Last week the Oxford World’s Classics team were at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford to witness the first Oxford World’s Classics debate. Over three days we invited seven academics who had each edited and written introductions and notes for books in the series to give a short, free talk in the shop. This then culminated in an evening event in Blackwell’s famous Norrington Room where we held a balloon debate, chaired by writer and academic Alexandra Harris.
For those unfamiliar with balloon debates, this is the premise: the seven books, represented by their editors, are in a hot air balloon, and the balloon is going down fast. In a bid to climb back up, we’re going to have to throw some books out of the balloon… but which ones? Each editor spoke for five minutes in passionate defence of their titles before the audience voted. The bottom three books were then “thrown overboard”. The remaining four speakers had another three minutes each to further convince the audience, before the final vote was taken.
The seven books in our metaphorical balloon were:
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (represented by Dinah Birch)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (represented by Helen Small)
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (represented by Roger Luckhurst)
A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh (represented by Kathryn Sutherland)
The Poetic Edda (represented by Carolyne Larrington)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (represented by Fiona Stafford)
The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (represented by Lesley Brown)
So who was saved? Find out in our slideshow of pictures from the event below:
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Lesley Brown on The Nicomachean Ethics
In the face of stiff literary competition, Lesley Brown strikes a blow for philosophy with a passionate defence of Aristotle’s The Nicomachean Ethics.
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Fiona Stafford on Pride and Prejudice
Would Professor Fiona Stafford succeed in saving Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?
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Carolyne Larrington on The Poetic Edda
Doing her bit for Old Norse, Dr Carolyne Larrington represents The Poetic Edda.
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OWCs on the shelves
Look at all our beautiful books!
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Austen with meat cleaver
Kathryn Sutherland tries to boost her cause by bringing this mascot: Jane Austen holding a meat cleaver.
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Kathryn Sutherland on A Memoir of Jane Austen
Professor Kathryn Sutherland argues in favour of saving A Memoir of Jane Austen by her nephew, J. E. Austen-Leigh.
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Roger Luckhurst on Jekyll and Hyde
Professor Roger Luckhurst makes the case for saving the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
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Helen Small on Wuthering Heights
Professor Helen Small makes a plea to the audience to save Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
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Dinah Birch on Cranford
Professor Dinah Birch defends Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.
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A selection of OWCs
Just a few of the OWCs on sale during the event.
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Alexandra Harris
Writer and academic Alexandra Harris chaired the event.
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The speakers
All seven speakers plus chair, Alexandra Harris, prepare for the debate.
Image credits: All photos by Kirsty Doole
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