School of Conservative Studies Master Class:
The Moral Imagination of Jane Austen
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Hello
John,
The conservative intellectual tradition in the English-speaking world contains not only great works of political thought but also significant literary contributions. As Russell Kirk once taught, conservatives believe that the “moral imagination” is a power of ethical perception that discerns and aspires toward right order in the soul and in society. Such an imagination is nurtured through poetry, art, religion, and especially the great tradition of humane letters.
In that spirit, I am pleased to announce a new master class, “The Moral Imagination of Jane Austen.” The principal text will be Austen’s novel, Mansfield Park. In this course, students will consider our perennial task to recognize and reconcile the claims of permanence and change, and discuss many other themes such as manners, virtue, marriage, and the grounding of our morality. Uniquely, the last session of this class will be held on Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. This is a great opportunity for those who want to read and celebrate an author whose literary genius and moral imagination embody the very best of the conservative tradition.
- Time: Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm ET
- Dates: November 25; December 2, 9, and 16
- Faculty: Dr. Leta Sundet
- Location: Online
- Tuition: $100
Leta Sundet, our instructor for this course, is an Assistant Professor of English at Hillsdale College. She earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts from New Saint Andrews College in 2012, followed by a M.A. in Theology and Letters in 2013. She went on to receive a second M.A. in English Literature (2015) and a Ph.D. in English Literature (2022) from the University of Dallas. Dedicated to both scholarship and teaching, Dr. Sundet is a popular teacher in person and online. She is known for her engaging, thoughtful instruction and her ability to guide students into a deeper appreciation of imaginative literature.
Applications are due by October 30. Please send a letter of interest and resume to Darrell Falconburg, our Academic Program Officer, at [email protected].
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Webinar: The Fiction of Conservatism
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Coming Soon! On Monday, September 29 at 7 pm EST: Christopher J. Scalia will be speaking about his book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (But Probably Haven’t Read) on the Kirk Center’s Book Gallery. Scalia is a popular speaker, former teacher of literature, and now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Tune in and get ready to add to your reading list!
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This Season, Support Conservative Book Reviewing
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The Kirk Center’s journal, the University Bookman, weekly provides new reviews of books worth reading but which might not be well known. Sure, we review the books shaping the cultural conversation but we as often lead readers to books they should know about…or those to approach warily. We provide this publication free of charge so that all may access the reviews and essays. And we do so without annoying the reader with ads and frequent fund-raising appeals.
Rather, we focus on one appeal a year and trust in the generosity of Bookman readers to help us through. At only $20,000, the cultural yield far exceeds the direct expense of providing such delightful and instructive writing.
The backdrop of our work is well known to you: American universities are failing to liberally educate the rising generation. A number of states have recently entered the breach and established schools of civic and classical education, and so rearguard action is forming to preserve the best of Western civilization.
We welcome them to the struggle.
The University Bookman has been here for more than six decades, holding the line on the “permanent things,” the values and principles that undergird our civilization. Our readers are not specialists, but those who value the liberally educated mind. Our goal is to provide humane cultural sustenance year in and year out. With your help, we will be able to carry this work forward.
Would you please consider supporting the work of the Bookman? The editors nobly volunteer their time so that each donation goes to cover the direct cost of the journal. The campaign runs through the month of October, seeking to raise $20,000 for annual operating costs, and hopes to conclude by November 1.
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As a token of our appreciation, all supporters of this University Bookman campaign will receive a link to a professional audio recording of Kirk’s short story, What Shadows We Pursue. This story was recently selected by the British Library for inclusion in their forthcoming anthology, The Haunted Library.
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Kirktoberfest Webinar
Each October, readers celebrate Russell Kirk’s birthday month with a discussion of his fiction and literary legacy.
On Wednesday, October 28, I invite you to join University Bookman editor Luke Sheahan, James Panero (executive editor of The New Criterion), and Hollywood screenwriter Adam Simon for what has become an extremely popular annual conversation on Kirk’s fiction. They will begin with his celebrated novel Old House of Fear, a gothic tale called “thrillingly executed” by the New York Times, and turn to his short stories of the supernatural. As James Panero notes:
“The writing quality and studied interest of Kirk’s ghostly fiction were not ancillary to his conservative mind but central to his Gothic sensibility, which identified conservatism in the revenant spirits of America’s literary and cultural traditions.”
Join us online for this Book Gallery on 10/28 at 6 p.m. EST by registering below.
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Kirk's Fiction at The Imaginative Conservative
For those of you who have read some of Kirk’s fiction, this recent essay by Blaine McCormick and Camilo Peralta analyzes one of his short stories, "The Last God's Dream."
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I am happy to end this newsletter on a high note with an essay from Classic Kirk, a series on our website selected from the archive by Kirk’s second daughter, Cecilia, entitled, The Conservative Purpose of a Liberal Education.
Enjoy it. Then do your part to redeem the time!
Yours in the permanent things,
Jeffrey O. Nelson, Ph.D.
Executive Director & CEO
Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal
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