As we walked around Oxford today, each member of our group mentioned the location that they wanted to visit the most. We used this to plan out our day and ensure that each of us made it to the attraction we most wanted to experience. Kristi chose Blackwell’s, a bookshop in Oxford, as her location. Not only had I never heard of Blackwell’s, leading me to stupidly ask, “What is that?” But I also did not understand why she would choose a bookstore as the location she most wanted to visit. We have bookstores at home and other bookstores in Stratford, what about this bookstore could possibly make it anymore special than those other retailers?
After visiting Blackwell’s I can hole heartedly say that the store sells books, many of the same books, that other stores also sell. However, I think that Blackwell’s holds itself to a kind of tradition that many of the other locations at Oxford seem to pride themselves on and in a way that many other retailers seem to fail. This simple bookstore didn’t feel as though its purpose as a chain revolves around selling books, it seemed like the company wants to promote a literary culture and appreciation for great literature and writers. The bookstore’s immense size and the vast diversity in novels, poems, posters, and all other merchandise that the store holds speaks to this ideal. Additionally, the retailer had employees stationed throughout the multiple floors eager to help costumers. While a normal bookstore only really holds an appeal for those interested in literature, Blackwell’s goal genuinely seemed to get as many people interested in literature as possible. I didn’t feel as though they simply want to sell their books (but maybe that’s just a fantastic marketing strategy).
Besides Blackwell’s itself, many locations throughout Oxford appeared to have these same undertones to them. They all served as locations rich in literary history. On our trip we also visited Christ Church, related to the Harry Potter series, The Eagle and Child tied to C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolken (also known as the inklings), and various locations of inspirations for Lewis Carol.
While Blackwell’s may exist as a bookshop, I think it showed me a major part of the history of Oxford and that specific locations culture. Additionally, in my Engl 365 class we tied poetry to place, bringing those ideas into this context, I think that Oxford and this promotion of literature can help demonstrate the intertwined nature of time, place, and literature. Each part of this equation reveals a little more about the next.