This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. We will gain fresh perspectives on this perennially popular book. Sessions will include in-depth discussions of the novel itself; an examination of the historical and cultural context of the world of the book’s publication; a session on the changing critical reception of the novel over the past two...
Upcoming Literature and Theater Seminars
This list is of upcoming seminars only. Since most seminars meet more than once in a term, if a class has already met at least once, it will no longer show up on this list.
Starting:
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
200 Years of Pride and Prejudice: An Exploration of Jane Austen’s Novel
Tuesdays, June 4 – July 9
Led by Jeff Nigro
Starting:
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Fiction of Cormac McCarthy
Wednesdays, June 5 – July 24
Led by Matt Laufer
McCarthy has been characterized as “our greatest living writer” and “the worthy disciple both of Melville and of Faulkner.” But he is not for the faint of heart, and his themes—when not considered with an appreciation for the majesty of his style—can overwhelm and depress. This course will provide the guidance, context, and collaboration to allow McCarthy’s ideas to resonate freely and his...
Starting:
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Brave New Worlds? More, Montaigne, Shakespeare, and Swift on the Age of Exploration
Thursdays, June 6 – August 1 (class will not meet July 4)
Led by Stuart Patterson
This seminar investigates how Europe’s “age of exploration” spurred new examinations of the human condition. Through Thomas More’s Utopia, Michel de Montaigne’s “On Cannibals,” William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and contextualized with the Newberry’s extensive collections on early...
Starting:
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Chicago Playwrights and Their Plays
Thursdays, June 6 – August 1 (class will not meet July 4)
Led by Todd Bauer
Each week a different Chicago-based playwright will discuss one of his or her plays with the class. Ranging from established plays which have had a number of productions to scripts still in development, this seminar will give participants an intimate glimpse into the creative process and a unique opportunity to engage in an in-depth dialogue with local playwrights. Participating playwrights...
Starting:
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Studs Lonigan’s Chicago
Thursdays, June 6 – July 25 (class will not meet July 4)
Led by Heath Carter
We will immerse ourselves in the world of James T. Farrell’s classic Studs Lonigan trilogy. It tells the story of a young Irish-American man trying to make his way on the South Side of Chicago during the years between World War I and the Great Depression. While approaching Farrell’s work critically as literature, we will be especially interested in the many glimpses it offers of...
Starting:
Saturday, June 8, 2013
William Blake: Innocence and Experience
Saturdays, June 8 – 29
Led by Susanne Sklar
In the world of William Blake’s poetry and art, Innocence is a state through which we pass and to which we can return. This discussion course, exploring Blake’s early illuminated books and poetry, can move us through innocence and experience to the threshold of what Blake calls “the Palace of Wisdom.” From Blake’s visionary viewpoint, we will grapple with a variety of erotic, theological,...
Starting:
Thursday, June 20, 2013
An Introduction to the Poetry of T. S. Eliot
Thursdays, June 20 – July 18 (class will not meet July 4)
Led by Joyce Goldenstern
Often considered the quintessential modern poem, T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land challenges us to consider reading in a new way—without the aid of the traditional unities of time, place, and narrator. Eliot’s musicality, imagery, and allusions guide us through the poem, and other pieces by the poet, as we become adept at reading the modern idiom. Please read “The Love Song of J. Alfred...