Go to catalog
Home / Calendar

Event—Adult Education

The Servant's Hand

Jul 07, 2020

Until quite recently, the servant was rarely the hero in fiction or drama (exceptions could cause scandals through the perceived threat to the social order). It is not surprising that writers in the twentieth century would be interested in revis(it)ing this skewed history . . .

As a precaution to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Adult Education Seminars Program’s Summer 2020 term will be moving online. Virtual seminars will meet via Zoom video conference and will use email and Google Drive folders to share resources and communicate with instructors and participants. For more information about the Newberry’s virtual seminars and these tools, including a Zoom tutorial, please see our Virtual Seminars FAQ page. If you have questions about online learning, please feel free to reach out to seminars@newberry.org.

For more information about the Newberry’s response to COVID-19 please visit www.newberry.org/covid19.

Seminar Description

Until quite recently, the servant was rarely the hero in fiction or drama (exceptions could cause scandals through the perceived threat to the social order). It is not surprising that writers in the twentieth century would be interested in revis(it)ing this skewed history, nor that writers from formerly colonized nations would find richness in the double layers of servitude of both the native and the imposed social systems. In this seminar, we will read fictions with servants as protagonists, or as prime movers operating behind the scenes.

Six sessions. Registration – $230

Natania Rosenfeld is a writer, independent scholar and Professor Emerita of English at Knox College. She has published a poetry collection, Wild Domestic, a critical book, Outsiders Together: Virginia and Leonard Woolf (Princeton 2000, and an e-chapbook, She and I.

Materials List

Required:

  • Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger. Free Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-1416562603

  • Jo Baker, Longbourn. Vintage, 2014. ISBN: 978-0345806970

  • Romesh Gunesekara, Reef. |Riverhead,1996. ISBN: 978-1573225335

  • Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day. Vintage International, 1990. ISBN: 978-0679731726

  • Henry Green, Loving. NYRB Classics, 2016 (reprint edition). ISBN: 978-1681370149

  • Sarah Waters, Affinity. Riverhead, 2002. ISBN: 978-1573228732

First Reading:

  • For the first session, please read Loving by Henry Green.

**Newberry Bookshop Update**

Due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19 and the safety and well-being of our patrons, the Newberry Bookshop will be closed during the Summer 2020 term. As such, seminar participants will be responsible for acquiring all required texts for their seminars on their own. We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding. We have put together a list of helpful resources that should make it easy to find the books you need.

In the coming months, the Rosenberg Bookshop plans to launch an online web store where reading material for seminars will be available, along with other books, gifts, and cards. More on this soon!

Registration Information

Online registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Wednesday, June 3.

Please note: Due to COVID-19, the Adult Education Seminars staff is working remotely and will be unable to process registration over the phone. For more information about registration, including a guide to online registration, see our Registration Information page. Questions? Please contact seminars program staff via email at seminars@newberry.org.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

This seminar has reached capacity. Please email seminars@newberry.org to be added to the wait list.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies, or teaching a seminar.