Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008
5-7 p.m.
4-237

Abstract

Stephen Greenblatt has been called the most influential literary scholar of his generation. Greenblatt is a founding figure of the New Historicism, which introduced a new historical, political and theoretical rigor to American literary study. In this Forum, Greenblatt will reflect on his break from the New Criticism which dominated literary study when he began his career, on the dramatic transformation of literary and cultural study in which he participated, and on his own late turn to popular biography and playwriting.

Speakers

Stephen Greenblatt is the Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard, and the author of several books including, most recently, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. He has also served as general editor of the Norton Anthology of English Literature and of the Norton Shakespeare. His recent work includes the play Cardenio, staged this year by the American Repertory Theater. 

Respondent: Diana Henderson is Professor of Literature and Dean for Curriculum and Faculty Support at MIT.  She is the author of  Collaborations with the Past: Reshaping Shakespeare Across Time and Media and Passion Made Public: Elizabethan Lyric, Gender and Performance and the editor of the collections Alternative Shakespeares 3 and A Concise Companion to Shakespeare on Screen. She has served as dramaturg for professional and collegiate theatrical productions.

Moderator: David Thorburn is Professor of Literature and director of the Communications Forum at MIT. He is the author of Conrad’s Romanticism, and, most recently, co-editor of Rethinking Media Change: The Aesthetics of Transition.

Summary

To be posted.

Audiocast

An audio recording of Literature / History / Biography is now available.

In order to listen to the archived audiocast, you can install RealOne Player. A free download is available at http://www.real.com/realone/index.html .

Podcast

A podcast of Literature / History / Biography is now available.