This series delves into the crucial importance of literature and reading in the contemporary world, critically examining the state of literary education within academic institutions. Each volume offers a polemical perspective on how traditional literary values are challenged from both internal disciplines and external pressures. In an era of economic exigency and technological shifts, the series advocates for a renewal, reinvigorating the discussion on the meaning and value of literary reading for critical thought.
An American expatriate describes life in Verona, the collision between invading suburbia and the die-hard peasant tradition, the architecture, wine bottling, gardening, religion, health care, and the Veronese
Michael Levenson considers how the humanities exist beyond the walls of universities and take place in daily life- in book clubs, public libraries, museums, and historical re-enactments. He poses questions about amateurs versus professionals, what constitutes expertise, and the recent backlash against political elites.
Reading and the Reader defends the value of reading serious literature, investigating the role of the reader in the human search for meaning outside as well as inside of books.
Medical Humanities comprises disciplines as diverse as literature, the visual and performing arts, the history of medicine, and bioethics. Josie Billington examines the value that literature adds to medical education in health training and practice, and defends the power of the arts as a remedial force.
Rick Rylance addresses the debate over the public value of literary studies, from antiquity to the present day. He offers an account of the foundational issue of "the public good" and explores the disciplinary integrity of literary study.