Oxford: Better than fiction

In many ways, Oxford is the USC of England.

For any Trojan that has spent at least a semester at USC, I’m sure seeing a few cameras, big lights and several celebrities sprinkled around campus is not an uncommon sight. Most recently, the action film Taken 3 was shot on campus. As for TV, this fall, many students witnessed Viola Davis from How To Get Away With Murder filming a scene for ABC’s hit show.

In the same way, Oxford has been home to not only many films — cough, cough “Harry Potter” — but also served as the inspiration for many novelists. So this weekend, I trekked my way to see the famed city and the consortium of 38 colleges.

I spent most of my time on a walking tour learning about all the hidden gems the city held. Other than the famed Harry Potter series that were partially filmed in Oxford, Saving Private Ryan and 2013’s Belle came alive on the campus. The distinctive architecture makes Oxford the ideal place for the set of these films. Compared to USC, which has the advantage of the California sun and a modern look, Oxford’s appeal lies in its antiqueness.

In addition, I learned that C.S. Lewis, author of the Narnia series, and J.R.R. Tolkien, best known for writing Lord of the Rings, were both university professors and friends who grew to prominence while in Oxford. Like most artists they used their surroundings — at times, the most essential items around the campuses — as inspiration. On my tour, my guide pointed out the door and the lamppost that Lewis references in the kids’ adventures.

Further on the tour, I learned that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was also penned in Oxford, for the daughter of the dean of one of the colleges. It seemed like every block was another literary moment that occurred.

As a USC student, it is easy to become desensitized to the art making that occurs around campus. We see another film set and say, “Oh that’s just another movie being filmed.”

But Oxford showed me that the magic of a city lies in the history of its books and movies. I’m just fortunate that traveling to a new city has allowed me to appreciate USC that much more.