But...

I've just bought a new pair of pumps!

Blip Review
 
This apparently simple picture of a sign in a local park provides a palimpsest of meaning and humour to the careful observer.
 
Firstly it exhibits an example of the cultural divide. The working class Woodleywise feels that he cannot play tennis on the local court because he does not possess a pair of “tennis shoes”. In fact, and this is heartbreaking, he could play because “pumps” are synonymous with “tennis shoes”, they are merely a middle class affectation. (NB He would have been even more baffled if Plimsolls had been required)
 
Secondly, Woodleywise feels that he cannot play because his shoes are “new” and not “worn” ie they have not been subject to the wear and tear of daily use. A sad reflection on low literacy levels among the working class.
 
Overall then this simple picture provides a piercing critique of the hegemony of middle class culture and the “fences” that it puts up against the emancipation of the 
down-trodden masses.
 
Professor Valentine Cunningham
 W. H. Smith Professor of Philology
The University of Newport Pagnell.