Literature meets neuroscience
Boston College Professor of English Alan Richardson’s The Neural Sublime: Cognitive Theories and Romantic Texts brings recent work in cognitive neuroscience to bear on some famously vexed issues in British Romantic studies, and demonstrates in unprecedented ways how developments in the neurosciences can transform the study of literary history. His analysis offers fresh perspectives on British Romanticism, pointing scholars to new developments in cognitive literary studies and providing an engaging introduction to this emergent field.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged British Romanticism, English Dept., neuroscience
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The beauty of BC’s stained glass
The enchanting beauty and stirring majesty of the stained glass windows of Bapst Library, Gasson Hall and St. Mary’s are vividly depicted in a keepsake book, Transforming Light: The Stained-Glass Windows of Boston College (Linden Lane Press). The stunning photography in the book is the creative product of award-winning Director of University Photography Gary Wayne Gilbert. Gilbert and the book are featured in the MetroWest Daily News and Boston College Chronicle.
“I was amazed at the subject matter. Where else would you find portraits of Mark Twain, Daniel Webster, George Washington, Longfellow, Lincoln, Emerson, Hawthorne – the list goes on and on – in stained glass?” Gilbert said. Transforming Light can be purchased through the BC Bookstore.
A misfit sock for Christmas
A pile of mismatched socks on a laundry room floor was the only inspiration Karen Kiefer of the Church in the 21st Century Center needed to discover a special way her family could spread some Christmas cheer to others. The misfit socks, filled with wishes, recipes, treats and sweets, were decorated and delivered by the Kiefer children to neighbors and friends in need of a sign of gratitude and joy during the Christmas season.
The tradition has given rise to The Misfit Sock, a beautifully illustrated storybook written by Kiefer and sold with a one-of-a-kind magical misfit sock.
“My hope this that this project will help children …discover the true spirit of Christmas… [and] remind them that they are loved and they own their power, magic, happiness and inspiration,” said Kiefer.
Britain’s history depicted in a new light
A hoard of beautiful gold military objects found in 2009 in a Staffordshire, England field drew attention to the mysterious world of 7th and 8th century Britain. This time period is the focus of Boston College History Professor Robin Fleming’s Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400-1070, which depicts life in Britain between the departure of the Roman legions and the arrival of Norman invaders nearly seven centuries later. Combining a wealth of research and imaginative engagement, it brings modern readers close to those tumultuous centuries and allows them to see Britain’s history in a new light.
The war on crime
Since the mid-1960s, the war on crime has reshaped public attitudes about state authority, criminal behavior and the responsibilities of citizenship. In Learning to Live with Crime: American Crime Narrative in the Neoconservative Turn, Boston College Professor of English Christopher P. Wilson examines how this war on crime has made its way into cultural representation and public consciousness, as Americans have been urged to regard crime as a risk of modern living and accept aggressive approaches to policing, private security and punishment. At its most scandalous, his study suggests, contemporary law enforcement has even come to mimic crime’s own operations.
A seaside dream
Career Center Associate Director Janet Costa Bates is the author of a new children’s book, Seaside Dream. The book is about a young girl named Cora who is seeking a birthday present for her grandmother, who is homesick for her native Cape Verde Islands. Janet was recently interviewed by her hometown newspaper and said her own grandmother was the inspiration for the story.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged Cape Verde Islands, Career Center, children's book, family
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