Muhlenberg Lecture 2022

Jonathan Culler is Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Emeritus, at Cornell University. Prof. Culler will deliver the Muhlenberg Lecture 2022 entitled

Theorizing the Lyric

Discussing the project of his 2015 book Theory of the Lyric and its relation to work theorizing the lyric in English and German, Jonathan Culler questions the general validity of two extant models of the lyric poem—the poem as expression of the intense experience of the poet and the poem as the discourse of a fictional speaker in a situation that should be reconstructed – arguing that both models direct readers attention away from what is most distinctive about lyric poetry. Focusing on the tension between the fictional and ritualistic elements of the poem, such as rhythmical and phonetic patterning, which he claims is central to lyric.

For more information on Prof. Culler please click here.

The event begins at 6.30 pm. Please remember to wear your FFP2-mask in HS I.

You can also join the event online. Please click here to access the live stream of the Muhlenberg Lecture.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Organizer: Prof. Dr. Erik Redling