Sonnet Fest @ ND

Feel like taking the stage to read a sonnet? Miss Colloquium II and want to relive the excitement of Shakespeare's sonnets? Check out the sonnet-fest-athon at Notre Dame on February 10th from 11 to 3 in the Great Hall of O'Shaugnessy Hall (near the Snite).

HUST celebrates

A few HUSTies in Christmas splendor...(thank you, Tippecanoe).

Drafting the Declaration

During the screening of John Adams last night, we discussed the drafting process for the Declaration of Independence. With so many different versions, a helpful way to make sense of these changes is to read a hypertext copy from Duke University in which areas of difference are highlighted (taking you to an explanation of the additions, alterations, or deletions).

The Catholic Church & Art

Stumbled on an interesting BBC article about the Pope's interest in trying to renew interest in Vatican art.

Letters of a Peruvian Woman - Discussion Questions

I've posted your discussion questions up on the wiki, but you can also see the revised versions here:

• In what ways is eighteenth-century French culture gilded? (think: "Furniture which I thought to be made of gold, is gold only on the surface, its true substance is wood; in the same way, what they call politeness thinly covers their shortcomings with an outward show of virtue" (59).
  
• How does the voice of the Peruvian woman work as a critique? (think: of French culture? of women's roles in French society?)
  
• How does the novel's epistolary structure become integral to the development of ideas about language, communication, and writing?
  
• How can we understand Zilia's exploration of the differences between the written and spoken word?
  
• What is the signficance of the novel's references to sun and light? (think...gold, knowledge, divine fire, etc.; go to Meghan's blog for an answer to this)
• What do the roles that Zilia inhabits tell us about her relationship to her environment (Paris, French countryside, salon, Peru, etc.)
  

Richard III

HUST is headed to Chicago!

For a quick overview, summary, etc., check out Wikipedia's link on Richard III or the Chicago Shakespeare Company's own information on the play. For a general Shakespeare resource page, go here.

Richard III is one of several histories that Shakespeare wrote about England's past (specifically, the War of the Roses). There is even a Richard III society (our very own Professor Hicks was a member!) dedicated the study of the events and figures of this historic period.

More Milton...

I stumbled on this very helpful, user-friendly site the other day. What I like is that you can explore all different aspects of Paradise Lost--from Milton's religious influences to the history of the prints that were added to the 1688 version. And given our conversation yesterday in class, its title is very apropos: Darkness Visible.