Symposium

Reading and Discussion Group

Our symposium may not have any wine (even diluted, alas) but here we take reading very very seriously and plan to spend a lot of time discussing and pushing our understanding of what we read as far as we can!

Our motto, adapted from the lovely Walter Benjamin, is to brush everything against the grain: „Geschichte gegen den Strich zu bürsten“.

With this aim, we plan to read and discuss various literary, philosophical, and other theoretical texts in their entirety, delving into complete works and grappling with them in all their complexity over a period of time. Therefore, for this reading group, we will pick one long work and read it over the course of a semester (or two if required!).

The first text we are reading is John Milton’s Paradise Lost. There are various versions available in print and online. Here is one with hyperlinked annotations: https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml

We’re planning to meet this Friday from 3-4pm (108 Main Building) to discuss Book I. The aim is to finish all twelve books this semester, but we’ll see how far we get!

For more information please contact Dr. Adity Singh at adity[AT]iiserb.ac.in

Art: Tribune of Speakers (1920) by Kazimir Malevich