British writer

The speech is over.

Lu Shi wiped his sweat and walked off the stage, thinking that these top students were really difficult to deal with.

At this time, a few people in the first row came over.

"Professor Lu!"

Elliot shook hands with Lu Shi.

Compared with just now, he was much more enthusiastic, and his tone was full of respect. It was obvious that he had regarded the young Chinese professor in front of him as a worthy figure.

Lu Shi smiled and said, "Mr. Principal, it seems you are very satisfied with my speech?"

Elliot nodded.

"I have benefited a lot. However, I am still a little worried. If a global university ranking is really launched, will it lead to a homogenization trend in higher education?"

Hit the nail on the head!

Lu Shi couldn't help but admire him.

"That's what the president said. I think universities are a complex system, and rankings process this diversity through data processing. For example, the standards I mentioned are actually a single model, that is, large comprehensive research universities. .”

Eliot agreed,

"Yes, I also think that quantification will create monotony. Also, is it necessary to introduce a reputation survey?"

Lu Shi fell into deep thought,

The Reputation Survey asks respondents to select their top universities in the world based on their region or country.

Most of these respondents come from Europe, which can easily lead to geographical bias, which in turn leads to European universities that are already in a dominant position to be more favored in the world university rankings.

In modern times, reputation surveys have to a certain extent enabled European and American universities, especially large research comprehensive universities, to rank higher in the world.

There is no way, the right to speak is in other people's hands.

Lu Shi said: "This matter requires more consideration."

This is what he came to the United States for. If there is any dispute, it should be discussed in a long-term and slow manner.

However, looking at the performance of Harvard University, they seem to be less resistant to rankings from top to bottom, from the president to the students. Coupled with the promotion of Vice President Theodore, it should be possible.

Lu Shi couldn't help but feel depressed when he thought of the hands-off shopkeeper Edward VII.

Is this guy really going to be a wise king?

It’s quite outrageous when you think about it.

Elliot on the side was a little hesitant. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but speak.

"Professor Lu, your spoken English is really good."

Lu Shi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized,

The other person spoke with American pronunciation.

He said: "Isn't there a saying that 'when in town, do as the Romans do'? Since I'm in the United States, in order to get closer to the students, I naturally have to make some adjustments."

The corners of Elliot's mouth curled up,

"You are almost like a local. With this level, it will not be a problem to study in Harvard."

Wodehouse:? ? ?

Theodore:? ? ?

Qian Ning:? ? ?

Everyone could see that Elliot was poaching.

Wodehouse stepped forward;

"In teaching, the most important thing is knowledge, not pronunciation. Otherwise, wouldn't it be enough to hire actors who speak well and speak well?"

He didn't want Lu Shi to be poached.

Although life in London is very good now, the United States is in a period of rapid development, and many people regard it as an investment target.

If Lu Shi had this idea, he would be in trouble!

Wodehouse would never allow it!

Eliot spread his hands,

"Sir, what you said is wrong."

Wodehouse frowned;

"What's wrong?"

Elliot showed a sinister expression and said: "Of course I know that knowledge is far more important than pronunciation. The reason why I praise Professor Lu so much is that I have already acquiesced in Professor Lu's excellent academic skills. And according to your statement, it seems that there is something to this Suspect?"

"Ah this..."

Wodehouse's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

He cursed in his heart,

Oh, the hateful, cunning Yankee!

Actually sowing discord in person?

Elliot winked subtly, then turned his attention back to Lu Shi and said, "Professor Lu, are you interested in coming to live in the United States? Harvard University has opened the door for you."

Lu Shi was stunned,

Unexpectedly, the other party directly sent out an invitation.

Theodore on the side agreed,

"I also think, Professor Lu, your personality might be more suitable in the United States."

As a result, before Lu Shi could express his position, Wodehouse interjected: "Everyone, Professor Lu is not only a professor of London Political Science and Economics, but also a professor of the University of London Alliance. His prospects are far broader than working in a university."

The implication is that the University of London Alliance is a multi-university alliance with unparalleled advantages in scale.

Elliot tilted his head.

"By the way, speaking of alliance..."

He paused for half a second, and then said: "We are also planning to create one. Previously, Mr. Butler, the acting president of Columbia University, contacted me and said that he wanted to create an alliance, and also invited Yale University and Princeton University..."

Lu Shi: "..."

Isn’t this special cat the Ivy League of later generations?

According to history, the idea of ​​the alliance school should have been brewed in 1956. How did it become like this?

He asked: "Mr. Principal, why are you thinking of organizing an alliance?"

Eliot spread his hands,

"No way, isn't it necessary to participate in the global university rankings? Only by concentrating our efforts can we highlight our advantages."

Lu Shi was speechless for a while.

Unexpectedly, this incident happened because of me.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Eliot comforted him: "Don't be stressed, Professor Lu. In fact, our four schools had social and sports competitions at the end of the last century. The competition even has a folk name, 'Ivy.' ."

In the early days, there were only four Ivy League universities: Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Princeton.

Four, the Roman numeral IV, plus a suffix Y, becomes "IVY", which means ivy in English.

Lu Shi just sped up the process.

Elliott said: "So Professor Lu doesn't have to worry about his future prospects after coming to Harvard. In the future, we will also take the path of alliances. Moreover, although these four schools are private, they are the same as public universities. Receives federal funding and private donations for academic research.”

It's very sincere to reveal such important information.

Lu Shi was a little embarrassed.

He really didn't know how to refuse.

Elliot also noticed it, patted Lu Shi on the shoulder and said, "Professor Lu, it's okay. I heard that you are now a member of the Columbia University Board of Directors. You have a long way to go, and there will be many opportunities in the future."

It can be seen that he just wants to form a good relationship with Lu Shi.

As Qian Ning said before,

There is no need to socialize in Lu Shi.

Socializing will naturally come to you when you land.

the other side,

"Huh~"

Wodehouse also breathed a sigh of relief.

He and Lu Shi went to the United States to promote the global university rankings. If it finally happened and Lu Shi was left in the United States, the joke would be a big joke.

Seeing that the poaching was over, Theodore changed the subject.

"Professor Lu, you said you wrote a script based on your own experiences? Was it what happened on the ship?"

Elliot complained: "Teddy, I asked you just now what happened on the ship, but you didn't tell me."

Theodore looked at Lu Shi with questioning eyes.

Lu Shi understood and told about his experience on the boat.

Of course, some things that don't need to be discussed in detail must have been skipped. For example, the matter of opening Owens' head was briefly mentioned.

Elliot couldn't help but frown,

"I didn't expect that."

He asked again: "Professor Lu, where is your notebook?"

Lu Shi said: "I didn't take it with me. But...to be honest, I think that script is too special and cannot be performed in the theater."

Everyone nodded silently.

Everyone who understands the reason for not being able to perform understands it, and those who don’t understand don’t need to explain it.

Eliot pondered,

After a while,

"It doesn't matter. You can find someone to perform at Harvard University and treat it as an internal communication."

If you don't have to face social performances, there will be fewer problems.

Lu Shi followed the good and followed the flow,

"Okay. Then I will take out the script and ask you to help me control the eyes."

They had dinner together first, then went to Lu Shi's dormitory and took out the script.

The name of the script is very simple——

"reverse".

The reason why it is called this is because it depicts a society that is completely inverted with reality.

America is ruled by Asians,

They introduced the Anti-Ancestor Act,

The "Ansa" here is naturally the Anglo-Saxon.

Elliot was stunned when he saw this.

What a wild idea this is! ?

Someone has written something like this before! ?

He looked at Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, you... what you wrote cannot be called a satire script, it should be called a science fiction script."

The rest of the people, including Channing, Theodore, and Wodehouse, also looked surprised.

Wodehouse asked in a low voice: "Lu, when did you change the script?"

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"Just a few days ago, while I was waiting for "The Fifteenth Year of Wanli" to be published in Harvard Magazine, I was bored and asked Saul to study the changes together."

Awesome!

Wodehouse gave Lu Shi a thumbs up.

He felt the same as Eliot,

This Upside Down goes beyond satirical drama.

Other people think so too,

It's just that they don't know how to describe it.

Elliot took a deep breath and had an inexplicable thought in his mind:

I am witnessing history.

He shook his head slowly to clear this thought from his mind and said, "Read on."

Everyone continued to look behind.

There are two main characters in the script,

One is Jimmy Tang, a Chinese. Due to the economic downturn, his theater closed down and he was in desperate need of a job;

Second, Sam, a painter from Ansa, was in need of a carriage driver and bodyguard to tour the United States.

Wodehouse murmured:

"Upside down. Sure enough, everything is upside down."

What happens next is very different from the previous plot.

Sam and Jimmy went from not understanding each other to becoming friends.

Sam is discriminated against by Asians, and Jimmy helps him out;

Jimmy's cultural quality was not high, but he was educated by Sam and gradually became a "moral" and serious person.

The script can be read quickly.

It won't be long,

"Huh~"

Theodore took a long breath and whispered: "Watching this drama, there is a very absurd mismatch feeling. It is like watching the real America, but also it seems that what you are seeing is not the real America. It's really... …I really don’t know how to describe it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Eliot said, “Teddy, you mentioned a great word—absurdity.”

He turned to Lu Shi again,

"Professor Lu, this is a new drama genre, right?"

Lu Shi: "Uh..."

I don’t know whether I should admit it or not.

Eliot laughed: "Perhaps it can be called a 'drama of the absurd'?"

Lu Shi:! ! !

He didn't dare accept this reputation.

You know, the originator of absurdist drama is Samuel Beckett's two-act tragicomedy "Waiting for Godot."

This drama is awesome,

Lu Shi first read Waiting for Godot in high school.

At that time, he thought that the play was full of nonsense, especially the gratuitous insertion of "Is Godot coming?" which was simply incomprehensible.

It wasn't until he entered the workplace later that he discovered that it was a divine drama.

Isn’t that kind of confusion and emptiness the living conditions of most 996 workers?

It’s really amazing!

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Mr. Principal, I don't dare to call myself a sect, let alone an 'absurd drama'."

Elliot waved his hand,

"Professor Lu, I think you think about the problem too complicatedly."

Lu Shi asked in confusion: "What do you mean by this?"

Eliot thought for a while and asked: "Which one of your works, "No Survival" or "Roger Mystery," do you think is better? Or put another way, logically speaking, which one should More marketable?”

I know the answer to this question by thinking about it on my knees.

It’s definitely the former——

"No Survivors".

For ordinary people, narrative trickery still has a high threshold.

Moreover, "Roger's Mystery" is more expensive to sell, and money is also a factor that must be considered.

But the opposite is true.

Elliot didn't wait for Lu Shi to answer,

""Roger's Mystery" sold well, why? I think there are two main reasons. First, "No One Survived" is a serialized work, and many readers have read it; second, when "Roger's Mystery" was serialized, you The newspaper confrontation with Dr. Doyle raised the profile."

Lu Shi admitted: "That's true."

Eliot continued: "This shows that readers actually have a preconceived way of reading. They read not only for the work itself, but also for things other than the work."

Everyone couldn't help but fall into deep thought,

When literary works, especially pure literary works, become consumer goods, readers' choice of those classics depends on their popularity.

Lu Shi knew this best,

In modern times, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" sells countless times better than "In Search of Lost Time."

Eliot said: "That's why I think "Upside Down" is a great work. In addition to the text itself, there are too many things outside of the work."

He was referring to Lu Shi's Chinese identity.

Lu Shi was speechless.

Eliot added: "It is not an exaggeration to say that you created the 'Theatre of the Absurd'. Unfortunately, this "Upside Down" is destined not to be performed in large-scale theaters, otherwise it will definitely affect the world."

Lu Shi said: "Mr. Principal, this is really an award."

What he will not know is that one day in the future, Samuel Beckett will write the two-act tragicomedy "Waiting for Godot" and win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

On the podium, Beckett claimed to be the "descendant of Lu Shi".

Because it was "Upside Down" that pioneered absurdist drama.

Elliot patted Lu Shi on the shoulder,

"I think the birth of a great editor is as difficult as the birth of a great writer. Fortunately, Professor Lu, you are a great editor yourself. You can know this by looking at your marketing of "Roger Mystery"."

Lu Shi touched his nose awkwardly,

The other party really praised himself too highly.

At this time, Wodehouse interjected: "If "Upside Down" is really performed like this, then more than a dozen Chinese actors will be needed. How to solve this?"

Eliot didn't even think about it;

"Isn't it hard to find Chinese people in Massachusetts? There are a lot of Chinese workers here."

Affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act, many Chinese workers returned from the Western United States to the Eastern United States.

That's why Eliot said this.

Wodehouse said: "But they are not professional actors!"

Everyone was silent,

They were all very embarrassed.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shi said: "Not being a professional actor is not necessarily a disadvantage."

The rest of the crowd looked at Lu Shi curiously,

Theodore asked: "How do you say this? I'm not a professional actor, and I can't even speak the lines well. How can I make the audience feel involved?"

Lu Shi did not answer, but Eliot said: "The advantage of absurdist drama is that it does not rely on actors to attract people. Teddy, you might as well try to imagine if a Chinese was portrayed on the stage to rule the United States and launch "Pulse". Are you curious about the world of "Bill"?"

Theodore understood,

"More than just curiosity! I will definitely read it all!"

Eliot followed along and said: "So, this kind of drama screens the audience. Some people will throw the table and leave, and some people will stay out of curiosity. Regardless of whether they stay or leave, the reason is not the actors, but the plot."

After speaking, Elliot turned to Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, I can help you contact Chinese workers in Massachusetts."