Subjects: Contemporary

Discussion topics include Dostoyevsky’s unique contribution to the novel form, his interest in the obscure or confused motivations of human action, his interest in multiple personality, and his themes of suffering and spiritual regeneration. What is the “idea” behind the novel? Are the main characters of the novel embodied “ideas?” What are the challenges to accepting the “Epilogue”, both from an artistic and psychological perspective? Featured interview: Professor Ed Wasiolek (University of Chicago)

The lesson examines how this work validates the concept of “memento mori” – the forcing of a consciousness of death that compels us to examine the authenticity of our lives. According to Tolstoy, “Ivan Ilych’s life had been most simple and most ordinary and, therefore, most terrible.” What does this triad of adjectives mean? What is the tone of the story? Is Ivan’s fate a blessing or a curse? What is the role of “Friends?” Of “Family”? Discussion focuses on the imagery at the end of the story as it relates to the story’s theme. Featured interview: Professor Ed Wasiolek (University of Chicago)

These two lessons center on the nature of allegory, the law of symbolic retribution, and how the nature of the soul according to St. Thomas Aquinas influenced the structure of Dante’s Hell. How should one read Inferno for the first time? To what extent is Dante a new epic hero? To what extend does his journey constitute a new epic “action?” What is Inferno really about, and what was Dante’s purpose in writing it? The episode of Paolo and Francesca is singled out for particular attention. Featured interview: Professor Zyg Baranski (University of Reading)

These two lessons center on the nature of allegory, the law of symbolic retribution, and how the nature of the soul according to St. Thomas Aquinas influenced the structure of Dante’s Hell. How should one read Inferno for the first time? To what extent is Dante a new epic hero? To what extend does his journey constitute a new epic “action?” What is Inferno really about, and what was Dante’s purpose in writing it? The episode of Paolo and Francesca is singled out for particular attention. Featured interview: Professor Zyg Baranski (University of Reading)

Discussion centers on Hamlet’s unique prestige in Western culture as the Mt. Everest of plays, so much so that it is often referred to simply as “The Play”. What accounts for this unique prestige? How modern a play is Hamlet? What political issues does it raise? The class considers a feminist and an existential reading of the play, discussing Hamlet’s attitudes toward the sexualized maternal body and the universal fear and disgust it can evoke. “The Play” also poses the question of how to act in the world when one cannot know anything with certainty. Featured interview: Professor Mick Hattaway (University of Sheffield), author of a critical text on Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Discussion centers on Hamlet’s unique prestige in Western culture as the Mt. Everest of plays, so much so that it is often referred to simply as “The Play”. What accounts for this unique prestige? How modern a play is Hamlet? What political issues does it raise? The class considers a feminist and an existential reading of the play, discussing Hamlet’s attitudes toward the sexualized maternal body and the universal fear and disgust it can evoke. “The Play” also poses the question of how to act in the world when one cannot know anything with certainty. Featured interview: Professor Mick Hattaway (University of Sheffield), author of a critical text on Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Tartuffe perfectly represents the French neo-classical period, and this lesson places particular emphasis on the play’s plot, language style, characterizations and central theme. What is the play about? Why is Orgon so blind to Tartuffe’s true nature? Is the character of Tartuffe comic or macabre? Is Orgon “mad,” as Dorine claims? What does “madness” mean in the context of this play? What is the significance of the “deus ex machina” ending of the play? Featured interview: Dr. David Raybin (Eastern Illinois University)

The class investigates Milton’s purpose in singling out the myth of Adam and Eve for such extended attention. What is heroism and who is heroic by Milton’s standards? What is “innocence” according to Milton? Is it a desirable trait? What is the role of knowledge in the epic? What does it mean to be “lowly wise?” Of particular attention is the question of Eve as champion of Paradise Lost. Featured interview: Dr. Rachel Falconer (University of Sheffield)

The class investigates Milton’s purpose in singling out the myth of Adam and Eve for such extended attention. What is heroism and who is heroic by Milton’s standards? What is “innocence” according to Milton? Is it a desirable trait? What is the role of knowledge in the epic? What does it mean to be “lowly wise?” Of particular attention is the question of Eve as champion of Paradise Lost. Featured interview: Dr. Rachel Falconer (University of Sheffield)

Does Candide simply recreate “Job in modern dress,” as Frederick the Great asserted? What is the theme of Candide? What is Voltaire’s attitude toward metaphysical speculation? What is the role of “work” in Candide? The lesson focuses on the symbolic concept of “garden” in the work, and discussion touches on the three types of “gardens” (ways of life) that rapidly succeed one another toward the end of the work. The class contemplates Candide as a work that exemplifies humankind’s traditional existential dilemma: How does one find meaning in a mad, evil world and create a meaningful existence within it? Featured interview: Professor Robert Morrissey (University of Chicago)