The presentation is over.

Lu Shi wiped his sweat and walked off the stage, saying in his heart that these high-achieving students are really difficult to deal with.

At this time, several people in the first row leaned over,

"Professor Lu!"

Elliot shakes hands with Lu Shi.

Compared with just now, he was much more enthusiastic, and his tone was also respectful, obviously he had regarded the young Chinese professor in front of him as a figure who could be put on the stage.

Lu Shi smiled: "Mr. Principal, it seems that you are very satisfied with my speech?" ”

Elliot nodded,

"It's been a big benefit. It's just that I'm still a little worried. If global university rankings are really produced, will there be a trend of homogeneity in higher education? ”

Hit the nail on the head!

Lu Shi couldn't help but admire,

"That's what the headmaster said. In my opinion, universities are a complex system, and rankings have instead processed this diversity into data. For example, the standards I mentioned are actually a single model, that is, a large comprehensive research university. ”

Eliot agreed,

"Yes, I also think that quantification creates singleness. In addition, is it necessary to introduce a reputation investigation? ”

Lu Shi fell into deep thought,

Reputation surveys ask respondents to select the world's top universities based on their region or country.

Most of these respondents come from Europe, which can easily lead to a geographical bias, which in turn leads to the already dominant European universities being more favored in the World University Rankings.

In modern times, reputation surveys have led to a high ranking of European and American universities, especially large research universities, in the world.

There is no way, the right to speak is in the hands of others.

Lu Shi said: "This matter needs to be considered a lot. ”

He has come to the United States for the purpose of this matter, and if there is a controversy, he should take a long-term view and plan it slowly.

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

Lu Shi thought of the shopkeeper Edward VII, and couldn't help but be depressed,

This won't really become Mingjun, right?

It's outrageous to think about.

Elliot on the side hesitated, and after hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but open his mouth,

"Professor Lu, your speaking is really good."

Lu Shi was stunned, and then suddenly,

The other person is speaking American pronunciation.

He said: "Isn't there a saying called 'do as the locals do'? Since I am in the United States, I naturally have to make some adjustments in order to get closer to my students. ”

The corners of Elliot's mouth hooked,

"You're like a local. With this level, books are no longer a problem in Harvard. ”

Wardhouse: ???

Theodore:???

Qian Ning: ???

The rest of the people can see that Elliot is digging the foot of the wall.

Wardhouse stepped forward,

"The most important thing in teaching is knowledge, not pronunciation. Otherwise, wouldn't it be enough to ask those actors who are right-spoken? ”

He didn't want to be poached when he was on the land.

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

If Lu Shi also has this kind of thought, it will be troublesome!

Wardhouse will not allow it!

Elliot spreads his hands,

"Sir, that's not right."

Wardhouse frowned,

"What's wrong?"

Elliot grimaced 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 you, it seems that there is some doubt about this? ”

"Ah......h

Wardhouse's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

He cursed in his heart,

Oh, damn and cunning Yankee!

Actually sow discord in person?

Elliot blinked subtly, then moved his gaze back to Lu Shi and said, "Professor Lu, are you interested in living in the United States?" Harvard University opens its doors for you. ”

Lu Shi was stunned,

Unexpectedly, the other party directly sent an invitation.

Theodore on the side echoed,

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

As a result, before Lu Shi could express his position, Wardhouse interjected first: "Ladies and gentlemen, Professor Lu is not only a professor of London politics and economics, but also a professor of the University of London Alliance, and his prospects are far broader than working in a university. ”

The implication is that the University of London Alliance is a multi-university alliance, and the advantages of scale are incomparable.

Eliot tilted his head,

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

He paused for half a second, then said, "We're going to make one too." Previously, Mr. Butler, the acting president of Columbia University, contacted me and said that he wanted to form a coalition and invite Yale University and Princeton University to ......"

Lu Shi: "......"

Isn't this special meow the Ivy League of later generations?

Historically, the idea of the league should have been conceived in 1956, but how did it come to be?

He asked, "Mr. Principal, why are you thinking about organizing an alliance?" ”

Elliot spreads his hands,

"No way, isn't this about participating in global university rankings? Only by concentrating our efforts can we highlight our advantages. ”

Lu Shi was speechless for a while,

Unexpectedly, this incident started again because of himself.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Elliot comforted: "Professor Lu, don't be stressed. In fact, at the end of the last century, our four schools had social and athletic competitions, and the competitions even had a folk name, 'Ivy'. ”

The early Ivies consisted of only four universities: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton.

Fourth, the Roman numeral IV, with the addition of a word ending Y, becomes "IVY", which means ivy in English.

Lu Shi only sped up the process.

Elliot 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 the alliance. And, despite the fact that all four schools are private, they receive both federal funding and private donations for academic research, just like public universities. ”

It is very sincere to shake out such important information.

Lu Shi was a little embarrassed,

He really didn't know how to refuse.

Elliot also saw it, patted Lu Shi on the shoulder, and said, "Professor Lu, it's okay. I heard that you are now a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University, and you will have a long time to come, and there will be opportunities in the future. ”

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

As Channing said before,

There is no need to socialize when on land,

Socializing will naturally come when you get on land.

On the other side,

"Whew~"

Waldhouse also breathed a sigh of relief.

He and Lu Shi went to the United States in order to promote the global university rankings, and if it was done in the end, but Lu Shi was left in the United States, then the joke would be a big joke.

When Theodore saw that the poaching was over, he diverted the topic,

"Professor Lu, you said that you wrote a script based on your own experience? Is it a ship? ”

Elliot complained: "Teddy, I asked you what happened on the ship just now, and you didn't say." ”

Theodore looked at Lu with an inquiring look in his eyes.

Lu Shi understood and told the experience on the ship,

Of course, there are some things that don't need to be skipped in detail, such as the opening of Owens' head.

Elliot couldn't help frowning,

"I didn't expect that."

He asked again, "Professor Lu, what about your notebook?" ”

Lu Shi said: "I didn't carry it with me. But...... To be honest, I thought the play was too special to be performed in theater. ”

Everyone nodded silently.

The reason why I can't perform is understood by everyone who understands, and there is no need to explain what I don't understand.

Eliot groaned,

Moments later,

"It doesn't matter. You can find someone to perform at Harvard, and think of it as an internal exchange. ”

If you can not face social performances, there are indeed many fewer problems.

Lu Shi is as good as a stream,

"Okay. Then I'll take out the script and ask you to help me palm my eyes. ”

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

The name of the script is very simple -

Upside Down.

The reason for this name is because it has created a society that is completely upside down from reality,

America is ruled by Asians,

They introduced the Anti-Anglo-Saxon Act,

The "Anglo-Saxon" here is, naturally, the Anglo-Saxons.

When Elliot saw this, he was stunned,

What a fantasy!?

Someone has written this kind of work before!?

When he looked at Lu,

"Professor Lu, you ...... What you write can't be called a satirical script, it should be called a science fiction script. ”

The rest, including Channing, Theodore, and Waldhouse, were also surprised.

Wardhouse asked in a low voice, "Lu, when did you change the script?" ”

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

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

Ox X!

Wardhouse gave a thumbs up to Land.

His feelings were the same as Eliot's,

This "Upside Down" is beyond the scope of satirical drama.

Other people think the same way,

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:

You are witnessing history yourself.

He shook his head slowly, cleared the thought out of his mind, and said, "Keep looking." ”

The crowd continued to look back.

The main two characters in the script,

First, a Chinese Jimmy Tang, due to the economic downturn, the theater where he works has closed down and is in urgent need of a job;

Second, Sam, a painter, was in need of a coachman and bodyguard to tour the United States.

Wardhouse muttered:

"Upside down. Sure enough, it was all upside down. ”

The next thing is very similar to the previous plot,

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

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

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

The script will be read quickly.

It won't be long,

"Whew~"

Theodore let out a long breath and whispered, "Watching this drama, there is a very absurd sense of mismatch. It's like looking at the real United States, and it's as if you're not seeing the real America, really...... I really don't know how to describe it. ”

Everyone nodded yes.

Elliot said, "Teddy, you mentioned a good word – absurd. ”

When he turned to the land again,

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

Lu Shi: "Forehead ......"

I don't know if I should admit it or not.

Eliot laughed, "Perhaps, it can be called 'absurdist theater'?" ”

Landtime: !!

He didn't dare to accept such a reputation.

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

This drama is very good,

Lu Shi first read "Waiting for Godot" in high school,

At the time, he thought that the play was full of nonsense, especially interjecting "Is Godot coming?" for no reason? I don't know what to do.

It wasn't until he stepped into work later that he found out that it was a divine drama,

Isn't that kind of confusion and nothingness the living conditions of most 996 migrant cattle and horses?

It's really godly!

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Mr. Principal, I don't dare to call myself a faction, let alone a 'drama of the absurdist'."

Elliot waved his hand,

"Professor Lu, I think you are thinking too much about the problem."

Lu Shi was puzzled: "What do you mean by this?" ”

Elliot thought for a moment and asked, "Which of your own works, "No One Left Alive" or "The Mystery of Roger", is better written?" Or to put it another way, it stands to reason that which one should sell better? ”

The answer to this question is known on your knees,

It's definitely the former-

"No One Survives".

For the average person, narrative trickery still has a high threshold.

Moreover, "The Mystery of Roger" is more expensive, and money is also a factor that must be considered.

But the opposite is true.

Elliot replied without waiting for the landing,

"The Mystery of Roger sold well, why? I think there are two main reasons, one is that "No One Survives" is a serialized work, and many readers have read it; Second, when "Roger's Mystery Case" was serialized, you and Dr. Doyle confronted each other in the newspaper, which raised the heat. ”

Lu Shi admitted: "That's true. ”

Eliot continues: "This suggests that readers actually have a preconceived notion of reading. They read not only for the work itself, but also for something outside the work. ”

The crowd 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 popularity.

Lu Shi knows this best,

In modern times, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" sells better than "Reminiscences of the Past", I don't know how many times.

"That's why I think Upside Down is a great work," Elliot said. There are so many things other than the words themselves. ”

He was referring to Lu Shi's Chinese identity.

Lu Shi was speechless.

Eliot added: "It is not too much to say that you founded the 'Theatre of the Absurdist'. It's a pity that 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 is really awarded. ”

What he doesn't know is that one day in the future, Samuel Beckett will win the Nobel Prize for Literature for his two-act tragicomedy "Waiting for Godot".

On the podium, Beckett called himself a "man of the land time",

Because it was "Upside Down" that opened up the precedent of absurdist drama.

Elliot patted Lu Shi on the shoulder,

"I think it's as hard to be a great editor as it is to be a great writer. Luckily, Professor Lu, you're a great editor yourself, just look at your marketing of The Mystery of Roger. ”

Lu Shi touched his nose in embarrassment,

The other party is really holding himself too high.

At this time, Wardhouse interjected: "If "Upside Down" is really played like this, then it needs more than a dozen Chinese actors, how can this be solved? ”

Eliot didn't want to,

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

Under the influence of the Chinese Exclusion Act, many Chinese workers returned to the East from the West.

That's why Eliot said that.

Wardhouse said, "But they're not professional actors!" ”

The crowd is silent,

They were all in a dilemma.

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

Yu Yu looked at Lu Shi curiously,

Theodore asked, "What do you mean by that?" is not a professional actor, and he can't even speak his lines well, how to get the audience to participate in it? ”

Lu Shi did not answer, but Eliot said: "The advantage of absurdist theater is that it does not rely on actors to attract people. Teddy, you might as well try to imagine if the stage created a world where Chinese ruled the United States and introduced the "Anti-Anglo-Saxon Act"? ”

Theodore knows,

"It's not just curiosity! I'll definitely finish reading it! ”

Eliot said, "So, this kind of drama is a screening audience, some people will drop the table and leave, and some people will stay out of curiosity. Whether you go or stay, the reason is not the actors, but the plot. ”

After saying that, Elliot turned to Lu Shi,

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

(End of chapter)