Ruby Granger #40 Ruby the linguistic terrorist

[Griftwood]

Thank you to @theMoth for the title! We are presently in the “throws of summer” but Little Miss Rootabaga kindly continues to provide whatever she thinks will pass for entertainment these days. Right now, she’s holidaying in Italy (her 4th Italy trip in the past year btw) with her BASST FRAND BLAKENEEE and dressing exclusively in Victorian underwear. In an alternate universe, this would make her some sort of a bizarre performance artist, but alas, we are stuck in this universe, where somehow she’s going to Oxford in less than three months and is reading mostly YA and middle grade fiction over the summer in lieu of preparation. Early Modern who? We don’t know her

 

[bookworm39]

Thank you to @theMoth for the title! We are presently in the “throws of summer” but Little Miss Rootabaga kindly continues to provide whatever she thinks will pass for entertainment these days. Right now, she’s holidaying in Italy (her 4th Italy trip in the past year btw) with her BASST FRAND BLAKENEEE and dressing exclusively in Victorian underwear. In an alternate universe, this would make her some sort of a bizarre performance artist, but alas, we are stuck in this universe, where somehow she’s going to Oxford in less than three months and is reading mostly YA and middle grade fiction over the summer in lieu of preparation. Early Modern who? We don’t know her

Thanks for the summary! Her lack of preparation for uni is giving me anxiety. I'd have expected her to be posting a lot more Oxford content by now. Things like "Oxford prep to do list" "What I'm reading for Oxford" "What I'm bringing with me to Oxford" that sort of thing.

 

[Griftwood]

Thanks for the summary! Her lack of preparation for uni is giving me anxiety. I'd have expected her to be posting a lot more Oxford content by now. Things like "Oxford prep to do list" "What I'm reading for Oxford" "What I'm bringing with me to Oxford" that sort of thing.

Yes! I’ve looked over the entire course guide for her degree - the reading lists are pretty hc, AND they tell you outright you should do the primary reading for your A and B courses at the very least before term starts. I’m sure she thinks she’s going to be able to coast on by with a little help from SparkNotes, she’s in for such a rude awakening Pretending to read Anatomy of Melancholy and watching a yt video on Samuel Pepys’ handwriting is going to get her nowhere at all.

edit: sorry, I forgot about the time she put the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book in Latin through Google Translate, she’s done so much wahrk omg, no wonder she had to go on another holiday, she must be exhausted!

 

[JustVibing]

Thanks for the summary! Her lack of preparation for uni is giving me anxiety. I'd have expected her to be posting a lot more Oxford content by now. Things like "Oxford prep to do list" "What I'm reading for Oxford" "What I'm bringing with me to Oxford" that sort of thing.

I swear on some level she must be in denial panic mode. Imagine the pressure, basically finally entering Oxford is the moment her whole life up to now had lead up to. I think she's just panicing too much to do anything about it.

 

[coldestofspirits]

She’s making such a huge mistake not doing the preparation. Girl, what is wrong with you!
Going back to the previous thread for a moment, I think Rubes could look nice but she has absolutely no idea how to dress or present herself. I’m not saying women owe it to the world to look their most conventionally attractive, but it’s… very clear she is more interested in trying to look TWALVE YAHRS OLD than any kind of genuine interest in personal styling.

As with all aspects of Ruby’s life, she could improve so easily but she won’t bother.

 

[countcontessa]

Someone made an FOI request and received the entire syllabus for Ruby's MSt: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/reading_lists_course_syllabus_an

It really does seem like she's doing the wrong course, maybe she initially applied to the American one for Emily Dickinson? I don't think she has even scratched the surface of the preparation needed lol

 

[Griftwood]

Roobee NO! Leave the non-human life form alone! * spray bottle emoji *

 

[coldestofspirits]

Someone made an FOI request and received the entire syllabus for Ruby's MSt: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/reading_lists_course_syllabus_an

It really does seem like she's doing the wrong course, maybe she initially applied to the American one for Emily Dickinson? I don't think she has even scratched the surface of the preparation needed lol

American literature masters courses at Oxford and Cambridge are usually more competitive to get into than the earlier period ones.

 

[Peony14]

I wanted to reply to the video of her and martha in the earlier thread, but since it´s locked I´ll add my comment here: she seems sooo much more natural in the video with Martha and I´m not sure if what I noticed is right or I´m just imagining things, but her accent sounds a lot more natural as well. Really a shame that she´s so different in her own content...

 

[TaurusWithLove]

with her BASST FRAND BLAKENEEE

This took me out

 

[inyo]

She might've actually been quite smart with the early modern application. She has to take two core classes and write her dissertation on that period, but from the handbook it seems her other two classes can be from any period, so she'll get the chance to study American literature or Victorian literature if she wants to.

 

[DrinaM]

She might've actually been quite smart with the early modern application. She has to take two core classes and write her dissertation on that period, but from the handbook it seems her other two classes can be from any period, so she'll get the chance to study American literature or Victorian literature if she wants to.

This is how I did my undergrad. I qualified to study Law (which my family really wanted me to do) but I didn't believe in myself and also believed it would be a stressful course. So did undergrad Arts, (Lit Major) instead. Was able to do classes that were common to the Law and Arts courses. When I had enough confidence in myself, I was able to either transfer to Law or continue in Arts and get credit for classes taken in Law. So I ended up completing the full undergrad Arts degree and an extra 18 months completed the Law degree, graduating in 5 years with a double degree. I wonder if she can/will do something similar? Masters is different and I did my above mentioned undergrad at an Australian university, so not sure if that was Roob's plan all along?

 

[Green Lion]

Sorry guys I might have misssed it, but who is Blakeney again?
I think Ruby never told us...

 

[Griftwood]

Sorry guys I might have misssed it, but who is Blakeney again?
I think Ruby never told us...

She’s her Mast Hand i think...? Not sure of the exact term.

 

[emmer_moans]

Roobee NO! Leave the non-human life form alone! * spray bottle emoji *

View attachment 2319047

Is her dress on backwards? The placement of those straps looks like she’s got it on back to front. Just going by dresses i have of the same style, the back straps are attached to the bodice closer together than the front. It just looks a bit strange on the front.

Also, I hope Blakeney encourages Ruby to get on with the reading preparations when she gets back. Tick tock…

 

[Ilaariaa]

the time she put the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book in Latin through Google Translate,

Jesus when did she do that?

Reading Harry Potter in Latin tells me she approached learning Latin like learning a modern language (that is, using things you're already familiar with). Which is a legitimate choice that some schools make but probably more trouble than it's worth. I never really got the point of that strategy since you're probably not gonna be talking to people or writing things in Latin. Latin is mostly used to translate classical texts using a dictionary. So imo it makes more sense to focus on what you need to do that (very good knowledge of grammar and translation techniques, mainly). Especially considering Latin is not even her academic focus area. Yes it's less fun but ultimately a lot more rewarding and efficient imo. Also Google Translate is rubbish at Latin
Source: studied Latin for five years and it was my favourite subject at school

 

[coldestofspirits]

And if you learn it properly in an advanced academic setting, at a British university, she would not be reading Harry Potter but would be learning it in a way that’s actually helpful for her work. In those settings you absolutely focus on a grounding in grammar and then straight into (functional) academic translation. Again, she messes around and doesn’t ever optimise her work.

 

[inyo]

This is how I did my undergrad. I qualified to study Law (which my family really wanted me to do) but I didn't believe in myself and also believed it would be a stressful course. So did undergrad Arts, (Lit Major) instead. Was able to do classes that were common to the Law and Arts courses. When I had enough confidence in myself, I was able to either transfer to Law or continue in Arts and get credit for classes taken in Law. So I ended up completing the full undergrad Arts degree and an extra 18 months completed the Law degree, graduating in 5 years with a double degree. I wonder if she can/will do something similar? Masters is different and I did my above mentioned undergrad at an Australian university, so not sure if that was Roob's plan all along?

I assume a PhD is next on her checklist, so she could use the excuse that she knows her masters is in early modern literature but having the opportunity to study Victorian or American literature for her optional classes made her realise that's what she wants to specialise in. Or else she'll do a second masters in Victorian or American literature to avoid confronting proper adulthood for another year...

 

[Whisper2Me]

Is her dress on backwards? The placement of those straps looks like she’s got it on back to front. Just going by dresses i have of the same style, the back straps are attached to the bodice closer together than the front. It just looks a bit strange on the front.

It basically doesn't fit her correctly and she isn't wearing it right. You are supposed to have the front in a level square, but she has it pulled up too high, or the entire thing is too big for her and meant for someone with a few curves. You are also supposed to tied the strings into little bows, not have them just hanging down like that. She looks like she is half dressed. Much like her messy bed, her splattered computer screen and her chipped nail polish, she looks like a ragamuffin.

 

[gossip_guy]

Ruby's released her 'NAYCHA JARRRNAL' facsimile (or "FASCimile", as Ruby spells it - and "FAKE-SMILE", as Ruby pronounces it).

For just £8+P&P, you can experience the magic of Ruby discovering what a sparrow is, or the wonder of her 398th poem of the year about seagulls.

And it wouldn't be Ruby merch if she just didn't bother sending stuff out. Right on cue, someone complains that they haven't received the poetry collection they paid for and right on cue, Ruby replies that it's "so strange" that the thing that always happens with her happened again.