Denis Donoghue delivers lecture

On Thursday, November 10th, 1983, the Enligh department sponsored a lecture by distinguished Irish critic Denis Donoghue. Donoghue, who holds the Henry James Chair of English and American Letters at New York University, presented a lecture entitled "The Presence of the Past in the 18th Century."

In his lecture, Donoghue discussed the relationship between 18th century writers and history, with particular focus on the works of Alexander Pope and John Dryden. The prevailing view of the lecture was that objectivity in writing or reading history is impossible because the individual constantly infuses it with some sense of "self", and therefore, any representation of history is actually a fictitious account. Donoghue went on to discuss Pope and Dryden's relation and dialogue with the past through their writings, citing Pope's numerous tributes and allusions to Homer.