English literature academia aesthetic appreciation post.
u werent “born gay” u decided to be overly enthusiastic about hamlet in highschool english and that’s why you are the way u are
"i need to revise for a test": boring, generic, you sound like a nerd
"i must retire to my study": mysterious, intriguing, you sound like someone who drinks fine wines and deals in rare books with supernatural properties written in ancient dead languages
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bridge of sighs, cambridge | ig: studyplants
english: knit turtlenecks, corduroy pants. going to stationery stores and buying ink. writing notes and penning stories in leather-bound notebooks. critiquing your friend’s essay as you walk hurriedly through a grove of oak trees in the rain on your way to class.
math: perpetually foggy glasses. biting your pencil eraser to focus when you’re stuck on a particularly difficult problem. taking notes and putting them into a worn binder, bursting with variegated papers. late night study sessions fueled by multiple cups of black tea.
chemistry: heavy old textbooks covered in post-it notes. empty beakers sitting in the windowsill, reflecting random patterns of light onto the classroom walls. a cozy striped sweater peeking out from underneath a pristine white lab coat. coffee from the local cafe, filled just to the brim with creamer - very precisely, a skill learned from hours spent measuring chemicals.
history: dark woolen coats, long socks hidden under plaid pants. old maps from all across the glove hung around the room. analyzing (and admiring!) prolific writing and pieces of art that have survived the test of time. long walks on cobblestone streets, stopping to read on the steps of a museum.
latin: sturdy leather backpacks with straps. stopping to explain the meaning of words and their roots, followed by looks of intrigue. writing latin sayings into tea-stained planners. sitting in a cafe, eating a macaron in a window booth and watching people walk by.
art: hair pulled back into a low bun, random strands poking out. hands always stained with paint, charcoal - the medium changes daily. sketching under a sycamore tree, its leaves slowly browning. standing in front of a painting in a museum, becoming lost in it, slowly pulled back in time into its story.
Hopefully even if you've been learning French for a while one of these resources may be of use to you
General
French dictionary
Best online French-English dictionary (which also has bilingual dictionaries for a number of languages) as it has example sentences in French with translations, forum, verb conjugations, idioms, and more
RFI listening and reading exercises for all levels incorporating the news into your learning
Grammar
Français Lingolia with exercises
Listening
Journal en Français Facile radio/ podcast with transcripts for each episode
News in Slow French podcast
Conversational French Mises à Jour with transcripts
If you live in Australia, SBS has a French news podcast
French dictation exercises write what you hear
Youtube comedy series Bref
Belgian LGBTQ+ Youtube series La théorie du Y
Youtube comedy series Le Département
French comedy series that has whole episodes for free on Youtube Fais pas ci fais pas ça
Skam France is a teen show so you can learn heaps of slang, it also has subtitles for each episode in French and English
Youtube
Home Language - vocab and grammar
Hugo Décrypte - daily news
MisterJDay - comedy
Le Monde - news but many of their videos have subtitles
Reading
Simple articles originally written for children, also has a Youtube playlist (1jour 1actu)
Le Petit Scribe reading comprehension and exercises level B1 but also has the same for all levels
Reading (or listening) comprehension - Le Petit Nicolas
Writing
À vos plumes - writing practice and grammar
Oui c'est ça writing practice
Proofreading checklist
Other
Thoughtco French articles on grammar, vocab, verbs, etc.
French slang dictionary
French vowel pronunciation part 1 and part 2 with audio
More useful French pronunciation tips with audio and IPA
EDIT: just remembered in case you feel like torturing yourself you can do Victorian year 12 level French exams 2001 to 2020 for free on the VCE website with the audio and answers available. It would probably be more helpful to not do it within the time limit and listen to the audio as much as you need to. You might also find the HSC exam papers useful from what I can see there's three different levels of French exams (beginners, continuers, and advanced) just find them in the list of subjects and you'll get to the exams.
The Louvre // Lorde
idk who needs to hear this but when your english teacher asks you to explain why an author chose to use a specific metaphor or literary device, it’s not because you won’t be able to function in real-world society without the essential knowledge of gatsby’s green light or whatever, it’s because that process develops your abilities to parse a text for meaning and fill in gaps in information by yourself, and if you’re wondering what happens when you DON’T develop an adult level of reading comprehension, look no further than the dizzying array of examples right here on tumblr dot com
dark academia is:
the secrets of life hidden in the vastness of the universe
finding the special moments amongst the silence in the library and in the velvet pressed against your cheek
feel the blood course through your veins
carrying adrenaline with every turn of events
empty mugs of better black coffee
cutting their hair and painting angels during their free time
androgynous scholars with a fascination for the mystic and philosophers from ancient times
dark academia | xxi | ♂| INFJ-T | oct.24 — active
192 posts