Jeffrey Archer’s “Old Love” is a unique love story between two brilliant Oxford English literature students. Archer explores the subject of love from a completely unusual point of view. The performance is fiercely honest as it portrays a chronic sense of envy and rivalry between two arch rivals jurors at Oxford University: William Hatchard and Philippa Jameson. Initially, his aggressive competition unsettles his tutor Simon Jakes. In their constant intellectual debates, Philippa faced William’s deep and confident voice with her high-heeled boldness. The mutual hatred was absolute. Their keenly perceptive and analytical mind refused to be submissive to each other. In fact, this fierce sense of competition allowed them to outshine everyone else on the field. Given the background of the 1930s, she, for him, was “that silly woman” and he was “that arrogant man.” Yet strange is the way of fate that an unusual love story should flourish between the staunchest academic rivals!
This rivalry took on an unpleasant intensity when they both excelled first in their final grade exam. The Charles Oldham Shakespeare Essay Writing Contest fueled this fire of passionate jealousy and it became a matter of life and death for each to defeat the other. However, things took a dramatic turn when William unknowingly discovered the death of Philippa’s father (who was a vicar) from cancer, and also, his secret dream of letting his daughter study at Oxford and win the award. Charles Oldham grant. The sight of his proud and powerful adversary’s silent sobs awakened a sudden sense of empathy in his gut. He overcame her doubts about the attempt and offered to accompany her to her village for the burial ceremony. They held hands for the first time and discovered the new bond of friendship when they began their journey to their village. They communicated with each other spontaneously while returning to Oxford, bringing Philippa back to her normal competitive spirit. Little by little she discovers the growth of her new and intense attraction for William. The latter secretly enjoys this interesting conversion into the Vicar’s daughter.
The transformation of hate into love has always been a compelling topic in its own right, and Archer makes the situation entertaining by employing brilliant wit in his conversation. They visit Stratford and eat together. But their first date was far from ordinary – it’s a unique blend of warmth and intellectual antagonism! If this instinctive antagonism triggered a strong sense of hatred earlier, now it brought them closer. In fact, this killer instinct became a delusional source of entertainment for both of them. Archer makes the reader wonder if intense hatred could be an expression of hidden attraction.
Anyway, the situation takes a peculiar turn when returning from Stratford. On their way back to Oxford, Phillipa and William had to spend the night in a car because the gas gauge indicated it was empty. The former obviously didn’t miss an opportunity to express her doubts about the brain power of a person who couldn’t even read a gas meter! The next day, William gave him the reason why he let the car run out of gas: He said with a rare sense of humor: “My father told me that if I was spending the night with a waitress, I should just order a pint of beer. extra, but if I spent the night with the vicar’s daughter, I would have to marry her. ” He got down on his knees and said, “Will you marry me if I win the Charles Oldham?” Philippa replied that “as there is absolutely no fear of that happening, I can safely say yes …” When William declared his love for her, she told him not to show his face in Somerville again if he did not win. Charles Oldham. Readers wonder if the writer reveals Philippa’s secret wish to marry him, even at the cost of losing Charles Oldham! Otherwise, why would tears flow from Philippa’s eyes when a girl informed her that she had won? It was a moment of crisis for her because between the conflicting emotion of ambition and love in her heart, the latter had won and for once the proud girl confessed: “I don’t love anything in the world as well as you do; it’s not strange. ? “
However, when he found out that William was a joint winner, his mischievous spirit returned when he said: “I take you for pity”, to which William replied: “I surrender to a great persuasion …” They locked themselves in a passionate embrace, and after that they were never apart for more than a few hours. Interestingly, their honeymoon in Athens ended in a heated discussion about the relative meaning of Doric and Ionian architecture.
Later in life, this constant battle of wits kept their romance from turning into boredom and banality. Their serious research and creative pursuits, albeit in different fields, kept them deeply connected. After three years, “with D. Phils well received”, they passed, together, to university education. But their fierce encounters continued and their sharp wit at the expense of the other would appear on the dinner tables at Oxford. However, those who understood their love were envious of their unique relationship. They had no children, but their life was not in bad taste.
Returning home from the celebratory dinner (being declared an adjunct professor), their heated discussion of Proust’s monumental work took such an intimidating turn that a nearby policeman asked Philippa, “Is everything okay ma’am?” “No, it is not,” declared William, “this woman has been attacking me for over 30 years, and to date the police have done regrettably little to protect me.” However, under this apparent antagonism, their bond continued to strengthen with each passing year. Interestingly, their intense love was inseparable from their jealous intellectual antagonism that gave their relationship a peculiar aura. When Philippa was named a Lady of the British Empire, William referred to her as an “Old Lady” with whom he now had to live. It is this bittersweet taste of their love that defines their marriage.
Philippa’s most irritable habit towards William was her determination each morning to complete the crossword for “The Times” before he arrived at the breakfast table. One beautiful June morning, William, studying the track, filled in the eight boxes Philippa left incomplete. Philippa’s instantly replied that there was no such word. To the delight of Philippa the word “Whym Wham “ it could not be found in the shorter Oxford Dictionary. William assured him that the word could be found in OED on his desk, made for scholars like him. William left the breakfast table with pointed comments about Philippa’s limited English proficiency and that she will have a humble pie to eat at Somerville’s Gaudy Feast while reading the complete works of John Skelton …
William left with a sigh, kissing his wife on the cheek, wishing he’d lost Charles Oldham. Philippa answered yes because it was very inappropriate during those days to declare a woman as the only winner. After closing the front door, upon entering the kitchen, Lady Philippa suddenly suffered her only heart attack. He called out to William hoarsely but to no avail. The news of his death was broadcast and the story ends with a note of black humor in Sir William’s suicide note (who shot himself with his pistol): “Forgive me, but I had to warn you.” There was the volume of John Skelton’s work open in one of his hands with the word “Whym Wham “ neatly underlined, his fingers stiff and cold around her. Such an odd ending subtly hints at the essence of the special relationship this couple shared to rise above the great marriage vow “UNTIL DEATH DOES US PART.” Archer’s love story stands out because death couldn’t separate Sir William and Dame Philippa! Even as he followed his wife to the grave, William felt the need to camouflage the inseparable bond they shared and the excruciating loneliness he would feel without her … he does so with an ironic sense of humor!