I share here my “last lecture” from my retirement ceremony. (But rest assured: I will not be retiring from this blog.)
Tag Archives: Jane Austen
My “Last Lecture”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aristotle, Bertolt Brecht, Chinua Achebe, Divine Comedy, Goethe, Heart of Darkness, Horace, Huckleberry Finn, integration, Joseph Conrad, Mark Twain, Martha Nussbaum Wayne Booth, Matthew Arnold, Percy Shelley, Plato, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Samuel Johnson, segregation, Sir Philip Sydney, Terry Eagleton, W. E. B. Du Bois, Wayne Booth Comments closed
Austen: Standing Up to Harassers
Jane Austen has powerful lessons for those battling systemic sexism.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Mansfield Park, MeToo, Pride and Prejudice, sexual harassment Comments closed
Rightwing Evangelicals Bind with Briars
Studies show that college does not turn young people away from religion. In fact, literature and humanities courses can strengthen faith.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Garden of Love", "poem in praise of menstruation", Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lucille Clifton, Pride and Prejudice, Purple Hibiscus, rightwing Christianity, rightwing evangelicals, William Blake Comments closed
Mourning Jane Austen’s Early Death
Despite the feminist revolution, many people still Jane Austen, who died 200 years ago, as a shy and retiring writer. In point of fact, she was probably very ambitious and wanted to make a lot of money. If this comes as a shock, check your stereotypes of women.
On Reading Pride & Prejudice 100 Times
Teaching a classic too regularly can lead to its losing its luster for the teacher. I share how I keep that from happening.
From Wycherley to Crazy, Stupid, Love
In my “Restoration and 18th Century Couples Comedy” class, my students paired old rom-coms with contemporary films, including “Ten Things I Hate about You,” “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, “Friends with Benefits,” and others.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 10 Things I Hate about You, Alexander Pope, Aphra Behn Country Wife, Austenland, Belle's Stratagem, Brave, Crazy Stupid Love, Don Jon, Friends with Benefits, Hannah Cowley, He’s Just Not That into You, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Mean Girls, Oliver Goldsmith, Rape of the Lock, Richard Sheridan, Rivals, Rover, Say Anything, Sense and Sensibility, She Stoops to Conquer, William Wycherley Comments closed
Why the Alt-Right Austen Takeover Will Fail
The alt-right has tried to appropriate Jane Austen. Their readings are alternately hilarious and horrifying.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged alt-right, Fascism, Mansfield Park, NEH, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, William Bennet Comments closed
Bannon: Deconstructionist or Con Man?
When Steve Bannon said that he plans to “deconstruct” the administrative state, it sounds vaguely impressive but maybe just be a pretentious way of saying that he’s planning on gumming up the works. A discussion of deconstruction is in order.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged deconstruction, Donald Trump, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Pride and Prejudice, Satan, Steve Bannon Comments closed
