Brent beats the Bard in 'Brit Lit' Test - While Wordsworth ‘wandered lonely as a - goat’ - 4 February 2004
Great literary classics are under threat from pop idols, movie villains and TV characters, with new research* released today showing that the average adult is more familiar with the words of Will Smith than William Wordsworth.The research, commissioned by Yellow Pages, compares the country’s recall of classic lines of literature with today's pop lyrics and film & TV scripts. It found that while more than seven out of ten 25 to 44 year olds (71 per cent) can correctly identify the line "If you only knew the power of the dark side" as belonging to Star Wars’ Darth Vader, a staggering nine out of ten (90 per cent) of the same age group do not know that the Shakespearean quote "Now is the winter of our discontent" comes from Richard III, one of the greatest English literary villains ever.
When asked to complete the famous opening line "I wandered lonely as a..." from Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’, incorrect answers included ‘sheep’, ‘bear’, ‘desert breeze’, ‘daffodil’, ‘pigeon’, ‘tree’ and ‘goat’ in place of ‘cloud’.
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was also subject to liberal interpretation. According to the research the "Friends, Romans and Countrymen" addressed by Mark Antony were not always asked to lend their ‘ears’, but sometimes their ‘sword’, ‘hand’, ‘time’, ‘friends’ and ‘money’.
The research highlights the country’s knowledge of literature in the run up to ‘Words Worth Reading’, the most ambitious poetry event ever staged in the UK. Organised by a partnership of The Wordsworth Trust & Marie Curie Cancer Care, and sponsored by Yellow Pages, ‘Words Worth Reading’ will see literary-challenged parents put to shame on March 19th, when over 175,000 of their offspring simultaneously recite Wordsworth's ‘Daffodils’ at 9.15am.
The pupils, from more than 1,000 UK schools, will aim to smash the record for the world’s largest mass poetry reading, while raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care’s March long Daffodil Campaign and marking the bicentenary of Wordsworth's best known poem.
The Rt Hon Chris Smith MP, former Culture Secretary and a Wordsworth scholar said: "It's understandable that people should remember contemporary sources better than the classics but we want to ensure they're also aware of some of the great and most enduring writing in the English language."
"This country has produced, and still produces, wonderful literature which is why I'm so pleased to see The Wordsworth Trust and Marie Curie Cancer Care working together to encourage children to read poetry in such a delightful, indeed worthwhile way. By making the study and reading of 'Daffodils' a record breaking attempt it's something they'll remember in years to come and will stimulate their interest in other classics."
Commenting on the survey findings Yellow Pages’ Richard Duggleby said: "The figures suggest the younger you are the less likely you are to be able to recognise, let alone quote the classics. Words Worth Reading is a fantastic way to help reverse that trend. Thousands of children simultaneously reciting the UK’s best loved poem will hopefully set a record that will be tough to beat."
MORE RESEARCH FINDINGS
Wits end?
Fresh from Golden Globe success, it seems the wisdom of David Brent continues to strike a chord with the philosophical. Over a third of 25 to 44 year-olds (34 per cent) recognise the quote: "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue" as worthy of the Wernham-Hogg boss. But nineteenth century playwright Oscar Wilde was obviously having a ‘statue’ day. Fewer than one in ten in the same age group (9 per cent) identified "I can resist everything except temptation" as a Wilde witticism.
Battle of Wills
Perhaps not surprisingly, Will Smith and Will Young proved more popular than Wordsworth and Shakespeare with Britain’s under 25’s. 89 per cent of 16 to 24’s were able to complete the Fresh Prince’s lyric "Boom, Shake, Shake, Shake the Room." Yet not a single person questioned in this age group recognised the quote from Richard III.
Similarly Pop Idol’s original winner scored well with 16 to 24’s, with the lyrics to Evergreen identified by almost a third (32 per cent). But Will should forget about trying to appeal to an older audience; only one per cent of those 65 years or older recognised his number one hit.
In the battle of classics versus contemporary, only one question gave a favourable outcome for classic literary creations. 24 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women knew that in Edward Lear’s 1871 verse The Owl and the Pussy Cat, the travellers took ‘some money and plenty of honey wrapped up in a five pound note.’ In comparison, JK Rowling’s schoolboy wizard has so far failed to cast as magical a spell over Britain’s grown-ups. Only 14 per cent knew Harry catches his train to Hogwarts from King’s Cross.
Take the ‘Brit Lit’ test:
1. Can you complete the following lines from famous ‘Wills’:
I wandered lonely as a: (Cloud - William Wordsworth - Daffodils)
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your: (Ears - William Shakespeare -Julius Caesar)
Boom Shake Shake Shake the: (Room - Will Smith - Shake the Room)
Coz you’re more beautiful than I have ever seen, I’m gonna take this life, and make it: (Evergreen - Will Young - Evergreen)
2. The Owl and the Pussy Cat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat... but what did they take with them? (They took some money and plenty of honey wrapped up in a five pound note)
3. Child wizard Harry Potter is a pupil at Hogwarts. But from which London station does Harry catch his train? (King’s Cross)
4. Who said this? "I can resist everything except temptation" (Oscar Wilde)
5. Who said this? "Now is the winter of our discontent" (Richard III)
6. Who said this? "If you only knew the power of the dark side" (Darth Vader)
7. Here’s the second verse of the national anthem. Can you add the missing word? O Lord our God arise, Scatter her __________ And make them fall. (Enemies)
For more information on how to get involved with Words Worth Reading and to register your school please visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/wordsworthreading or to test your own literary knowledge see if you can identify first lines from well known poems at: www.wordsworth.org.uk/quiz
For more information about the research please contact Jo Chappel, Giancarla Lanni or Simon Bear at the RED Consultancy on 020 7465 7700.
For more information about Words Worth Reading please contact Ali Moorby or Julia Sibun at the Marie Curie Cancer Care press office on 020 7599 7701 or Allan King at the Wordsworth Trust press office on 015394 35544.
Notes to Editors:
* Research conducted by BMRB Access Omnibus Surveys among 1,001 nationally representative GB adults in January 2004
About Words Worth Reading
On March 19, 2004, more than 175,000 pupils from across the UK are aiming to smash the record for the World's largest poetry reading organised by The Wordsworth Trust, Marie Curie Cancer Care and sponsored by Yellow Pages. The event - Words Worth Reading - raises funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care's March-long Daffodil Campaign while celebrating the Bicentenary of Wordsworth's poem Daffodils, written at Dove Cottage in Grasmere. Yellow Pages' support means that funds raised will go directly to Marie Curie Cancer Care, which provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give terminally ill people the choice of dying at home supported by their families.
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