Issue 2 - O

The Angler 

Interview with Professor Liebregts: 

"I used to have this extremely red sort of hair." 

I just don't get it...: 

"The plot seems as littered with holes as the hull of the ship itself." 

Christmas in England: 

"You could pass the day at school happy in the knowledge there'd be a 

chocolate treat waiting at home." 

Year 8, Issue 2, December 2012

Editorial 

It’s Christmas time! Well, not yet, but it is soon 

approaching. At the moment we are all quite busy with studying 

for those pesky exams coming up, cramming in time to write 

those essays, while still trying to find time to not only finish the 

homework for this last week but also try and get some sleep. It 

seems like a nearly impossible task, I know. Keep in mind though 

that just 2 short weeks from now it is finally Christmas! As ‘tis the 

season, we decided to give you a Christmas themed issue of The 

Angler this time. 

Read up on what delicious treats you’d get to eat during 

a Christmas dinner in the middle ages, see what Harry Potter’s 

Christmases have been like, and do not forget to watch those 

classic Christmas movies we all know and love. 

We also have a great interview with our very own 

Professor Liebregts, be quick to find out what he was like as a 

student! 

I wish all of you good luck with the the upcoming exams 

and with writing all the essays. They will soon be over 

(thankfully!) and you all will be able to enjoy that well deserved 

break. 

Have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year 

celebration. 

EDITION 

Year 8, Issue 2 

Colophon 

EDITOR 

James Lokas 

BOARD 

James Lokas 

Franziska Mattler 

Hanne Kouwenberg 

COMMITTEE 

Valerie Brentjes 

Maj Hansen 

Marten van der Meulen 

Anne Rutten 

FREELANCE WRITERS 

Emily Allinson 

Benny Baumann 

Eric Brotchie 

Ingrid van Busschbach 


Anonymous 

INTERVIEWEE 

Peter Liebregts 

PHOTOGRAPHY & ARTS 

Maj Hansen 

Bas Foppen 

WITH MANY THANKS TO 

Karin Hendrikse 

All the best, 

James Lokas, Editor 

SPONSOR 

Wesoby B.V. 

Copyright 

The contents of The Angler (online and 

printed version) are copyright of The 

Angler. All rights reserved. Information of 

the web site and magazine, including but 

not limited to, text and images, may not, 

except for strictly private purposes or 

where otherwise indicated, be 

reproduced, transferred, distributed or 

stored without prior written permission by 

the board of The Angler. Modifications to 

the content of the web site and magazine 

are expressly prohibited. 

The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2 1

Content Page 

Content 

Editorial 2 

Philology: “Of Crispels and Crusage Gentyle – Medieval Christmas Dinner.” 4 

Literature: “Nargles in the Mistletoe.” 6 

Linguistics: “Is English Threatening the Dutch Language?” 8 

Language Acquisition: “What Do You Mean ‘Jack Skellington hijacked Christmas again’ 

‽” 10 

Interview: “Professor Liebregts: From Rebellious Student to Full Professor.” 12 

Culture: “Christmas in England.” 17 

All Things Albion!: “Drinks, Movies, Werewolves, and Goodbyes.” 19 

All Things LEF!: “From the Director.” 20 

Movie Review: “Nostalgic Noel.” 21 

Going Abroad: “Part II: Money.” 23 

International Students: “I just don’t get it...” 25 

Creative Writing 27 


Philology 

Rutten 

Of Crispels and Crusade Gentyle – Medieval Christmas 

Dinner 

Christmas is fast approaching: a time of 

joy and festivities, but above all, eating. 

Whether you gorge yourself on mince 

pies, or sit through several three-coursedinners 

between Sinterklaas and New 

Years Eve, food is a central part of the 

celebrations. Nowadays, every kind of 

meat and every sort of vegetable is 

available throughout the year, and 

Christmas dinner is a lavish event 

comprised of the tastiest of morsels. 

However, this decadence is not a far cry 

from medieval eating habits. Poor 

peasants would be lucky to eat twice a 

day, but the English nobility feasted on 

luxurious items every day! So what can 

you expect, should you be invited to a 

dinner at the Percy’s? 

After your arrival, you will be shown to the 

great hall. Your place at the dinner table is 

determined by your rank: grooms, valets 

and other servants sit on the far end of the 

hall, but as a valued highborn friend, you 

will join the lord’s table. Napkins have not 

been invited yet, but you will be expected 

to wash your hands – do not fret, there are 

servants to pour the water and hand you 

towels. As you sit down, another servant 

will pour you wine. These alcoholic 

beverages will have been imported from 

France, the Low Countries, or even Spain. 

Again, the quality of the wine depends on 

your rank and pedigree. Before the dishes 

are brought in, grace is said by the 

chaplain – after all, you are in a proper 

Christian household! The Church imposes 

itself on dinner through other means as 

well. Christians are supposed to observe 

the fast days, so on Wednesdays, Fridays 

and Saturdays, no meat is allowed at the 

table. In addition, the periods of Lent and 

Advent are traditionally fast days, meaning 

that for half the year, you will eat 

vegetarian. 

When the dishes are brought out, you will 

have to wait just a little bit longer. The lord 

is entitled to the first choice, and once he 

has sampled his favourite dishes, 

they are passed around. 

You might find Mortreus de Chare on your 

plate, a meat dish thickened with eggs and 

bread, or Leche Lombard, a sort of 

medieval haggis. A real treat is the Poume 

d’Oranges, which is a variety of meatballs 

made to resemble oranges. Most of these 

dishes are boiled or baked meat, served 

with sauces or jelly, and pottages or stews 

dominate this course. On fast days, you 

will be served with equally tasty dishes. 

The eel pie, poached mulwell or baked 

lampreys are just as delicious, and the 

spicy galantine sauce tops it off nicely. 

Although you might be rather hungry, you 

should resist the temptation to wolf 

everything down. There are two more 

courses coming up, and you will be stuck 

at dinner for two more hours. 

After the table has been cleared, some 

fruits and nuts are brought in: this heralds 

the intervening course. These are small 

snacks, and sometimes, they are not even 

meant to be eaten. This short pause might 

include a marvel, such as birds flying out 

of a pie. When you discuss the marvellous 

surprise with one of the many Henrys 

present, the second course is brought out. 

These roasted animals are dressed to 

impress: the heron is dismembered, the 

coney is unlaced. There will be pottages, 

stews and pies as in this course as well, 

but the focus lies on the many exotic 

animals. In the Middle Ages, you would 

usually eat pork or beef, in a nobleman’s 

household, you could expect to eat 

peacock, woodcock or lark too! Needless 

to say, these were costly meats, and 

served to show off the earl of 

Northumberland’s riches and good taste. 

Fish was no exception: salmon, trout and 

turbot are on the fast day menu, and they 

are dressed as exquisitely as the meat. 

The nobility can afford to buy the 

expensive fresh fish, and they have no 

problem presenting their wealth. 


Philology 

Rutten 

Dessert is comprised of many delicious 

treats. While you might find sparrows and 

beavers (a fish under Church ruling), 

another sign of the lord’s wealth, you can 

also find familiar dishes such as apples, 

strawberries and pears. These were 

spiced, baked or otherwise preserved to 

last for a long time: fresh fruits were 

believed to be bad for your health. Often 

the fruit is made into a pie or pudding, as 

proven by the the popular Chireseye 

(cherry pudding) and Fruays (apple 

pudding). Of course, dessert depended 

heavily on the season: in winter, you will 

not eat cherries or grapes. During a last 

drink with Henry, the servants carry out 

the leftovers. They will not be thrown 

away: beggars at the gate receive the 

broken meats gladly. Tonight, in the true 

Christmas spirit, everyone goes home with 

a full belly. 

Anne Rutten 

Interested in daily life in medieval England? The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian 

Mortimer makes for an amusing read, and it is historically correct too! 

Want to make your own medieval dinner? http://www.godecookery.com/ has a ton of medieval recipes 

from all over Europe! 


Literature 

Hansen 

Is the fake tree dusted? Are the presents 

wrapped already? Have you thought of a 

way to escape annoying family members 

at the party? You are probably not the only 

one wishing for real snow, a real tree, and 

in particular: an exciting way of celebrating 

Christmas where unexpected events will 

enchant you...Well, grab your broomstick 

and travel to a remote place in the 

mountains of Scotland. Cross the Loch, 

evade the Whomping Willow and carefully 

skid down your broom into the huge piles 

of fluffy snow covering the grounds of our 

favourite castle: Hogwarts School of 

Witchcraft and Wizardry. What place is 

better to enjoy a Christmas dinner than the 

Great Hall, decorated with the twelve 

(authentic) frost-covered trees, enchanted 

snow and glittering icicles? Perhaps you 

even get the chance to pop one of 

Cribbages’ Wizarding Crackers and hear 

some of Peeves the Poltergeist’s ‘adapted’ 

versions of the traditional carols. 

Of course, Christmas is a special time 

anywhere around the world, but Harry 

Potter in particular experiences marvellous 

days in this period of the year. The 

grounds of Hogwarts are lit by fluttering 

fairies, portraits are getting tipsy of too 

much liquor, and eager house elves 

prepare a myriad of dishes and puddings. 

It is probably the only place where 

mistletoe is a threat, as it might be 

inhabited by Nargles – if you are willing to 

trust Luna Lovegood. Hogwarts’ 

Christmases are not only unique because 

of the decorations and feasts however. 

Without the presents and opportunities 

Christmas provides, Harry would never 

have been able to go through all of his 

adventures. The Dursleys might send him 

‘generous’ gifts such as a toothpick, but 

what would he be without the Marauders’ 

Map, or his Invisibility Cloak? Let’s have a 

look at the aspects of the consecutive 

Christmases of the ‘boy-who-lived’. 

His first year at Hogwarts is also the very 

first time that Harry receives Christmas 

presents. His pile of packages contains a 

Weasley Jumper – hand knitted of course 

– Chocolate Frogs, and the Cloak of 

Invisibility. This special garment is the 

beginning of Harry’s roaming the corridors 

at night and discovering secrets such as 

the Mirror of Erised (desire spelt 

backwards). In fact, the Cloak will prove 

of great value throughout his adventures in 

all of the books. Another significant 

present is the early Christmas gift of the 

Weasley twins in his third year: the 

Marauders’ Map. This map enables Harry 

to visit Hogsmeade, the nearby village 

where all kinds of shops dealing in magical 

merchandise are located. While 

eavesdropping on some teachers in the 

Three Broomsticks, Harry discovers how 

his parents were betrayed by their best 

friend, which sets quite an important part 

of the plot in motion. 

Indeed, for Harry and his friends 

Christmas is not a quiet period at all. In 

many of the books an opportunity for 

something, or important turn in the story, 

seems to be created by the festive 

circumstances. The Polyjuice Potion, for 

instance, is drunk at Christmas day by the 

companions to try to discover more about 

the heir of Slytherin. No comfortable 

digesting for the friends after tea, but 

straight unto solving another mystery. 

Or the Yule ball; Harry’s fourth year at 

Hogwarts proves to be an unconventional 

one, as everything is accommodated for 

the Triwizard Tournament. Naturally, with 

two sister schools (Durmstrang and 

Beauxbatons) on the grounds, a traditional 

Christmas is not enough. When Harry and 

Ron are tired of dancing, they discover 

quite some secrets: the discussion of 

Snape and Karkaroff about death-eaters 

business, Hagrid confessing to be a halfgiant 

in the gardens, and a way of dealing 

with the enigma of the golden egg. 


Literature 

Hansen 

From Hogwarts in the first four books the 

setting of Christmas shifts to other places 

in the following parts. First of all, in book 

five Harry visits the headquarters of the 

Order of the Phoenix. However, the 

gloomy atmosphere of Grimmauld Place 

does not prevent him from having a merry 

time altogether. After surviving a kiss with 

Cho Chang in the Room of Requirement, a 

vision of Voldemort’s snake attacking 

Ron’s dad and the subsequent idea of 

being possessed by his enemy, Harry can 

finally be cheered up by Sirius’s songs. He 

does not know that lessons of Occlumency 

await him after this. 

Secondly, in Harry’s sixth year Christmas 

is spread over different places: Hogwarts 

and the Burrow, the cosy house of the 

Weasleys. With Lord Voldemort officially 

returned, Harry is trying to figure out what 

role Draco Malfoy plays in his plans. 

Professor Slughorn’s Christmas Party 

unexpectedly provides an opportunity for 

this: when following Snape and Malfoy, 

Harry’s suspicions of both Slytherins 

increase. A more comforting thought is his 

stay at the Burrow with his friends in yet 

another Christmassy atmosphere. 

Especially the memorable sight of the 

garden gnome, painted gold and dressed 

up in a tutu to represent an angel, is only 

possible at the Weasleys’. 

Unfortunately, Harry neither spends 

Christmas Eve in a decorated castle nor at 

his second most favourite place in the 

world in the last book, but in the extremely 

cheerful ambiance of a graveyard. In their 

search after Horcruxes Harry and 

Hermione (as you probably remember Ron 

left them after a row) resort to visit 

Godric’s Hollow, the place where Harry’s 

parents lived before they were murdered. 

They hope to find Gryffindor’s sword with 

Bathilda Bagshot, the author of A History 

of Magic. It proves to be a more 

disastrous Christmas than ever, as Harry 

finds himself in a precarious trap; Bagshot 

is possessed by the snake of Voldemort. 

Both he and Hermione escape in the nick 

of time, at the cost of Harry’s wand. 

Luckily, a few days later Ron returns: he 

rescues Harry from drowning in an icecold 

pond in the forest of Dean. A late 

Christmas present is the discovery of 

Gryffindor’s sword in the same pond. In 

any case, there is an abundance of snow. 

Indeed, Hogwarts does provide the 

ultimate atmosphere for a marvellous and 

charming Christmas party. The 

decorations, the feast, the white snow 

instead of the watery black slush generally 

seen around here; that is an admirable 

example. So, if you want a Christmas 

worthy of Hogwarts, dress your little 

brother or sister up as a house elf, drag 

along some snow cannons and confiscate 

a heap of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. But 

do not expect a relaxed party, because a 

combination of Harry Potter and Christmas 

often seems to end up in drinking 

disgusting potions, having terrifying 

nightmares, removing Christmas baubles 

in the shape of your own head or even 

fighting a deathly snake. Maybe a 

traditional, yet boring feast with your family 

under a fake tree is not that bad after all... 

Merry Christmas! 

Maj Hansen 


Linguistics 

v.d. Meulen 

Is English threatening the Dutch language? 

Recently I have come into contact with a 

group of people called “Stichting 

Nederlands”. This is a group that actively 

resists the increasing number of English 

loanwords in the Dutch language. This 

organization was created in 1998 by 

people who were aware of the “English 

craze” (from their website), and tries to 

both dam in the amount of new English 

loanwords and come up with “good” Dutch 

alternatives. They are not alone in their 

opinion: OnzeTaal, a popular magazine 

about language, has a whole file on the 

anglification of Dutch. They feel that if 

something is not done, Dutch will be the 

second language in the Netherlands by 

2060, after English. But is this fear 

justified? Will Dutch disappear in fifty 

years? 

There is something to say for 

people who fear that Dutch will disappear: 

the number of languages in the world is 

declining rapidly. An often-heard estimate 

is that of the 6,000 languages used today, 

90% will be lost within the next 100 years. 

However, it is (at this point) very and 

extremely unlikely that Dutch will be a part 

of these dying languages. The reasons for 

this are manifold. Dying languages usually 

have declining numbers of speakers, but 

Dutch speakers are only increasing in 

number. Nowadays there are more than 

ever with more than 23 million speakers. A 

language is severely threatened when it is 

not the official language of a nation, or 

when children aren’t taught in the tongue 

anymore, or when another language takes 

over the original language. None of these 

factors apply to Dutch. But there is of 

course language contact, and new words 

do appear. 

New words are created all the time: 

they can for example be made from 

existing words by derivation (an NCIS-like 

show) or compounding (a 

mothergoosefucker), or they can come 

from other languages. This last 

phenomenon is called borrowing, or 

loaning words. It is certainly true that in the 

last decades we have borrowed quite 

extensively from English. Before that, 

there were periods when Dutch borrowed 

heavily from French and German. In fact, 

of the total number of loanwords in Dutch, 

the majority is still from French and Latin. 

Even words like kaas ultimately derive 

from Latin. Latin used to have a lot of 

influence in Roman times and in the 

Middle Ages. Later, the Dutch borrowed a 

lot of words from French, especially in the 

16 th to 19 th century when French culture 

was dominant in Europe. Lastly, German 

was influential as a language, supplying 

many words that we today would hardly 

recognize as being German (such as the 

word leenwoord, meaning loanword) 

English words have only really started to 

appear in Dutch after the Napoleonic wars, 

when French influenced waned. 

Two other things are very 

important to realize about the distribution 

and life of loanwords. Opponents of 

English in Dutch often say that there are 

many thousands of English words seeping 

into every part of Dutch. That is not strictly 

speaking true: a lot of the English words 

are restricted to very specific fields, such 

as business management. Your Average 

Joe won’t use any of these words. 

Furthermore, it is vital to understand the 

notion of fashion words. As I said earlier, 

Dutch has loaned words from many other 

languages in the past, but these words 

also disappear again. A good example of 

transitoriness of loanwords comes from a 

Dutch book I recently read, called 

Eenzaam Avontuur. This book was written 

in 1948 and has an inordinate amount of 

French words in it, words that must have 

been quite readily understood at the time. 

Reading this book now it strikes me as 

distinctly odd and old-fashioned to read 

words such as désavoueren (see how the 

word is bastardised with the Dutch verb 

marking suffix –en), or an embarras de 

choix (an expression which I didn’t even 

readily understand). These expressions 

have (as far as I’m aware) disappeared 

from our language use. 

Finally, evidence has seldom been 

found that borrowing would hasten 

language death. Language death often 

goes through various stages, but there 

must always be a replacement language. 


Linguistics 

v.d. Meulen 

In other words, language death is almost 

always preceded by bilingualism. There is 

a type of language death called sudden 

death, where the last speaker of a 

language dies without there being a 

bilingual period, but this is very rare. An 

example of this is Tasmanian. 

So loanwords, no matter how many 

there may be, are not a threat to Dutch. 

This is unfortunately not the whole picture 

of the language contact between Dutch 

and English. The fact cannot be denied 

that the global use of English is spreading 

rapidly. Besides there being more than 

300 million L1 speakers of English, the 

number of L2 speakers is enormous, with 

estimates varying from 500 million to 2 

billion. Many of these L2 speakers are just 

like us: we use our mother tongue for the 

largest part of our daily lives and only use 

English in restricted domains. One of 

these domains is higher education. This is 

unsurprising when one studies English 

Language and Culture, but it is not only 

our own study where English is very 

common: most of the masters are in 

English, many bachelors, such as 

Linguistics, are partly taught in English, 

and a great number (maybe a majority) of 

studies, including Medicine, draw heavily 

upon English literature. This is the real 

threat to Dutch, and it is right here in our 

own university. 

Why is the use of English as the 

primary language in higher education 

dangerous? This question can be 

answered on several levels. For the 

purpose of this article it is most relevant 

that the increasing use of English can lead 

to domain loss. It is not unthinkable that at 

some point all higher education will be 

taught in English. The advantages are 

clear: books do not have to translated, 

worldwide communication between 

students, professors and staff will be 

greatly facilitated, and it will be easier for 

our students to study and teach abroad. 

But the dangers are that we lose part of 

identity and part of our creativity: of the 

more than 19,000 students at Leiden 

University, how many are able to 

communicate in English at the same level 

as they do in their mother tongue? And 

when all higher education is taught in 

English, then it might be beneficial for 

students to gain more knowledge of 

English in high school. And to prepare 

them for that, it might become necessary 

to teach more English in elementary 

school! And then eventually Dutch will 

become the primary language of 

education, and finally of our country. This 

may seem as a reductio ad absurdum, but 

this is a lot more likely to happen than the 

death of Dutch because of loanwords. 

Education is a vital register for the 

continued survival of a language. 

The problem of course is: what can 

we do about it? Any solution has so many 

disadvantages that it becomes impossible 

to employ. The “Stichting Nederlands” is 

strongly opposed to using English words 

where perfectly good Dutch words are 

available. This of course is impossible to 

enforce: speakers (and writers to a lesser 

extent) will damn well use whatever word 

they like! But the use of English in 

education can be controlled. One of the 

actions that have to be undertaken is the 

translation of scientific books in Dutch. A 

costly solution, yes, but one that will 

ensure the lasting possibility of being able 

to teach in Dutch, not in English. All 

arguments about internationalization are of 

course plausible, and if all bachelors are 

taught in Dutch than at some point more 

English education has to be introduced. 

This is an ongoing problem. But let 

me just repeat here: Dutch is not under 

threat. Loanwords have been around 

forever, and will continue to be used. 

Whether or not to use English loanwords 

is mostly a question of aesthetics, and 

people should decide for themselves what 

they think is beautiful and what is not, 

because in the end, de gustibus non est 

disputandem. It would help though if 

people would just let other people be, and 

stop nagging about all kinds of “wrong”. 

Remember folks: there is no right and 

wrong in language: there is only usage. 



Language Acquisition 

Brentjes 

What do you mean “Jack Skellington hijacked 

Christmas again”‽ 

Punctuation is, with a grain of salt, the 

greatest invention since the number 

zero. It allows for near-limitless 

possibilities to express oneself, so 

mastering it is essential. Poor Romans 

who never had either. However, “nearlimitless”, 

in my opinion, is not quite 

good enough. Sometimes the 

extensive rule set bogs one down, and 

sometimes the right symbols seem to 

be missing, especially because written 

text does not carry some emotions as 

well as spoken text. 

When taking another good look at the 

title of this article, you will find my first 

complaint about English punctuation. 

In fiction, one can easily write “Did the 

Christmas lights explode?” I 

exclaimed. Although in essays one 

may not want to yell at your readers, 

consider blogging. Capitalising a 

statement will, as is common on the 

Web, be considered childish unless 

the culprit is J.K. Rowling. Sure, you 

could italicise or write in bold 

typeface, but perhaps your font looks 

pretty in neither or you want to draw 

yet more attention to Did she really 

say “All I want for Christmas isn’t 

you”? 

This is where the interrobang, a 

combination of the question mark and 

the exclamation point (also known as 

the “bang”), comes in. Martin K. 

Speckter, head of an advertising firm, 

introduced the symbol in 1962 to 

replace the awkward and unappealing 

“?!” or “!?” (interrobang-mks.com). 

Though the symbol enjoyed 

considerable popularity in the sixties— 

in the form of name and design 

suggestions, articles, and the inclusion 

of the interrobang in certain 

typefaces—it never caught on. Partly 

because it was considered 

unnecessary by some, partly because 

of limitations to the number of keys on 

typewriters, and partly because it was 

simply too expensive to 

incorporate an additional and 

most of all unconventional glyph 

(shadycharacters.co.uk). Although the 

majority of contemporary typefaces do 

not support the interrobang, as a 

vehement adversary of “?!” and its 

switched-up version (which one should 

I use anyway?), I think the interrobang 

would make a useful addition to 

English punctuation. 

Even more so, with an increasing 

amount of communication happening 

through computers and text 

messaging (or What’s Apping for all 

you modern kids with your 

smartphones and tablets) rather than 

speech, a demand has arisen for 

symbols to indicate tone in written text. 

People who miss ironic remarks and 

take them literally can be frustrating 

enough in conversation, but deadpan 

snarkers may run into a great deal 

more trouble on the Internet, where 

you cannot make a single ironic 

comment without offending half of the 

connected world. 

But it is not just modern society that 

could do with an irony marker: the first 

demand dates three centuries back to 

John Wilkins, who suggested an 

upside-down exclamation point (“¡”). 

Shady Characters’ webmaster Keith 

Houston writes: 

“Wilkins’ choice of the ‘¡’ seems 

most appropriate. The 

exclamation mark already 

modifies the tone of a 

statement, and inverting it to 

yield an ‘i’-like character both 

hints at the implied irony and 

suggests the inversion of its 

meaning.” 

In Ethiopian punctuation, the upsidedown 

exclamation point, known as 

Temherte Slaq, already exists to 

identify sarcastic or unreal comments 

(“A Roadmap to the Extension of the 


Language Acquisition 

Brentjes 

Ethiopic Writing System Standard 

Under Unicode and ISO-10646”). 

However, this irony mark and many of 

its successors, such as the pointe 

d’ironie resembling a flipped question 

mark, failed to make it into the English 

punctuation set. Regrettably, if you ask 

me—because I would much rather use 

such a symbol than add tags 

around my text. 

Of course, irony works best when the 

speaker or writer does not call 

attention to the fact that he or she is 

being ironic, which I think is a strong 

argument against the use of a pointe 

d’ironie or other equivalents. 

Nevertheless, a way to indicate irony 

would clear up many a 

misunderstanding on the Web, so in 

certain contexts it would be 

appropriate. 

As a typography lover, I vote in favour 

of resurrecting the interrobang and a 

less artificial irony mark than a winking 

smiley or a pseudo-HTML tag. If not 

for any of the reasons stated above 

then because “‽” is much more 

aesthetically pleasing than “?!” or “!?” 

and because I have not been able to 

incorporate any ironic remarks in this 

article. 

Valerie Brentjes 

Wesoby B.V. Zaagstraat15, 7556 MX, Hengelo. T. 074 711 47 74 F. 074 

711 45 

E. info@wesoby.nl 


Interview 

Busschbach 

Interview with Professor Liebregts: From Rebellious 

Student to Full Professor. 

Background Information: 

1986 Graduated in Classical Languages and Literatures in 

Utrecht 

1986-88 Teacher of Latin and Greek at two secondary 

schools in Arnhem. 

1987-88 Lecturer in the Department of Literary Studies at 

Utrecht University. 

1988 Research assistant with a research grant from NWO 

(Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) 

1993 PhD at Leiden University (Cum Laude) 

1993-1998 NWO post-doc researcher 

1999 Junior lecturer at the English Department of Leiden 

Back then: 21 years old. 

2004 Senior lecturer 

2006- Full Professor of Modern Literatures in English. 

(Courses he teaches in 2012: first-year course “The 

Classical and Christian Legacies”; third-year course 

“Anglo-American Modernism”; MA-course “James Joyce”; 

MA-course “Odysseys of Homer: Appropriations of the Iliad 

and Odyssey in 21 st -century English Culture”; MA-course 

“Art and Literature in Anglo-American Modernism”) 

2008-09 co-leader of the international research Theme 

Group “The (Post)Modern Augustine” at NIAS 

(Wassenaar). 

Now: 53, but at times still feeling 33 years old 

(when forced to reveal his emotional age). 

‘People do not believe me when I 

say: ‘I used to have this extremely 

red sort of hair.’’- Professor 

Liebregts. 

Monday afternoon 14:00 o’clock on a 

rather cold and cloudy day in Leiden. I 

am off to my appointment with 

Professor Peter Liebregts. Even 

though I took his 

class on Modern Literature a few years 

ago I did not really know what to 

expect from my interview with him. 

As a student you only get to know the 

teacher, but not so much the person. 

Therefore, finding out who Professor 

Liebregts the person is was my set 

goal for the day. 

Standing in front of Professor 

Liebregts’ office door, armed with a 

memorized resume that I googled from 

the net and a sheet of 30 questions in 

case all would go silent, I knocked on 

his door. There, I was greeted with an 

enthusiastic smile, which made me 

feel confident that I would be able to 

get a peek into the student years of 

this professor, who is otherwise 

always rather private about his 

personal life. 


Interview 

Busschbach 

After getting tea and taking a seat on 

his sofa in his office I started to ask my 

questions. After the first, it immediately 

became clear that English Literature is 

not his only academic ‘love’, but that 

that developed alongside his love of 

Classical Languages and Literatures 

which he studied in Utrecht. Originally 

from the South and fresh from 

secondary school his choice to go and 

study in Utrecht in the late ‘70s was 

quite obvious for him. Simply, because 

he wanted to do something different, 

and not go and study in Nijmegen or 

Maastricht, where most of his 

classmates decided to go. 

When I asked: ‘Where did you live 

during your student years in Utrecht?’ 

he made himself comfortable in his 

desk chair and started reminiscing 

fondly about his days as a student 

which started as he explains in his 

own words in Bilthoven, which is near 

Utrecht in an ‘very, very, very tiny 

(attic) room which was about 2.5 by 

2.5 m. It also had a slant roof! But, the 

first year I spent every weekend back 

home; because most of my friends 

actually stayed there and then slowly I 

got more involved in Utrecht’s social 

life. After the 3rd year I moved to 

Utrecht city itself and I shared a whole 

floor with a (rather rich) fellow student 

of mine’. An interesting detail that 

Professor Liebregts tells me slightly 

later is that even though he did not 

have to pay for it, the room that he 

shared came with its own 

housekeeper! So apart from now 

being able to stand up straight in his 

new room and even probably being 

able to run a marathon from one side 

to the other, he also did not have to 

worry about breadcrumbs on the floor 

or a sticky stove in the kitchen. I have 

to admit not bad if you are still a 

student. 

Nonetheless, before rooms were 

getting bigger and graduation was in 

sight Professor Liebregts worked all 

kinds of part time jobs. In his first 

academic year (’79) (before studying 

Classical Languages & Literatures) he 

took a job as a gardener of a dental 

practice which most of all meant 

raking leaves. Soon after he took an 

administrative job at a transport 

company called Van Gent and Loos. 

This first academic year was more a 

sabbatical year where he dropped out 

of university, but got acquainted with 

James Joyce’s Ulysses and worked 

long hours in order to save money to 

go to Dublin to make sense of the text 

that, in his words, he had ‘wrestled 

with’, ‘for weeks on end!’. This text 

would later prove to be one of his most 

favourite texts and most influential 

texts on his road to becoming a 

professor of English Literature. 

Then I asked: ’How would other 

people have described you as a 

student back then?’ He did not have to 

think for a second and gave me a 

surprising answer: ‘Rebellious!’ He 

explains to me that when he was a 

student in the late 1970s nothing 

seemed to have changed in the 

curriculum and the way students dealt 

with one another since the 1950s. His 

way of rejecting the ‘old ways’ was 

reflected in his controversial choice of 

clothes, listening to pop music, having 

long red hair, and going quite often to 

the cinema, which were all seen as 

signs of ‘low’ culture. Thus he went to 

see the film Apocalypse Now (which is 

still one of his favourites) TWICE in the 

Tuschinski theatre in Amsterdam 

immediately when it came out (See 

link to view trailer: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikrh 

kUeDCdQ ). But when I asked him ‘Do 

you recall a funny anecdote from your 

student time?’ I was in for an even 

bigger surprise. Apparently in the early 

’80s the government chose to abolish 

the Classical Languages and 

Literatures department in Utrecht. 

The rest is best read in Professor 

Liebregts’ own words: ‘Of course we 

did not agree with this, and protested. 

So what we did do? For instance, 

somewhere in the winter 1982/83, we 

made these posters which we then 

wanted to hang up everywhere in the 

city centre of Utrecht to call attention 


Interview 

Busschbach 

to our difficult situation.’ He then tells 

me to the side: ‘As if anyone would 

care that we would be abolished, but 

we all were still very idealistic ’. He 

then continued the story: ‘I can still 

remember that it was a very cold and 

hard winter. We went out in the middle 

of the night of course because it was 

completely illegal. We did not want 

to be seen by the police. And so we 

had these leaflets and we also had a 

waste bag with glue in it, but it was so 

freezing that the glue actually froze 

inside of the bag so we really had to 

stop after two or three hours! We were 

so cold!’ 

Professor Liebregts goes on: As a 

second way of getting attention we 

also wanted to occupy the building of 

the Classical department, but we were 

very very polite and we first asked 

permission from the caretaker of the 

building whether he would allow us to 

have a sleep over. We were granted 

permission and we took our sleeping 

bags and we were off to the Classical 

department. I can still remember that I 

spent two nights in the office of my 

professor of Latin. He adds: ‘the 

caretaker was such a nice man; he 

stopped by the second night to see 

whether we were still okay and 

whether we needed anything. We on 

the other hand were trying to be 

fearless and wanting to make a point 

we were OCCUPYING the building! 

That shows that no one took it actually 

very seriously! 

As a last attempt we also wrote a letter 

in Latin to the pope in Rome to explain 

the situation and whether he could 

actually prevent the minister of 

education of abolishing our 

department and we actually got an 

answer from the Vatican! Well, not 

the pope himself of course but one of 

his spokespersons who said that ‘The 

pope regrets that these languages will 

no longer be able to be studied in 

Utrecht but I hope that you will 

understand that the pope has no say 

in these matters and cannot intervene 

in what seems to be a government 

affair.’ So in the end the department 

closed down and I was really one of 

the last to still graduate in Utrecht. The 

rest had to go to Leiden, Amsterdam 

or Nijmegen.’ 

After these fabulous anecdotes I 

asked him a bit about his job ‘What 

does a Professor actually do?’ 

‘Basically what I do are 3 things: one, I 

have my research, so like anyone else 

I have to write a number of articles or 

produce a certain amount of 

researches a year. I also have of 

course my amount of teaching which 

ranges from first year students to MA 

students. As a professor you are also 

involved in all sorts of levels of 

administration which includes 

implementing new plans for the 

faculty, trying to improve on the 

program, to meet on a regular basis 

with other chairs of faculty 

departments, and I have assessment 

talks with the people for whom I am 

responsible, let’s say the literature 

people, on a yearly basis. So there are 

a lot of meetings and committee work 

involved, as well as the writing of 

official letters and reports.’ 

‘And which part do you like best?’ 

‘Teaching!! I also like research very 

much, but I find it almost more like a 

private sort of thing. As a researcher 

you are far less public and in touch 

with people, with the exception of 

going to a conference or keeping up 

contacts with those experts with whom 

you can discuss your work. In this 

sense, I think teaching is a more fun 

thing to do because there is more 

social interaction and I simply like to 

teach. Teaching is the most direct form 

of being occupied with your 

profession.’ 

‘And which part the least?’ 

‘Administration, because these 

administrative meetings can take for 

hours and sometimes after a few 

hours you think what am I doing here? 

Of course sometimes decisions are 


Interview 

Busschbach 

being made, but in The Netherlands 

people like to confer endlessly about 

everything.’ 

‘What was the highlight of your career 

thus far?’ 

‘Perhaps people would expect me to 

say when I attained the full 

professorship, but no, what I really still 

see as the highlight of my career is 

getting my doctorate. So the fact that 

my PhD thesis was accepted, which I 

then defended here in Leiden. The rest 

that comes after is simply a result of 

that sort of investment of 4 years 

spending, well basically, on writing a 

book and hoping that it will add 

something to scholarship in the eyes 

of other academics. Getting my 

doctorate, then, that was truly the high 

point!’ 

Being at the top of his career, I asked 

him ‘What are your future goals? 

What’s next?‘ 

‘At this point I am still a chair for a 

number of years so I want to survive 

these years, but I would like to have at 

a certain point a bit more time to do 

my research: to write things I still want 

to write. It would also be fun perhaps 

at a certain point to spend some time 

abroad. I was offered a job at an 

American university once which I 

turned down for personal reasons. I 

am not sure what I would do if they 

would offer it to me again.’ 

‘Would going abroad be something 

you would want to do for career 

reasons or personal reason?’ 

‘Personal, because I am quite happy 

where I am now; I still really like being 

here in Leiden. I think it is the best 

place to be at this point in my career. 

After these questions about his 

professorship and his plans for the 

future I still had a few short unrelated 

questions that I wanted to ask him. 

Even though the interview lasted over 

an hour and a half he was still very 

patient and more than willing to 

answer some more questions. 

‘Name the one thing you could not do 

without?’ 

‘My daughter’, he said with full 

conviction! 

‘When people really get to know you 

what are they often surprised to learn 

about you that most would not have 

guessed?’ 

‘Ha ha, that I go to U2 concerts.’ 

‘What is in your opinion U2’s best 

song?’ 

He tells me that he cannot pick just 

one song and that he likes all the 

songs on the album Achtung Baby 

(1991) (Click link to listen: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJP 

iKvb5fmc ) He says: ‘I think they never 

topped that and I can still listen to ALL 

the songs on Achtung Baby. They are 

still excellent!’ 

‘What is your favourite novel?’ 

‘James Joyce’s Ulysses! It is a cliché, 

but it really got me into English. I am 

teaching it now for the 3 rd time and I 

am reading it for the 6 or 7 th time. 

Every time I discover new things. Such 

a great book! I have been reading it for 

more than 30 years now. It stood the 

test of time for me.’ 

‘What is your favourite quote?’ 

‘It's hard to single out particular 

quotes, but I have noticed that on 

certain occasions, certain lines from 

Ezra Pound's Cantos come into my 

mind as this is a poem which is also a 

text (like Ulysses) which has been with 

me for most of my life now, and which 

I never tire of reading. So two lines 

from that long poem seem to have a 

certain significance to me: “In the 

gloom, the gold gathers the light 

against it.” (from Canto XI), and “So 


Interview 

Busschbach 

light is thy weight on Tellus” (from 

Canto XVII).” 

‘What is your favourite food?’ ‘Italian!’ 

‘What is your favourite drink?’ ‘Palm.’ 

‘If you had to describe your time as a 

student in one word what would it be?’ 

‘Fun!’ 

After I took a last sip of tea out of my 

cup and thanked Professor Liebregts 

for this interview, I was off to my 

computer to write this article, but not 

before I very quickly scribbled outside 

of his office the following words on a 

piece of paper. Which seems to 

summarise Professor Liebregts 

perfectly: 

‘After this interview I can best 

describe Professor Liebregts as a 

man who regards Ulysses as his 

bible, 

Palm as his liquid ambrosia, 

his job as his vocation and his 

daughter as the best thing in his 

life!’ 

Ingrid van Busschbach 


Culture 

Allinson 

Christmas in England 

When I was a child Christmas seemed 

to last for the whole month of 

December. Early on the morning of 

December 1 st , my siblings and I would 

race down the stairs in our pyjamas to 

our chocolate advent calendars. We 

opened the first little window and 

gobbled down the tiny chocolate 

inside. It was cheap, supermarket 

chocolate, more sugar than cocoa, but 

to us it was extra tasty because it 

heralded the start of the Christmas 

countdown. Every day after that we 

would repeat the ritual, unless we 

forgot in the hurry to get ready for 

school. Actually, those days were 

pretty great too, because then you 

could pass the day at school happy in 

the knowledge that there’d be a 

chocolate treat waiting for you when 

you got home. 

Soon it was time to start decorating 

the house. My parents would come 

home one day with a Christmas tree, 

which diffused a very particular 

seasonal smell and scattered sharp 

pine needles through the house as it 

was dragged into our living room. 

We’d all spend an evening decorating 

the tree with a mixture of homemade 

and bought decorations. Some 

became family favourites. We still 

have a red, feathery, one-eyed old 

robin which sits proudly on our tree 

each year. When we were really 

young, we would make angels from 

toilet roll holders. Mine were always 

gorgeous, but not very angelic- big, 

lipstick red mouths, and long curly 

eyelashes. After a while, I think our 

parents got a bit sick of our gaudy 

decorations cluttering up the tree. 

Plus, us kids were determined to have 

every single bit of tinsel and every last 

fairy light draped across the branches, 

resulting in a glittering monstrosity. So, 

we ended up with a smaller, plastic 

tree that we were allowed to dress, 

while my parents took care of the ‘real’ 

tree. We’d be very polite, of course, 

about our parent’s efforts, but secretly 

judge the lack of tinsel. 

As the month wore on, we’d start 

doing more and more Christmas 

activities at school, like making even 

more toilet roll angels and rehearsing 

the annual nativity play. One year I got 

to play Mary. My proudest moment 

was when I said my one line to my 

primary school ‘husband,’ “Does that 

mean we shall have to travel to 

Bethlehem, Joseph?” At home we’d 

bake mince pies, listen to Christmas 

carols and go to late night shopping 

events in our village, where locals 

would gather to drink mulled wine and 

browse the shops for presents. 

Every year we wrote our letters to 

Santa. “Dear Santa, this year I’ve been 

really good, I promise. I’d really like 

this, that, and those for Christmas. 

Thank you!” One year I wrote mine in 

a picture code, convinced that Santa 

(being magical) would have no trouble 

working it out. I think it gave my 

parents a bit of a headache trying to 

decode my drawings. On Christmas 

Eve, we’d leave Santa a glass of 

sherry and a mince pie by the 

fireplace, and put out a carrot for 

Rudolf the reindeer by the back door. 

Santa must have been pretty tipsy by 

the time he’d finished his rounds, 

because he’d always finish the sherry. 

The mince pie was often only half 

eaten, and the carrot had some bite 

marks in it, as if Rudolf had been quite 

full already, but had politely nibbled at 

the carrot to please us. On Christmas 

morning we’d wake up much too early, 

and wait for our parents to rise before 

tearing down the stairs and bursting 

into the living room. In a frenzy of 

activity we’d check whether Santa had 

left us presents in our stockings, and 

whether he’d eaten his mince pie, and 

someone would run out to the back 

door to see if Rudolf had found the 

carrot. A white Christmas is so 

ingrained in my image of Christmas, 

thanks to movies, TV and kids books, 

that we’d also run to the window to 

check if it had been snowing. It almost 

never had been, but we quickly forgot 


Culture 

Allinson 

the weather as we tore into our 

Christmas presents. 

Years later and it’s Christmas time 

again. But this time, for the fourth year 

in a row, I’m in Leiden for most of 

December. It’s a very different 

experience. For one thing, the 

countdown starts a whole lot earlier, 

because of the Sinterklaas activities at 

the start of the month. This year I 

swear I saw pepernoten in the 

supermarket in August… I’ve enjoyed 

learning some of the traditions 

associated with Sinterklaas, and I’ve 

been especially taken with the poems 

that are written to accompany 

presents. This is such a nice and 

personal touch to gifts, and if you’re no 

Shakespeare a naughty rhyme is 

enough to add some humour. I’ve also 

really got into all the spicy and 

almondy cakes, biscuits and tasty 

things in between, which litter the 

supermarkets at this time of year. Yes, 

I do miss mince pies, and when I get 

back to England in time for Christmas 

one of the first things I do is devour a 

warm pie with some proper British tea. 

But the sheer range of treats here is 

something that merits appreciation. 

Oh, and the fact that glühwein can be 

bought ready-made by the bottle. 

My flat is way too small for a proper 

Christmas tree, but I bought a few 

branches at the market and some 

second-hand decorations at a charity 

shop. The smell of pine instantly 

brought on a wave of nostalgia. Now 

I’m inspired to speed through my 

remaining essays and assignments so 

that I can wrap up warm with a mug of 

hot glühwein. Merry Christmas, 

everyone! 

Emily Allinson 

If you would like to read more by Emily go visit www.theleidener.com 

. 


All Things Albion 

Lokas 

Drinks, Movies, Werewolves, and Goodbyes. 

Since the last issue of The Angler we 

at Albion have been quite busy. Our 

very own Albion Activity Committee 

(the AAC) has organized a few nights 

for drinks at our new local hang-out Vi- 

Kings Sports Bar at Noordeinde – they 

were all attended by freshers, secondyears, 

and third-years alike. We also 

had quite a successful movie-night 

where we showed the fast-paced and 

witty In Bruges starring Colin Farrel 

and Brendan Gleeson. 

Last week, after some trouble 

with getting the right location, we 

played the werewolf game. Though not 

as many people could make it as we 

had hoped, those who were there did 

have a blast! 

Unfortunately it has not all 

been good news. This semester our 

secretary handed in her resignation 

letter and we have been without an 

official secretary since then. If you 

would like to strengthen the Albion 

board, have some laughs, and 

generally a good time then don’t 

hesitate to send us an e-mail 

(info@albionassociation.org) with your 

motivation! We are looking forward to 

hear from you. 

As a close of this first semester 

the AAC has organized a great 

karaoke night which by the time this 

has been published will already have 

taken place. I hope that you all did 

decide to drop by Vi-Kings to let us 

hear your amazing singing skills (or 

perhaps just your passion for singing). 

It has been a very busy first 

semester for Albion and its 

committees, and I can assure you that 

it will continue this way throughout the 

second semester as well. 

For those who have not had 

the opportunity to go to any of the 

events yet, make sure to keep a spot 

open in your agenda for any (or even 

all) upcoming events organized by the 

AAC. 

Not only the AAC has been 

busy of course! The Entrepreneurs 

have been meeting up weekly to 

discuss all the details for the upcoming 

annual London trip. At the 

end of this January (28-2 nd 

February) they, along with 30-odd 

people, will be visiting the finest 

museums, parks, shops, and of 

course. If you can’t, like yours truly, 

make that trip make sure to save up 

for the big one at the end of the 

second semester. 

We (the Albion board and 

committee members) hope to see you 

all at either Albion’s next event or 

perhaps in the streets of London. 

Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, 

and any other celebration you may 

participate in. 

James Lokas 


All Things LEF 

Simons 

From The Director 

What can I say? Being the 

producer of this year’s LEF December 

production was everything I expected 

it to be, and more. Especially the 

more, a lot more. More days, more 

hours, more work, more stress, but 

most of all, a lot more fun. 

The reason I decided to direct, 

or in the first case, wanted to direct, is 

due to the fact that I want to have a 

future in theater. I already loved acting 

on stage, and always thought that I 

would love working backstage as well. 

I wanted to seize the opportunity of 

directing and so presented my case to 

last years LEF board. Thankfully the 

board and the general members all 

voted in favor. And, about 8 months 

later, here I am. And it turns out I was 

right, I love being backstage just as 

much as I love being on stage. Now I 

just hope the audience will love it as 

well. 

I am writing this piece a week 

before our performance dates, so my 

mind is on mega overload. Who would 

have thought there is still so much 

work that needs to be done just days 

before the performance? But like with 

my academics, I work best under 

stress and always manage to do well 

even in the last minute, so fingers 

crossed the same goes for my 

theatrics. 

These past 3 months have 

been quite the experience, and one 

that I would not trade for all the money 

in the world. I have met some amazing 

people, and have had the opportunity 

to work with some amazing actors. 

Also, I have seen certain people 

really step out of their comfort 

zone, when it comes to acting, 

and put on such a stellar 

performance that it made the 

hairs on the back of my neck stand up. 

No amount of money can buy that 

feeling, or can make you re-live that 

experience. 

All these perks of being the director, I 

must admit, they are pretty amazing. 

So even though I haven’t slept 

in 17 days, I go to classes like a 

zombie, and put my clothes on 

backwards, theater is worth it. 

P.s. I have also met my long lost sister 

and better half, Anne Fleur den Haan. 

P.p.s. For those of you who have no 

clue what I have been talking about, 

see picture! 

P.p.p.s. For those of you who have no 

clue who Anne Fleur is: she was the 

most incredible, and wonderful 

Assistant Director. 

P.p.p.p.s. That was written by Anne 

Fleur. 

Catrin Simons 


Movie Review 

Baumann 

Nostalgic Noel 

We are rapidly moving towards the lovely 

Christmas time, and what is more prone to 

give you that lovely Christmas spirit than a 

few good old Christmas movies under a 

warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate? 

In thread with the holiday spirit I have 

taken the liberty of reviewing a few good 

old Christmas movies – naturally I cannot 

give them a roll on the die, since we all 

know deep inside that they are all 6es by 

default! 

Love Actually: 

This lovely movie 

from 2003 consists 

of eight snapshots of 

lives ultimately tying 

together. They are 

all little short-stories 

of holiday situations 

from ordinary people 

with all their 

problems and difficulties – in essence 

relating completely to the everyday man. 

They are all short stories of love and 

hope, and the daily challenges most face 

around Christmas. 

Love Actually is the ultimate feel-good 

love movie, and it leaves the viewer with a 

sweet lingering feeling of that all is good 

around the sweet romantic Christmas 

time. Everything will work out in the end, 

and everyone will live happily ever after. 

The movie is backed up by a really strong 

crew of actors, but the beauty of it is that 

one does not get the feeling that they are 

hired for the purpose of a flashing 

billboard, but for their suitability to the role. 

Keira Knightly, Liam Neeson and Hugh 

Grant are only some of the grand faces 

that flash by – and they all deliver 

convincingly. 

The most captivating aspect of this film, 

aside for the ultimate happy ending, is 

the fact that most people can relate to 

some aspect of the plot. Everyone knows 

the stress before and around Christmas 

time, and the snapshots and short 

scenes are from all layers of society; 

from Prime Minister to Housekeeper. 

And 

ultimately, they are all scenes 

from family life and love as it really is… 

Love Actually. 

The Nightmare Before 

Christmas: 

This movie is a dark musical 

directed by Tim Burton, made in 

1993 it is an oldie but goodie. It 

is one of the few Burton films 

which does not feature Johnny 

Depp, but rather has Chris 

Sarandon and Danny Elfman 

talking and singing Jack 

Skellington’s voice respectively. The film 

is not a Christmas movie as such, seeing 

most of the action takes place in the land 

of Halloween, but manages in the course 

of the plot to incite the jolly Christmas 

spirit. Of course the film possesses the 

grand happy ending, and the love interest 

is heartfelt and convincing. 

The most memorable aspect of this movie 

is, for me, the amazing job Ken Page does 

in voicing the role of the Gambling High- 

Roller Oogie Boogie. All the songs are 

perfectly tailored to set the mood – dark, 

but yet hopeful. Like all Tim Burton 

productions, he reshapes the category he 

is currently in – and in this particular film 

he takes the animated and makes it adult. 

I would argue that both the themes, the 

gruesome and the ultimate morale of the 

movie is more suited for a an adult 

audience – although it can also be 

enjoyed by older children. 

Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole 

Christmas: 

The ultimate guilty-pleasure 

children movie: Jim Carrey 

in a Dr. Seuss classic story. 

The Green outcast Grinch is 

stealing Christmas – but in 

the course of the action his 

heart awakens, and he is 

re-absorbed into society, 

and lives happily ever after 

in the happy Christmas 

spirit. Behind the whole plot 

is a lesson in morale, which tells children 


Movie Review 

Baumann 

that Christmas in not only about the 

presents and the decorations – but about 

your family, and spending time with loved 

ones. This film has always received rather 

low reviews, but it is after all a children’s 

film, and should be reviewed as such. I 

give it a huge plus for costume design and 

the Whos are very convincing despite the 

fact that this is a budget remake of a 

classic cartoon. The city and the morale 

also go hand in hand with Christmas, and 

it is all in all a very cosy family film. 

What makes this movie interesting in 

particular is how the dialogue rhymes! 

Most of the rhymes are originally from the 

book by Dr. Seuss – but some were 

added for the theatrical effect and to add 

humour which suited the screen better. 

There are also plenty of songs in the film, 

and that is naturally one of the reasons it 

remains a classic – for what is a 

Christmas movie without some catchy 

songs which will be stuck in your head for 

the rest of the season? 

and games, and in the long run you end 

up missing your family, and as in the 

Grinch the realisation eventually dawns 

that Christmas in not only about presents 

and food, but about the people you 

surround yourself with. 

Smother the Stress 

The best part about the Christmas 

Holiday, while being a student, is that in 

the middle of all the exam stress and 

hard-core studying you can take a break 

from it all, and delve into the magical 

world of films that give you the Christmas 

spirit that pondering over the immense 

stack of books seems to crush. 

Remember that blanket and hot chocolate 

from before? Come on… You deserve a 

break! 

Merry Christmas to you all, and best of 

luck on your exams! 

Benny Baumann 

Home Alone: 

This movie from 1990 will 

always have a special 

place in my heart. It has 

been an annual tradition in 

my family to see this film 

together before Christmas. 

Even though you know 

what is going to happen at every turn, it 

simply does not stop being funny. 

Kevin, an 8 year old boy, is left home 

alone when his family completely forgets 

him in the middle of the stress of going to 

France for the holidays. When two stupid 

house-burglars decide to rob the house 

where the clever Kevin is all alone, hilarity 

ensues. Piled high with slapstick and 

physical humour, the movie is also spiced 

up by it mostly being shown from the point 

of view of a naïve boy who thinks he has 

wished his family away. Eventually he 

changes his mind and realises that 

Christmas probably is best with his family, 

and he misses them despite all the trouble 

they put him through. 

The story is timeless, because it really 

captures Christmas from a child’s point of 

view. What would a child do if s/he had 

unlimited money and freedom to do as 

s/he pleased? In the beginning it is all fun 


Going Abroad 

v.d. Meulen 

Going Abroad Part II: Money 

Money. The curse of living. You need it. 

You have to buy food. You need a roof 

over your head. But you have to work to 

get it. Who likes working. 

I study English. I already have a 

Conservatory degree. That makes English 

my second Bachelor degree. Meaning I 

have to pay the institutional fee for 

studying in Leiden. That’s 5000 euro a 

year. Moreover, I don’t get money from the 

government anymore. I have to pay for 

public transport. And then I haven’t eaten 

a single meal yet. Nor have I bought a 

book. But don’t think I’m complaining. It 

was my own choice. 

I work hard for my money. I have 

three jobs. It costs me 20 hours a week. 

Some of these jobs are nice enough. But 

it’s not enough to pay for Australia. Rent 

there is 200 euros a week. There’s the 

ticket. The visa. You must have Australian 

health insurance. I need a bike. They 

require you to wear a fucking helmet. Do 

you know what an average helmet costs? 

40 euros! The cost of living is also a lot 

more expensive than here. 

You don’t know how lucky you are. 

Good food is everywhere. We complain 

about Albert Heijn. We shouldn’t. Not too 

much anyway. It’s much harder to find 

proper food abroad. Contrast is 

everything. You only appreciate what you 

have by contrast. That’s why I think 

everyone should try a spell abroad. 

I have to get more money. So I 

devised other ways of making petty cash. 

More importantly, I devised ways to save 

money. Petty is really the word to focus on 

here. There’s loads of ways of saving 

money. Most have to do with planning. Go 

to the supermarket twice a week. Buy stuff 

for several days. Just buy what you need. 

No snacks. I’m even losing weight. It has 

other advantages. I used to shop groceries 

every day. You stand in line for ages. Now 

I save a shit-load of time. I also only cook 

two times a week. Make enough for three 

days. Save more time. 

I don’t buy new stuff anymore. This 

afternoon, I gave myself a rare treat. I 

bought a book. Hadn’t bought one in two 

months. Very unlike me. Very hard not to 

give in. But it was exquisite. When you 

crave something but don’t give in, the 

occasional treat is orgasmic in scope. In 

the mind though. Not in the flesh. I’m sure 

the people at De Slegte wouldn’t have 

appreciated me orgasming all over their 

books. 

Being a musician helps. I still know 

people. Some people still know me. 

Despite being busy, I play what I can. 

Anything will do. A book-presentation. The 

opening of a home for the elderly. A 

festival for free improvisation. Lunch 

concerts. A workshop about what music is. 

I do feel slightly abused from time to time. 

I’m really at the bottom of the food chain. I 

take the jobs no-one else wants. But it 

pays a lot better than a paper round. It 

may be small potatoes. Still, it’s money. 

I started selling books. I have way 

too many anyway. It’s more work than you 

think, selling books. Do it on the internet 

and you have to make entries. You have 

to send all the books yourself. Bring your 

books to a second-hand bookstore, and 

you get rubbish prices. Still, it’s money. 

How much do you pay for 

insurances? I pay less than I did a year 

ago. I cranked down my phone-bill. Who 

needs texting when you have Facebook. 

Who needs phone calls when you have 

Skype. I looked into subscriptions. Turned 

out I was paying all kind of things I didn’t 

need. Magazines. Land line telephone. 

Then there’s cheap outings. These 

are my favourite. Leiden is heaven for free 

events. Annual lectures. PhD ceremonies. 

Visiting scholars. And all with free drinks 

after. 

It’s interesting. The less you take, 

the less you need. Think about it. Why do 

you always buy new clothes. New books. 

New stuff. Does it make you feel better. 

Maybe. But do you know what makes me 

feel good? Self-discipline. Every time I 

don’t buy a new suit I feel great. I seem to 

be turning in some kind of crazy hippie- 

Buddha. Without the fat, mind you. 

I still have a lot of stuff though. 

When did all that stuff accumulate? And 

why do I have all those things? Clothes I 

don’t wear. Books I don’t read. Candles I 


Going Abroad 

v.d. Meulen 

don’t burn. Board games I don’t play. It’s 

insane. But just try to get rid of it. You 

can’t. This stuff has emotional value. Yuk. 

Still, I’ve given away a lot of things. 

Brought some stuff to the second-hand 

store. Gave clothes to Africa or whereever. 

Good for the karma I guess. 

Sometimes I give visitors stuff. I don’t 

need it, they want it. They’re always 

surprised. Embarrassed even. Gift giving 

is felt to be reciprocal. People have trouble 

dealing with gifts seemingly given without 

compensation. But there is compensation: 

I get space. Both physically as mentally. 

There is good news. It seems to be 

working. I break even. At the end of the 

month I have a little more money than 

what I started with. And anyway, I’ll get a 

job in Oz. Apparently there’s a lot of work 

in construction there. That should be 

interesting. I’ve been a professional 

mover, but never a construction worker. 

Anything for a story. 



International Student 

Brotchie 

Eric Brotchie is currently studying a Master of Book and Digital Media Studies at Leiden University. He blogs for student-run 

blog The Leidener. A part-time historian, part-time sociologist and full-time idiot, he is kind of British, kind of Australian, and kind 

of confused. Here’s why... 

I just don’t get it... 

There are plenty of things I could tell you 

about Leiden; about how international 

students flock here from far and wide, 

party hard, see the sights, live, love and 

learn. I am one of them. I came here with 

big eyes, an eager tongue, was ready to 

make the most of my studies and feast on 

Dutch culture like a fat kid in a candy 

shop. When I leave in seven months’ time, 

I’m sure it will be with memories, friends, 

cellulite and debt in equal measure. These 

days will all become part of an enormous 

blur of moments that in five years’ time will 

be “when I was in Leiden”, or “back when I 

was doing my Masters”. Indeed, just about 

every one of us will go back to at least one 

dear old parent somewhere and sit around 

the family table, awkwardly trying to 

explain what they’ve been doing for the 

last semester or, in some cases, three 

whole years. In a few weeks we’ll probably 

be at home enjoying Christmas, trying to 

decide what to tell people about our time 

here. At the end of the day, most of us will 

probably leave Leiden around the 

twentieth more confused about Holland 

than when we got here, which probably 

isn’t really a bad thing. For future 

reference though, here’s some things 

we’re really going to struggle to explain: 

1. The Mayflower 

Although my parents have many vices, 

one thing they did very well was not give 

birth to me in the United States. I’m not an 

American and I don’t really get the appeal, 

but if I was, I guess I’d like to know about 

the famous Pilgrim Fathers, and all that 

happened for the formation of the ‘Free 

World’ on a little ship that sailed from 

Leiden. From the perspective of a 

complete ignoramus (read ‘my 

perspective’) the plot of the Mayflower 

story seems as littered with holes as the 

hull of the ship itself. The main one is this: 

If the pilgrims were in Leiden as refugees 

from England, glorying in the Dutch 

hospitality complete with ample tulips, 

windmills and stroopwafels, what could 

possibly have possessed them risk their 

lives on the high seas on a seemingly 

impossible mission to found a new colony 

among warring indigenous Americans? 

One of my sources cites ‘old age’ as a 

reason the pilgrims had to leave... 

Needless to say when I turn 70, the last 

thing I’ll be doing is jumping ship to a new 

continent. Please explain. 

2. Zwarte Piet 

This is one you already know. Black Peter, 

Saint Nick’s vaudevillian helper, is a 

completely inexplicable and widely 

offensive character for international 

students. We get into the spirit while we’re 

here, but those smiles we put on are in 

fact well-trained masks that hide the true 

level of cringe we all feel about all this. We 

are sensitive new-age people, and we 

honestly think that Piet is kind of, well, 

how to put it nicely... racist. When mother 

and father back home see our photos with 

Pete, they might wonder exactly how and 

when their little bundle of joy began to 

harbour such antisocial views. I guess 

maybe we should show those ones to our 

extant great grandparents only... 

3. Fraternities 

Of course we go to a Quintus or Minerva 

party here and there, but for many 

international students in Leiden there’s a 

certain mystique about fraternities. No-one 

ever really tells us the rules about these 

houses filled with bad hair gel and makeup 

in which young Dutch people coexist. 

We naturally understand that some of 

these places are vastly cooler than others, 

and that the ‘others’ are in fact delighted 

not to be ‘cool’ and would rather just be 

‘normal’. To us it all frankly seems like a 

rather too grown-up version of playing 

“who-likes-who?” in a primary school 

playground. Good luck with that, and be 


International Student 

Brotchie 

sure to tell us who wins in the end :) 

4. How to make things look adorable 

This is the absolutely fantastic and 

completely unattainable thing about 

Leiden; it takes apparently insignificant 

things, and tweaks them for their ultimate 

cuteness factor. Something as functional 

and as rational as a simple house, which 

the world over is a four-sided series of 

walled rooms with glass to let light in and 

adequate plumbing for sanitation, in 

Leiden is transformed into an elongated 

maze of brickwork with a high roof, a 

hayloft, and decorative friezes all around 

its window frames. What’s more, it’s 

reflected perfectly in a canal that it rises 

above. Shoes you have turned into clogs: 

adorable. You still serve fries in cones: 

adorable. Riding around with a waterproof 

bathtub on the front of your bike, holding a 

number of children whistling happy Dutch 

songs together: adorable. Where does it 

end? ...oh, Leiderdorp. 

So there may be some things we will 

never be able to explain about Leiden to 

those who come after us, or indeed those 

who want to know what we’ve been up to. 

But nevertheless, our studies here are not 

just studies in university, they are studies 

in life, and life teaches us that objective 

truths may be hard to find, but 

experiences last forever. So thank you 

Leiden for making us welcome, asking us 

questions and showing us, saliently, that 

we can never know it all. For all of us 

here, I know, the best is yet to come. 

Eric Brotchie 


Creative Writing Contest 

Anonymous 

As was mentioned in the last issue – we will have a creative writing competition for each issue of The 

Angler this year. If you have a story/poem/letter etc. which you’d like to share with us; don’t hesitate to 

send in your contribution to j.h.lokas@gmail.com before the end of February! Below you will find the 

winner of this issue’s contest. It was sent in on someone else’s behalf so I do not know who wrote this 

piece. Either way; congratulations Anonymous! 

A knight, a Maiden and a Rogue 

Scene: A small hut in the woods, a redhaired 

maiden at it's doorstep. 

Enter the knight 

“Fair maiden, I have come to save you 

from your captor,” 

“Oh good sir, but I was never in any 

danger. He has been very kind to me and 

never touched me without my consent.” 

“Hark! You love the rogue!” 

“Oh sir, I do, I do.” 

“We were to be married, my fair lady. You 

expressed your love to me. And now you 

choose the outlaw? Oh woe.” 

“But I still love you too, my good knight. I 

fear I love both my captor and saviour.” 

“That cannot be. You must choose! Come 

with me and I shall shower you with riches. 

But choose the outlaw and you shall live in 

the trees and eat berries for the rest of 

your years. 

“Oh please, sir knight. Do not make me 

choose! Can I not have both?” 

Enter outlaw 

“You can, dear, sweet lady of my heart!” 

“hark! The outlaw! Fight me or lay down 

thy sword and surrender!” 

“Heavens, please do not fight. I wish for no 

bloodshed over me.” 

“Listen to the pretty maiden. She has 

much good in her heart.” 

“You will run off with her again were I to let 

you go. Surrender!” 

“Please, listen to him. He made us an offer 

that could gives us all what we wish for.” 

“Indeed, fair lady. I said she could have us 

both. For I, the dashing rogue, see no evil 

in sharing a bed with such a handsome 

knight as you, dear sir, and a lovely lady 

like you.” 

“handsome, you say? Why, I do not know 

what to say.” 

“Yes, I spoke the very truth. Come, join me 

in my humble den and share a glass of 

wine with me.” 

The knight and the lady follow the dashing 

rogue to his hideout, where he shows how 

much he appreciates both sexes. 

The following day... 

“Oh, I am so very happy! To share the rest 

of my life with both men I love.” 

“I never knew there were so many 

wonders in the world of night I had not yet 

seen. The rogue has surely opened my 

eyes.” 

“The pleasure was all mine, good sir, dear 

lady.” 

Enter rogue's companion, returning from a 

small trip. 

“What do my eyes see? My love, who are 

your friends?” 

“My woodland prince, these are the fair 

maiden and her knight, who I so kindly 

offered the shelter of our home for the 

night.” 

“Who is he, my darling rogue?” 

“Yes, who is he?” 

“Why? He is my love, my life. The one who 

holds my heart. How come you look so 

surprised?” 

“I thought you loved me! You took my 

flower and made me a woman! How can 

you say your heart belongs to him?” 

“Hark! The outlaw lied to us!” 

“Oh no, I told the truth. I said the maiden 

could have us both. And that she did. And 

now I shall see you off, good knight, dear 

lady, for I am to show my lovely prince 

how much I've missed him.” 

The rogue and his love leave. The knight 

and the maiden remain. 

“Oh woe, I lost half my heart to the 

rogue.” 

“Weep not, fair lady. For I shall take you to 

my castle and fill the half that you have 

lost.” 

“You are a true knight.” 

“And perhaps, when our paths cross 

again, we shall show the rogue how much 


Creative Writing Contest/Comic 

Anonymous/Hansen 

he missed by running off with his 

woodland prince.” 

“Oh yes. We shall.” 

Anonymous 

As usual we have our very own Maj Hansen’s comic contribution. This time it is about the age-old 

battle between two famous beards.

Issue 2 - O

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