fandomhigh | Professor Chaucer's Office Hours, Monday

Geoff takes the cup of coffee. "I was stuck here at the school all weekend. Spent the whole time at House's apartment off the clinic."

He sips at the coffee. "What's a snowDalek?"

The mention of House leads Ten to raise his own eyebrow (the right one...left side hurts) and smirk a little. It wipes off at the mention of Dalek anything. "Don't ask. There were snow monsters. Bad. Lots of people hurt worse than this...you didn't notice?! What WERE you and the other good doctor up to?"

Smirk.

Geoff's been noticing the smirks, and gives one right back. "Drinking, Scrabble...piano lessons." He shrugs, taking another drink of coffee. "Oh, did you know they make voice recordings of books and poetry? Sometimes even with the author's own voice. I'm going in to the mainland sometime and check the bookstore there to see what they have. Maybe I'll bring some back for my class."

"Scrabble, is that what they call it now?" Ten slurps his coffee. "And books on tape...well...CD and MP3 are far more popular in this era, thank god, analog recordings break down too much over time..." He looks as if he's going to ramble on for a while about it. "Sometimes they do it with a full cast of people, too. All kinds of books. For busy people or those who have trouble with their eyesight. Great development, really, only in the last forty years or so."

He ignores the remark about Scrabble, because he's off on an idea that's caught hold of him. "I want my class to be able to hear the words. Read by the author, if I can find them. But that's something we've been talking about in class -- CJ came and lectured on it last week. The idea that the spoken word can convey deeper or alternate meanings, depending on the speaker's intent."

He's leaned forward while he was talking, eyes wide with excitement. "House promised to drive me over when he gets his bike. Hopefully this week, so I can have something for class next week. Do have any suggestions?"

"Geoff...I see where you're coming from, and I think that's a damn fine idea. But part of what's charming about the written word, oh bard of mine, is that it allows one's own interpretation. Literary theorists ~~who Rhi can't remember, ask CJ-mun as she's the English major~~ speculate that no two people really read the same book and then you get into postmodernism..." He winces at the thought of Barthes. "Just make sure that you get that concept in there too. To be well-rounded. As for suggestions...let me poke around on the Internet and see what's out there to be had, who reads what and famously. Perhaps Steinbeck? What's the area of literature in this class?"

Chuckling, Geoff replies, "I know that, Ten. But I've had some students express concern over the idea of reading against the author, without understanding their intent. I want them to realize that both are viable readings -- that they can hear and appreciate the author's words and meaning, and that they can produce their own interpretations, and that both are equally valid. This is just...to hear work in the author's own voice is such a unique opportunity."

Pausing, he adds, "But I suppose if it's such a modern innovation, that lets out most of the author's I'm covering. I'd suspected Shakespeare was out of the question, although I'd hoped for Shelley or Dickinson. But I suppose I could hold off and use Woolfe or Belloc."

It's obvious Geoff doesn't have a very good grasp on his modern timeline.

"And why do you keep smirking at my couch?"

"You can get the books on tape--the classics are usually recorded first, actually. But you can't get the authors reading them. Unless we're dealing with a recent translation...I know Seamus Heaney did an abridged reading of his translation of Beowulf. I think Toni Morrison has some books she's read of her own work...I'll make you a list. And you might want to move forward from Dickinson...she died long before modern audio recording."

Ten blinks and tries to look innocent. "Couch? What couch?"

"That's what I was afraid of," Geoff sighs. "But I'll keep Toni Morrison in mind, and I would appreciate that list. It might be something I can play for them at the end of term, or something."

He cocks his head at Ten, and narrows his eyes. "Ten...what did you do to my couch?"

"Nothing," Ten says, and it's completely and utterly unconvincing. Especially since he's grinning AND blushing.

He looks at the couch, then rolls his eyes. "Honestly, don't you two have couches in your own offices?"

Running a hand through his hair, he points at Ten with his coffee cup. "Just keep in mind that I reserve the right to payback."

"We needed more than one. And CJ would argue that this was payback." He grins at Geoff. "A particularly delicious one for the both of us, I assure you."

"Maybe payback on CJ's part, but that doesn't negate the fact that I still owe you one, now," Geoff points out. He shakes his head. "Are you sure you two aren't still teenagers?"

"Oh, definitely, or we never would have been able to do...well..."

"Oh, no. Because teenagers never have sex in places they're not supposed to have sex in. Especially not involving other people's furniture. That would be unheard of."

"Better than Scrabble, love. Or are you just wishing it was you?" Slurp.

"Actually," Geoff answers, grinning. "It was a really good Scrabble game. And I won. Which only makes it better."

"I'm good at Scrabble."

"Oh, I'm sure!" Geoff laughs. "And you cheat by making up words, too. Probably some scientific-sounding nonsense that you try and pass off because most people don't know what you're talking about half the time anyway," he teases. "You and House should get together and play sometime. That would be an interesting game."

If he catches the innuendo, he's ignoring it. But it's possible he really is that interested in Scrabble.

"I do not cheat--my words are always in the OED. Besides, I think you don't want to play because you know I'll win, that's why you're passing me off on House ~~though it would be an interesting game, pity he's leaving~~."

There's got to be double-talk in there somewhere. He is Ten, after all.

"I'll take you in a game of Scrabble any day, Ten," Geoff replies.

"And what the hell is an OED?"

"I'd win," Ten repeats, smiling. "How can you win if you don't know of the OED?"

A bit more serious, he explains. "The Oxford English Dictionary. Considered to be the best and most accurate dictionary out there, for centuries."

"Oh, right." Geoff waves his cup dismissively. "See, that's why I'd win. You're hamstrung by this 'only one way to spell the word' rule. I'm not."

He grins, and takes a sip of his coffee.

Ten slurps faux-disgustedly. "I'll have you know I'm a very creative thinker, poet."

"Never said you weren't," Geoff replies, grinning. "But if you're bound by this OED book of yours -- which I should mention was not around in my time, and therefore I know words that aren't in it -- then you can't use you're creative thinking, can you?"

Professor Chaucer's Office Hours, Monday

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period

Re: Fourth Period