2007: Shakespeare and Catholicism
The 2007 Catholic Literature Series focused on William Shakespeare and his relationship to Catholicism. While Shakespeare’s place in the Western canon is settled, the controversial question of his faith is not. In this Series, we debated the notion of a Catholic ethos in his plays, exploring the historical and literary facts surrounding the issue. In the process, we hoped to inspire students and the Notre Dame community to revisit the Bard’s superb works. Watch video recordings of the lectures at the links below.
- “Will the Real Shakespeare Please Stand Up? Evidence for the Bard’s Catholicism,” Joseph Pearce, Ave Maria University
- “Cracking the Shakespeare Code,” Peter Holland, University of Notre Dame
- “Shakespeare’s Dark Matter,” Clare Asquith, author of Shadowplay: The Hidden Beliefs and Coded Politics of William Shakespeare
Past Series
- 2013: Children’s Literature
- 2012: J.R.R. Tolkien
- 2011: Victorian Catholics
- 2010: Strangers in a Strange Land
- 2009: Close to Catholic
- 2008: Wit’s Way to Wisdom
- 2007: Shakespeare and Catholicism
- 2006: Shining in Obscurity
- 2005: Tolkien’s Catholic Myth
- 2004: Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh
- 2003: Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy
- 2002: G.K. Chesterton