I'll name that text in four

[altariel]

It is the 800th anniversary of our local higher education establishment, and there are streetlight banners around town at the moment reminding passers-by of this fact.

I thought you all might enjoy the sufficiently taxing to irritate slightly quiz on this one, which lists a series of publication dates of important texts. Any guesses?

There was also a light show on the Senate House to celebrate the anniversary: see here. Warning: Contains bell-ringing and images by Quentin Blake.

Comments

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Ah! I'd wondered what the dates were supposed to be! I hadn't actually got round to looking at them closely - I've been having more fun misreading the other ones.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I thought they were dates when colleges were established, then checked up on the website. I've guessed a mighty three.

[fifitrix.livejournal.com]

I'll take a stab at 2009....
http://www.cambridge.org/aus/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521317184

although it's a little self-publicising but I guess that's what banners are for!

Edited to add: erm... 1988 saw the publishing of Stephen Hawkings "A brief history of time" I'd say that counts as significant in printed word terms huh?

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

1859: The Origin of Species, I think.
1584: something like the Anatomy of Melancholy?
I'm guessing one might represent the first time Cambridge was licensed to print the Authorized Bible.
The earlier dates are beyond me, which shows the standard of medieval history tuition at that establishment I feel.

[ex-naomi-ja.livejournal.com]

Dude! I work for the fucking university and nobody's including us in the celebrations! Bastards!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure whether the first and last dates were meant to be the Charter and the 800th anniversary. That was my guess for 1988 too.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Let's have our own celebration. We can pass fanzines around.

[ex-naomi-ja.livejournal.com]

And make light of people who work for Oxford university!

[uitlander]

1859. Generally called the 'Annus mirabilis' of my subject. Darwin's origin of species, Lyell visits the Somme gravels and confirms Boucher de Perthes associations of stone tools and extinct animals to the Royal Geological Society of London.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Warning: Contains bell-ringing

Oi! A venerable and distinguished English tradition, though admittedly not 800 years old.

I'll have you know myself and 7 fellow alumni currently resident in Another Place rang 800 changes of Cambridge Surprise Major [translation: spent about 25 minutes ringing something vaguely appropriate] at Lincoln College that morning as our contribution. And other Cantab-ites did the same in all sorts of the unexpected and far-flung parts of the world that have bells hung for change-ringing. (As a rough rule of thumb, if a country plays cricket, they usually have at least a few towers with bells - not sure why these two cultural exports seem to correlate but it's pretty close, North America being the exception.)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I think that one is Origin of Species too. My other guesses are

1687: Newton's Principia or possibly Paradise Lost
1988: Hawking's A Brief History of Time

As for the earlier ones - no idea! (I like the idea about the Bible...)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I knew I could get a comment from you - but I was sure I'd get to see the cranky Legolas icon! ;-D

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Excellent facts!

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

1687 is Newton's Principia.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia (yes, I know, cheating!) says Anatomy of Melancholy was first published 1621.

1584 was the year Cambridge University Press was founded...

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Am trying to work out whether 1381 is in any way connected to the Peasants' Revolt, but struggling, though sure peasants in Cambridge were as revolting as anywhere else (wasn't East Anglia a hotbed of bolshy proto-democracy in general?...)

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Do you mean cranky Elrond?...

(I do have a few Legolas ones but I'm not sure any are particularly cranky, unless you count the fact he's shooting at people...)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of the shooting one - I imagine him as cranky before reaching for the bow and arrow!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about the Peasants Revolt, but I didn't know if there was a Cambridge connection, or what text/significant event related to text it was meant to represent...

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

... and all I can come up with for 1787 is the U.S. Constitution, but somehow I don't think that's what they have in mind. [Subsequent edit: it wasn't, either, see upthread] I'm going to stop being annoying and pub-quizzy now and go and do some work, honest...

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

this one?...

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

actually, bellringing seems a terribly Hobbit-ish thing to do, given most ringers' fondness for the English countryside and real ale.

The drawback is the lack of organised religion in Middle-earth, obviously, but actually ringing in the 18th century had become a very secular tradition, with vicars fulminating about men who only turned up to ring the bells and then go drinking and never set foot in the church proper.

I have wanted for ages to find a way of introducing it into the Shire, if I can get over the lack-of-churches snag.

The Gondorians would be much more likely to go in for Continental-style swung ringing, with huge booming bells that just chime randomly (think of any Catholic Central European city on a Sunday morning)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

There could be bells in the Shire for secular reasons, though - to mark the start and end of periods of work, or for public meetings... or closing time at the inn! How about handbells? I know there are horns to sound alarms, perhaps bells too?

Plz to be writing little postwar piece in which Sam, Frodo, and Faramir compare bell-ringing traditions...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's the one!

[narie.livejournal.com]

I've only got Origin of Species, Principia Matematica, foundation, 800th anniversary and, for 1988, the abolition of the last male-only college.

My college was founded in 1348, but I really don't think that's what they're after. Although we'd be extremely chuffed if it were...

[narie.livejournal.com]

Although, in further consideration, the publication of Brief History of Time is probably something better to remember...

[alicambs.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I saw 900 years on one of the banners. I guess that might suggest I need new glasses! I think the banners are rather cool actually, certain improve the view over Victoria Road bridge. :-)

Here be spoilers for the rest of the answers - look away now...

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

The Uni's "800 years of history" page says

"1381: The Peasant’s Revolt. A mob led by the city's mayor stormed Corpus Christi College, burning records and books, in protest against its rigid exaction of "candle rents", or rent charges assessed upon houses in its ownership, according to the number of wax-tapers found. A wage freeze and a new poll tax ignites the Peasant's Revolt."

I guess you can argue that "refers to the printed word" though it seems a rather negative thing to celebrate - unless they thought they should redress the town/gown balance a bit :-)

Oh, and the same page says:

"1446: Henry VI, founder of Eton and of King's College, Cambridge, lays the first stone of King's College Chapel. The founding charter of King's was written by John Broke (documented 1443-1450) clerk of the chancery, and illuminated by the London artist William Abell (documented 1450-d.1474)."

It also nails 1787 as the year in which Wordsworth a) matriculated at John's and b) published his first poem (typical Johnian, anything to avoid doing academic work...)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

When I first saw the dates on the banner on the street, I thought the same thing for 1988 too.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They do cheer up the bridge!

Re: Here be spoilers for the rest of the answers - look away now...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

You've enjoyed this, haven't you?!

[narie.livejournal.com]

Somehow, we thought it made sense, given how much pride they take in their traditions... It felt like some strange act of defiant capitulation, whether those two words should go together or not.

Re: Here be spoilers for the rest of the answers - look away now...

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

[Hangs head] It's the combination of my terrible competitiveness gene and the professional drive to know where to look things up - I'm sorry!

I'm already feeling like my inner eight-year-old (the little girl with her hand up ramrod-straight in the air a la Hermione Grainger squeaking "Miss! Please, Miss, me, Miss, I know, Miss!") got out of the box, after I had a go at sensiblecat's brilliant Shakespeare OTP meme last night, and got them all in under 10 minutes...

Re: Here be spoilers for the rest of the answers - look away now...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh well done on sensiblecat's quiz! Did you catch any of the McKellen Shakespeare season over Christmas? We watched Macbeth last night and have King Lear planned for this evening.