It’s a weird word, I know. When I first heard it (from my
freshman year bishop), I was completely confused. But now, I embrace the wonder
that is being an Anglophile. What does it mean? In short, the definition is
“one who is loves all things connected to England”. And that is so me.
It started way back when I was a kid. I can’t put a precise
date on it, but I think it was when I first realized that the Harry Potter
books were set in England (yeah, I didn’t put that together the first few times
I read it. A little slow there). From the first time I watched the movies, I
was enthralled by the actors’ English, Scottish, and Irish accents. And the
thought that caught hold of me as a kid was that there was magic there. Hogwarts was there. I wanted to be there.
Now, it’s grown even more. I still love Harry Potter, and
I’ve recently come to love three very popular British TV shows (and just the
BBC in general; it’s incredible), Sherlock,
Merlin, and Doctor Who. (Yes, call me a nerd. I fully embrace it. They’re
marvelous.)
So what is it that seems to be drawing me towards the UK
more every day? I think a lot of it comes down to storytelling.
I love stories. I always have. It’s one of the reasons I am
a writer. I love story, the journey of a character that can be related to. I
love a fictional character that can feel so real, that you get emotionally
invested in. And the Brits have a way of storytelling that I have not found
matched anywhere. They just have the way of blending humor, and excitement, and
feeling in such a real way that it’s hard to resist.
Let’s start with Doctor
Who. First of all, the fact that a television show can last for fifty years
is just incredible (and by the way, I am so excited for the 50th
anniversary special!). The pretense of the show, of course, sets it up for such
longevity. If you don’t know…well, it’s kind of hard to explain. But basically,
the show is about this guy…I guess technically he’s an alien…well, he’s called
a Time Lord, and his name is the Doctor. He travels through time and space in
an old fashioned blue police box. His entire people and planet have been destroyed,
so he’s pretty much alone. However, he finds friends, mostly humans, who travel
with him, and they go on all sorts of crazy adventures. Anyway, the show has
lasted so long because a) none of his companions stay very long. For some
reason or another, they all end up leaving (usually in really sad ways that
make you sob your heart out. Let’s not mention the end of series two and four,
okay?). And b) When the Doctor dies, he doesn’t really die. He has this ability
to regenerate, which means you get new actors to play him at regular intervals.
The show was off the air for a while, but they brought it back starting with
the Ninth Doctor a few years ago. To date, I’ve only seen the first four or so
seasons of the new series, and assorted episodes farther down, but already, I
love it. It’s original writing that is both witty, suspenseful, and sweet. The
characters are so varied and so real. There’s such a clever ness aspect,
especially when they go back in time and meet famous people (and then explain
historical mysteries; I’ve always loved this in stories). And the storyline is
complex, which I think might annoy some people, but I love it. That moment when
something that came up in passing becomes so incredibly important…it’s simply
the best. And I’ve pretty much officially decided that Steven Moffat, one of
the main writers for the show, is trying to play with every emotion imaginable
in the viewers, while scaring them witless (I’ll never see stone statues,
especially of angels, the shadows in the dark, or pretty much anything, the
same again). It’s fantastic. The power of writing, my friends! Well, writing
and acting.
It was through a conversation about the Doctor with my
brilliant friend (who also happens to be my second cousin) Kennerley that I
discovered Merlin. I’d actually seen
part of this one, ages ago. So I went back and rewatched it. And then watched
the next three seasons. And then started counting down the days until Kennerley
comes back and we can watch the fifth and final season together. This is another
one that’s cleverly written, with both a strong overarching storyline and
strong episodic storylines. And again, the characters are so wonderful, diverse
and multifaceted. Of course, the series is based on the classic Arthurian
legends of medieval Britain, but with a fresh new take. And I love it. The
dialogue is superb, especially between Merlin and Arthur (I can’t tell you how
many times I have sat laughing at the complete sass they throw at each other. And still, you can always tell they
are the best of friends).
And then there’s Sherlock,
another retelling of a classic story, though this version has been moved from
Victorian era to modern day London. This one really comes down to how the
characters are written and portrayed. One of the best monologues I think I’ve
ever heard is from the end of the second series, when John Watson is speaking
to Sherlock (I won’t give out spoilers, don’t worry). It is utterly heart
wrenching, and wonderfully performed.
There’s such a history of storytelling in the UK. And from
the pictures I’ve seen, it doesn’t surprise me; imaginations can go wild in
lonely moors, tangled forests, ragged cliffs, and disintegrating castles. There’s
so much room for fantasy. With the American tradition of hard work,
exploration, and getting ahead (all of which are really good things), we seem
to have lost our ability to look beyond to the fantastic around us. And lately,
American television (the little I watch) has been very narrowly focused on “reality”
shows and generic scripted shows. It’s almost as if television show writers are
afraid to go out on a limb, and they may be. Americans, and American life, are
so grounded in what is real, what is in front of us, what we can do for
ourselves, leaving little room for fantasy. There’s nothing wrong with that, of
course, but I find it a little sad that we often neglect our imaginations.
This is the reason I am entirely ecstatic about going to
England in the near future. It’s the home of some of the writers I admire the
most – Lewis, Tolkien, Rowling, Austen, Dickens, Shakespeare, Conon Doyle…I
could go on and on. I want to discover the people and culture that creates such
vivid storytellers, in the hopes that some of it will rub off on me and make me
a better writer. So, I guess my six year old self was right – there is magic of
a sort there. I can’t wait to discover it.
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