Writing in NPR (07.05.12) in “Reclaiming Rhetoric for the Modern Age”, scientist Stuart Kauffman invokes Stephen Greenblatt, the literary critic, theorist and scholar who is a Consulting Editor for Interlitq: “I’m reading now the wonderful new book ‘The Swerve’, by Stephen Greenblatt, about the rediscovery of the Roman poet Lucretius in 1417 by one Poggio Bracciolini. He was a papal scribe and more, perhaps in the German monastery of Fulda. The discovery did much to pitch the Western world into the flowering humanism of the Renaissance, after perhaps 700 or 800 years of intellectual confinement to the authority of the church”. Kauffman then goes on to ponder, “why do we not teach rhetoric in the ancient sense now? I suspect the answer is the role of science since Newton”
Writing in NPR (07.05.12) in “Reclaiming Rhetoric for the Modern Age”, scientist Stuart Kauffman invokes Stephen Greenblatt, the literary critic, theorist and scholar who is a Consulting Editor for Interlitq: “I’m reading now the wonderful new book The Swerve, by Stephen Greenblatt, about the rediscovery of the Roman poet Lucretius in 1417 by one Poggio Bracciolini. He was a papal scribe and more, perhaps in the German monastery of Fulda. The discovery did much to pitch the Western world into the flowering humanism of the Renaissance, after perhaps 700 or 800 years of intellectual confinement to the authority of the church”. Kauffman then goes on to ponder, “why do we not teach rhetoric in the ancient sense now? I suspect the answer is the role of science since Newton”.
good afternoon, I have just finished “The Swerve” by Prof. Greenblatt.
He has given me the ability to link my previous studies of both aspects of physics, psychology, sociology…pertaining to customs and traditions and of course eventually Art itself.
If you look up the painting of Sandro Botechelli of “La Primavera”…you will find mention of the “Nature of Things” ….and an explanation of this joyous depection of all Professor Greenblatt has unearthed in his writings.
How the world would change if we were to look more closely at Thomas Jefferson and his very important inclusion of the Right to Happiness in this world.
a very, very grateful reader of Professor Greenblatt’s work…Monika Elizabeth Gallegos. Thank you.