2008-09 Johnson at Bucknell

A Tercentenary Celebration

2009 is the tercentenary of the birth of Samuel Johnson, one of the great writers of eighteenth-century England, and, along with Montaigne, Shakespeare, Goethe, Tolstoy, and Borges, one of a handful of humanists in the European tradition whose writings in a variety of genres continue to challenge and extend our philosophical, moral and literary experiences.

The Bucknell Humanities Institute, supported by the Office of the Provost, will commemorate Johnson’s life and work, his contribution to the western literary tradition, to the American tradition of liberal education, and to his continuing place in the curriculum on college campuses such as Bucknell. On March 23-24, 2009 Bucknell will host a number of events to which students, faculty, trustees, invitees, staff, alumni, and the public will be welcome. (learn more)

Provisional list of events:

• Lectures by Christopher Ricks and Leo Damrosch.
• Poetry reading by David Ferry.
• Public discussion about Johnson, literature and criticism today with Christopher Ricks, Leo Damrosch, Greg Clingham, Philip Smallwood, Adam Rounce, and others.
• Exhibit of Johnsonian books and artifacts in the Bertrand Library.
• Reception and dinner.
• Luncheon and discussion with students.
• Dramatic reading of (scenes from) G.K. Chesterton’s play The Judgment of Dr. Johnson (1927).
• A Bucknell University Press publication commemorating the event.

The Charles H. Watts II Humanities Institute was established in 2006 by the CTW Foundation and its officers to honor the memory of Charles H. Watts II, Bucknell’s 11th president from 1964-76 and then trustee from 1997-2001. The Institute honors President Watts’ love of the humanities, his dedication to learning, and his exceptional leadership at Bucknell by providing annual support for the interdisciplinary study of a selected topic of interest in the humanities.