REGISTER BELOW
Lunch | Discussion
This event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Note: The group will not meet on the Friday of November 6th.
In the 18th-century, a distinct culture of the salon and the coffee house developed in Europe. Here, in a genteel and generous atmosphere, lively humanistic conversation was encouraged. Literary works were discussed freely and hospitably over shared refreshments.
As an institute committed (in part) to making old things new again, the Lumen Christi Institute will host a poetry salon on Fridays. Over lunch, participants will read and discuss a great poem together. Neither advance preparation nor expertise in poetry is required. The only prerequisites are a desire for good company, good food, and good poesy.
Participants are encouraged not to prepare beforehand. Our goal is to read closely and naively, together. The salon will be hosted by Associate Director and Scholar-in-Residence, Austin Walker.
Lunch will begin at 12pm. At around 12:10pm, we will read the poem aloud. Discussion will follow and we will conclude at 1pm.
Calendar & Syllabus
- Oct 16, Week 1 – William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73 (“That time of year thou mayst in me behold…”)
- Oct 23, Week 2 – John Donne, Holy Sonnet XIV (“Batter my heart, three-person’d God, for you…”)
- Oct 30, Week 3 – Yvor Winters, “Time and the Garden” (“The spring has darkened with activity”)
- Nov 6 – No Session
- Nov 13, Week 4 – Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Windhover (“I caught this morning’s minion, king-…”)
About Reading Courses
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a student-centered reading course at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading course is usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any student interested in a shared reading of a great text is welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.
