Cost and Registration Information
Early Registration Price (by May 19): $80
Regular Price (after May 19): $88
Seminar Description
Mired as we are in what have come to be called “post-truth” culture, “alternative facts,” and “Orwellian” language, we might do well to turn to Orwell himself. His essay, “Politics and the English Language,” has never felt more vital or more discerning. Language shapes politics, just as politics shapes language, and, as Orwell says, “the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” In this one-day seminar we’ll explore how both Orwell and Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison have sought to expose, and weaken, the link between political orthodoxy and degraded language. One session.
Matt Laufer holds a PhD from Columbia University and has taught literature at Columbia, Barnard College, and various college preparatory schools. He has published articles on Nabokov, Melville, and Woolf.
Materials List
Required:
- George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” (1946): https://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit/
- Toni Morrison, Nobel Lecture (1993): https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1993/morrison/lecture/
First Readings:
- Please read both of the above pieces before arriving for this one-session seminar.
This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.