Moderators: Jason Blakely & Mary Ortiz

Must the experience of poetry only be beautiful? Or is there something redemptive in a poetry that seeks to capture our limits, suffering, human faltering, and even death? In T.S. Eliot's master interwar poem, The Wasteland, the courage to face human wounds can be redemptive. We’ll also read Fr. Julian Carron's essay on the potential redemption of all reality, even suffering, by God.

Topics & Readings:

Session I: Eliot on distraction

Reading: Eliot, Wasteland, Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday

Session II: Eliot and Christianity

Reading: Eliot, Ash Wednesday; Simone Weil, “School Studies”

Seminar Schedule:

9:00-9:30 Mass in Church of Our Savior (optional)
9:30-10:00 Coffee & donuts on the patio
10:00-11:30 Session 1 in Newman Hall
11:30-12:30 Buffet Lunch outside on the patio
12:30-1:30 Session 2 in Newman Hall

This series is made possible by the support of the Grant “In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide” from the John Templeton Foundation, Grant #62372.