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THE EXPERIENCE

Dec 14th, 2011 by

As we begin this seminar, I want you to think about the issue of description.  There are, in fact, many different  descriptions of Hell and it matters which one we choose.  In the seminar, we will look at 10 of them.  In addition, I want you to begin thinking about what it means to read, write, speak, and argue effectively.  No one is born with these skills.  You need to acquire them the old-fashioned way by working on them.

1. Tuesday, January 17:

Discussion Topic: Why is Hell so much of a daily part of our lives?

  • I elaborate on my two major goals in this course.
  • I outline the structure of the course.
  • I administer a class survey.

The Ultimate Background Resource, “What the Hell is Hell?”:  HERE


IMAGE ONE

WORLD WAR I: “WAR IS HELL . . .”

2. Thursday, January 19.

DiscussionTopic:   What is Hell?  Perhaps it depends on whom you ask.

  • “Hell” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: PRINT AND READ
  • Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (first half)

3. Tuesday, January 24.

Discussion Topic:

  • Finish reading Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
  • Lewis Milestone, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (segment of film): Prepare for film by reading HERE

4. Thursday, January 26

Discussion: Great Writing, Persuasive Criticism

Readings from George Orwell:

  • “Why I write”  PRINT AND READ
  • George Orwell writes:  Facsimile of p. 1 of Brave New World (handout)
  • Mystery Facsimile (handout)
  • “Politics and the English Language” PRINT AND READ
  • “Review of Sartre” PRINT AND READ

5. Tuesday, January 31.

An Excursus into the past.  From the Twentieth Century to the Fourteenth Century and back.  The goal today is to understand how different depictions of Hell reflect the age when they are created.

For today’s class, we will meet in the Special Collections Room of Hesburgh Library.  Notre Dame is a powerhouse in Italian studies and has one of the finest collections of Dante’s Divine Comedy.  Tracy Bergstrom, the library’s expert on this collection, will introduce us to depictions of Dante’s Inferno.

Before we meet, read the following three cantos closely.  The more you understand the cantos, the easier it will be for you to interpret the artistic depictions we see.  For background, read through the short section from Turner’s History of Hell.

The Inferno of Dante:

 

IMAGE TWO

THE HOLOCAUST:  “A LIVING HELL . . . 

6. Thursday, February 2.

Discussion:  What is Wiesel’s depiction of Hell?  And how does it differ from those we have alread considered?

  • Read the first half of Elie Wiesel, Night

7. Tuesday, February 7.

Discussion: According to Wiesel’s arguments in Night and his Nobel Lecture below, how should we respond  to Hell?  Again, how would this response differ from the other works we’ve considered?

  • Complete your reading of Elie Wiesel, Night
  • Elie Wiesel, “Hope, Despair, and Memory,” Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1986 PRINT AND READ

8. Thursday, February 9.

First Great Debate:  “Auschwitz proves that God does not exist.”

9. Tuesday, February 14.

Discussion: More Great Writing

  • In-class Film: Selections from Leni Riefenstahl’s phantasmagoria, “Triumph of the Will” READ

 

IMAGE THREE

LIFE ITSELF:  “LIFE IS HELL . . .”

10. Thursday, February 16.

Existentialism, Version I: “A World Without God”

  • Jean-Paul Sartre, “The Wall” (HAND-OUT)

11. Tuesday, February 21.

Existentialism, Version II:  “A World With God”

Flannery O’Connor, “The Lame Shall Enter First” (HAND-OUT)

 ω


NOTE:  Please leave your technology at home.  This includes electronic devices of any kind, such as laptops, i-Pads, i-Pads2, cell phones, Kindles, video cameras, or other personal digital devices.

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