A married couple of a psychiatrist and a family doctor- the emeritus and emerita professor of Oxford University, who kindly assisted my daughter with her life in Oxford and her learning in Oxford University, guided us around the New College where they had spent their student days. "New" is attached to its name, but this college isn't new and has a long history. As for this college, Ten-noh devoted a full two pages to the background of its foundation. It implies the significance of the college.
With them, we were allowed to enter every space in the college. With my daughter's translation and my knowledge about medieval Europe, I enjoyed their guidance and the scenes of every corner of the New College.
I read "La Peste" - the pest - by Albert Camus last year. I wanted to know how the pandemic had been in the medieval era. I knew from the memoir of Ten-noh that the pest pandemic was the background of the foundation of the New College. This college was located at the northern end of Oxford Old City which had been surrounded by stone walls. Its wall had various devices to repel the enemy.
娘がお世話になった名誉教授ご夫妻にご自身が在籍したニューカレッジを案内していただいた。一般には立ち入ることの出来ない場所も案内していただき有意義な時間を持てた。NEWとなっているがその歴史は古く、天皇陛下もこのカレッジを特に取りあげ、留学記の中に書かれている。
去年だったと思うが、カミュのペストを読んだ。中世のパンデミックがどのようなものだったのか気になったので。そのペストがこのカレッジ誕生の遠因となっていたことに驚いた。このカレッジは城壁に囲まれたオックスフォードの北端に位置しており、敵を跳ね返すための攻撃用の設備が点在していた。まるでお城であった。
(Vocabulary)
emeritus 《男性の名誉職に用い，「名誉…」を意味する》
emerita 《女性の名誉職に用い，「名誉…」を意味する》
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