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philosophy and literature

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—May 9 and 10 2007 at Wesleyan University—

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This conference aims to bring together scholars in literary studies and philosophy, asking them to show, and compare the ways in which those two areas "read" —interpret, evaluate, remember— their own and other texts.

We have designed the format of the conference to encourage the exchange of ideas at the levels of both practice and theory by setting out from what philosophers and literary scholars do when they interpret a text, rather than from the more common design of what the disciplines should do or be in principle.

Thus we have planned a morning session in each of the two days in which a literary scholar and a philosopher will tackle the same text, each from his or her perspective. On May 9th, Susan Suleiman and Arthur Danto will present talks on Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" and on May 10th, Rebecca Goldstein and David Konstan will speak on Descartes's Meditations.

Each afternoon, faculty workgroups will explore specific aspects of the general topic of the conference, drawing on themes or questions generated by the morning sessions.

The Philosophy and Literature conference is made by possible by generous support from the Raymond E. Baldwin Lecture Fund and a Mellon Workshop Grant, as well from the College of Letters, and the departments of English, German Studies, Philosophy, and Romance Languages and Literatures at Wesleyan University.

Baldwin Lecture Endowment x-out

The Baldwin Lecture endowment is named in honor of Raymond E. Baldwin '16, the only person to have held Connecticut's three highest public offices: governor, U.S. Senator, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Baldwin Lecture fund is designed to bring to the Wesleyan campus nationally and internationally known figures in public affairs for formal and informal exchanges with members of the Wesleyan community.

Mellon Workshop Grant x-out

The Mellon Foundation grant to Amherst, Grinnell, Oberlin, Pomona, Reed, Smith, Wesleyan, and Williams provides funds to support workshops designed and organized by faculty members on scholarly and pedagogical topics.