The Vineyard Haven library is pleased to announce a new literary lecture series with Prof. Philip Weinstein, “Shakespearean Explorations.” This initial set of lectures will focus on two of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, “Hamlet” and “King Lear.” The four-part series will be held via Zoom, from 6 to 7 pm on alternate Wednesday evenings in May and June: May 6 and 20, and June 3 and 17.
All of us have come into contact with Shakespeare’s plays at some point in our lives — in high school, in college, on our own, and at theaters all over the world. For none of us is he an unknown quantity. Yet there is no point in denying that his plays make considerable demands on the reader. Coming to grips with two of his masterpieces is going to be quite a journey, a journey on which Weinstein invites us all to join him.
Philip Weinstein earned his Ph.D. in English from Harvard University, staying on to teach at Harvard for the next three years. He then accepted a position at Swarthmore, where he remained for more than 40 years, becoming the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English. He has written several books of literary criticism, many focused on Faulkner, including “Becoming Faulkner: The Art and Life of William Faulkner,” which won the Hugh Holman Award for the best book of literary scholarship in the field of Southern literature published in 2010. In 2015, Weinstein retired from Swarthmore and moved to Martha’s Vineyard full-time. Since then, he’s gone on to write three more books, and continues teaching adults through the Vineyard Haven library, Swarthmore Lifelong Learning, and the 92nd Street Y in New York.
For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org, or 508-696-4211.