The Elizabethtown College Department of English is presenting a series of literature-themed lectures this spring at Quest Lancaster, a lifelong learning organization in Lancaster.

Each year, the College partners with Quest to provide programming from Etown’s faculty and staff. This year’s lecture series, “Popular Literature: Stories that Hold Our Attention,” began in March and consists of six presentations that focus on a variety of classic authors, as well as their respective works and genres.

“Quest, and programs like it, keep kindled the flame of the true liberal arts ideal,” Elizabethtown College Distinguished Professor of English, John Rohrkemper said. “None of the hundreds of people who annually participate in Quest are thinking about how this will increase their salary or lead to a promotion. They are there because they’re curious, love the world of ideas, and want to surround themselves with others who share these values. It is an honor to be a part of such an endeavor.”

Quest’s primary mission is to support the continued learning and education of seniors. This spring, 40 participants are scheduled to attend the events, many of whom reside in Lancaster retirement communities.

An Etown representative has worked in partnership with Quest, for over a decade. For the past two years, Professor of Political Science, Fletcher McClellan has fulfilled this role, coordinating thoughtful programs for the event.

Lecture Topics:  

March 23 – “Wordsworth’s ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud.’” – Presented by Professor of English, Suzanne Webster

March 30 – “Late Bloomers: The Novelists Elizabeth Strout, Kate Atkinson, and Marilynne Robinson.” – Presented by Distinguished Professor of English, John Rohrkemper

April 13 – “Fiction and Drama: Demands of the Genre.” – Presented by Distinguished Professor of English, John Rohrkemper

April 20 – “Changing Women’s Minds: Gender and Brain Science in Joanna Baillie and Anne Bannerman.” – Presented by Assistant to the Dean of the School of Business for Experiential Education, Suzanne Biever-Grodzinski

April 27 – “Our ‘Beloved’ Nobel Laureate.” – Presented by Assistant Professor of English Literature, Patrick Allen

May 4 – “Jane Austen’s Life and Afterlife.” – Presented by Assistant Professor of English, Tara Moore