This year’s Winter Weekend selection, Homer’s The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles, takes place over 51 days, somewhere in the 9th or 10th year of the Trojan War. Amid a huge cast of memorable characters—and a crew of scheming Olympians sublimely indifferent to human suffering — three warriors stand out: the godlike and self-absorbed Achilles, the Tony Soprano-like Agamemnon, and the doomed Hektor, tamer of horses.
Peter Aicher, professor of classics at the University of Southern Maine presented a lecture entitled “Was There a Troy and Why Does It Matter?.”
The Council’s annual Winter Weekend, a humanities seminar on a classic text, provides an opportunity for readers to confront, in a group setting, an important work of literature. Held at Bowdoin College in early March, the program begins with a Friday evening lecture and dinner (a gastronomic taste of the time and culture reflected in the chosen text). The group reconvenes Saturday on various aspects of the book, from cultural context, to critical analysis, to explorations of specific themes.
Winter Weekend 2012 took place March 9 and 10, 2012 at Bowdoin College.
This year’s Winter Weekend selection, Homer’s The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles, takes place over 51 days, somewhere in the 9th or 10th year of the Trojan War. Amid a huge cast of memorable characters—and a crew of scheming Olympians sublimely indifferent to human suffering—three warriors stand out: the godlike and self-absorbed Achilles, the Tony Soprano-like Agamemnon, and the doomed Hektor, tamer of horses.
Caroline Alexander, author of The War That Killed Achilles presented a lecture entitled “Reading the Iliad in 2012.”
The Council’s annual Winter Weekend, a humanities seminar on a classic text, provides an opportunity for readers to confront, in a group setting, an important work of literature. Held at Bowdoin College in early March, the program begins with a Friday evening lecture and dinner (a gastronomic taste of the time and culture reflected in the chosen text). The group reconvenes Saturday on various aspects of the book, from cultural context, to critical analysis, to explorations of specific themes.
Winter Weekend 2012 took place March 9 and 10, 2012 at Bowdoin College.
In an encore performance, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine Farmington, Jim Melcher spoke to a class on the legacy of Senator Margaret Chase Smith.
This talk was originially performed at the September 30, 2011 event The Politics of Conscience: Margaret Chase Smith and Today’s Political Climate at G.W. Hinckley, Hinckley, Maine.
What is the role of Margaret Chase Smith in Today's American Politics?[ 43:02 ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (318)
As the opening event of the newly minted Mechaya Center, Director Jonathan Lee, invited Adam Hochschild to Maine to discuss new new book To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914 – 1918, where he focuses on the long-ignored moral drama of World War I critics, alongside its generals and heroes.
This event was sponsored by the Mechaya Center and was hosted at the University of Southern Maine, Portland campus.
Wonder what writers really think about? Get ready for a literary extravaganza! The Maine Festival of the Book, brought to you by Maine Reads brings together writers and readers to enjoy readings, panel discussions, book signings, and performances. With the exception of Opening Night and Youth Outreach, festival events are first-come, first-served, un-ticketed seating, and are free. Almost 2000 people attended this year’s three-day event. In its four years of existence, the Maine Festival of the Book has featured more than 200 authors, including five Pulitzer Prize winners.
For more information about The Maine Festival of the Book and to join the mailing list for 2012, check out Maine Read’s website.
Christopher Corbett, author of Poker Bride and Colin Sargent, author of Museum of Human Beings explore frontier history and legend: the Pony Express and the Chinese experience in the of the American West, and the story of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, child star of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The Maine Festival of the Book is an annual festival brought to you by Maine Reads with support from the Maine Humanities Council.
The Center for Global Humanities is a public forum dedicated to the study of human destiny in the 21st century. Because new discoveries in science and technology are changing our understanding of human nature and raising burning questions about the future of our civilization, the Center uses the lenses of the humanities to provide insight into this emerging human condition. Analyzing the state of our cultures today is as important as any medical or technological breakthrough.
Global in perspective and connected to similar national and international programs, CGH offers seminars and lectures by leading scholars from around the world who are doing innovative scholarship. Various international seminars enhance our regular program. Because the Center believes in the vital necessity of a humanities culture to civic and democratic life, it works closely with the local community to encourage reading, discussion, and debate.
Ted Gup, Chair of the Department of Journalism at Emerson College, presented his talk How The Great Depression Changed America as part of the Center for Global Humanities annual lecture series.
The Center for Global Humanities is a partner of the Maine Humanities Council.
Please be aware that the content in these audio files does not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the Maine Humanities Council or any organization with which the Maine Humanities Council is affiliated. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This year’s Winter Weekend selection, Homer’s The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles, takes place over 51 days, somewhere in the 9th or 10th year of the Trojan War. Amid a huge cast of memorable characters—and a crew of scheming Olympians sublimely indifferent to human suffering — three warriors stand out: the godlike and self-absorbed Achilles, the Tony Soprano-like Agamemnon, and the doomed Hektor, tamer of horses.
