive, rather than prescriptive, giving autonomy to the actor – and by this stage of the rehearsal process, every character seems to come to life. It’s a genuine delight to see.

By this stage of the rehearsal process, everything finally seems to be coming together. For a production in its last week everything seems remarkably in place – large rotating set not included, which has to be put in on Sunday – with most of the cast off books and performances looking slick and well-practiced. All that’s left is to see the idealism become reality on the stage next week.

Made in Dagenham is at the Oxford Playhouse from 13th February (fifth week).

The Crisis of Creon

Sarah Haynes
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The Crisis of Creon

In his Poetics, Aristotle discusses the nature of Ancient Greek tragic poetry: what the essential constituents are, and what it takes for this kind of poetry to be successful. The best kind of plot, he writes, is one with incidents that cause fear and pity in the audience, which are at their most effective when unexpected, changing the course of the play without warning. A sudden change in fortune comes about and things that have been going well for a character start to go catastrophically wrong. The Greek word ‘peripeteia‘ (commonly translated as ‘reversal’) is often understood to be describing the change in circumstances itself. However, it should instead be seen as something which accompanies this change; while fortunes can be reversed in the most basic tragic plot, a peripeteia occurs only when a character drastically changes their mind in response to the change in their fortunes. It marks a crisis point for the character, a decision which can only end badly… this is the genre of tragedy after all.

At no point in the Poetics does Aristotle say that a peripeteia has to relate to the protagonist in the play. However, the mistaken belief that it should has caused some confusion over its occurrence in Sophocles’ Antigone. To summarise the plot as briefly as possible: the play opens just after the end of a war between two brothers seeking rule of Thebes. When both are killed, their uncle Creon becomes the new king. He passes a law that Polyneices, the previously exiled, treacherous brother, must be refused burial on pain of death. Antigone, however, sister to the two slain men, believes such a law directly contravenes the unwritten laws of the gods, which grant that all men should receive equal rites in death. Determined to bury Polyneices, and arrested when she tries to do so, Antigone is locked in an underground chamber to die by her uncle who is angered at her remorseless challenge to authority. His pride and paranoia about the fragility of newly-acquired power causes his downfall – upon hearing from a prophet that the gods have been angered by his treatment of Polyneices’ body, he realises his tragic error, and seeks to free Antigone. Of course, he is too late – he finds that Antigone has hanged herself, he watches as his own son (betrothed to Antigone) stabs himself out of grief, and returns to the city to find his wife too has killed herself upon her son’s death. Creon’s overthrow is complete, and, utterly wretched, he wishes only for death. He should be so lucky; the Chorus tells him to give up this hope as “from suffering that has been decreed, no man will ever find escape.”

So where does the key moment of peripeteia come in the play? A quick Google of ‘Antigone, peripeteia’ reveals that a surprising number of readers have fallen into the trap of seeking a peripeteia relating to Antigone, as protagonist. It is true that Antigone certainly undergoes a change of fortune – she starts the play in high standing as the sister of the late king and the betrothed of the new king’s son, before seeing arrest and then suicide. However, she is more a victim of Creon’s pride than she is the tragic figure. For Antigone experiences no true crisis, nor does she change her opinion at any point in the play. In the very opening scene she accepts that she will be sentenced to death if caught burying her brother: “…if I have to die for this pure crime, I am content”. Arrested, she makes no attempt to deny that she was the one who tried to bury the body and declares that, to her, death is welcome. She does not regret her action at all, viewing it as morally correct throughout, and laments only that they should punish her for it.  

It is in fact Creon who displays more of the characteristics Aristotle attributed to the tragic figure of a play. He is essentially a good man who wants the best for his people but is destroyed by his fatal flaw of overwhelming pride. He falls a long way from being the proud, newly-minted king, undergoing the most drastic change in fortune; crucially, this change in status is accompanied by a change in intention and opinion.

While Antigone remains steadfast in her purpose, and is vindicated by the events which follow, Creon comes to realise that he has made a dreadful mistake with horrifying consequences. This realisation is not easily come by, and Creon’s moment of crisis is characterised and prolonged by his indecision. He put himself in an incredibly difficult position by being so forceful in his initial assertion of authority, upon his first entrance proclaiming, “it is impossible to know fully any man’s character, will, or judgment, until he has been proved by the test of rule and law-giving.” Here, his own rule is being tested on himself  far sooner than he expected, and he is reluctant to change his stance when his leadership is challenged. After Antigone’s opportunity to deny or repent, arrogantly “boast[ing]” of what she has done, he is angry and humiliated. Creon’s psychology when sentencing her to death is, therefore, straightforward: it makes no differnce that Antigone is family; he cannot tolerate such insolence and rebellion. Even when Teiresias, the prophet, tells him of the omens condemning his decision, he is reluctant to give way: “to yield is very hard, but to resist and meet disaster, that is harder still… How hard it is”. Nonetheless, it is clear to both him and the audience that he must keep his course of action, and allow the peripeteia to fully take place. The gods are angered, and he now endangers not just himself but the whole city, in his persevered persecution both of Polyneices and Antigone. Finally, he changes his course: “…one cannot fight against necessity. I will give way.”

The tragedy of his mistake is heightened by the Chorus’ indifference – they tell Antigone before her death that she has affronted justice, a statement which suggests that Creon’s actions are not as straightforwardly outrageous as the consequences would make out. Nevertheless, he accepts full responsibility for the events which have occurred (he admits: “the guilt falls on me alone”), and is left with no choice but to endure his existence, miserable, bereaved, humiliated, and full of guilt. As so often in Greek tragedy, the penalty by far outweighs the original sin; even Creon’s attempt to remedy his error upon his peripeteia is tragically futile, and his crisis is a bleak one – once he has condemned Antigone, there is no going back.

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