April 24, 2023
Carol Ann Johnston, Professor of English, presents "Thomas Traherne and the Tradition of the Emblem Book."
The emblem book is often described as the Early Modern comic book. Emblem books originated in Italy with Alciati’s Emblemata, out of a desire to unify words with images. The poems of Thomas Traherne attempt to unify words and images through an emblematic process. Traherne wishes to fix divisive binary language: our language is inadequate to describe our experience. If we could make words and images one, we wouldn’t have to play on repeat The Weepies’ song "Please Speak Well of Me:” “Don’t Say Words You Don’t Mean.”
This lecture is sponsored by the Departments of Medieval & Early Modern Studies and English