John Wall addresses myth and adventure in Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene. Wall describes Spenser’s work as “didactic and delightful,” highlights the political context for The Faerie Queene, and touches on the role that escapism plays in our experience with literature.
In the second segment [8:30], Marie-Henriette Gates reflects on her work as an archaeologist of the Near East, particularly Turkey, and what we can learn from civilizations of the past. She shares details of her own excavations, including how she selects a site and determines the importance of found materials.
In a third segment [19:15], Paul Murphy reflects on V. S. Naipaul’s A Bend in the River.
Concluding [27:45], Wayne Pond delivers a tribute to Professor C. Hugh Holman, recently deceased at the time of the broadcast. In addition to his long career as professor of literature at the University of North Carolina, Holman helped to found the National Humanities Center and was vice-chairman of its board of trustees.
At the time of this interview, Wall, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1980-81, 2013-14), was professor of English at North Carolina State University.
Gates was professor of classics specializing in archaeology of the Near East at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Murphy, a Fellow at the Center (1981-82), was professor of history at the University of Minnesota.
Pond was public programs officer at the Center and producer of the Soundings radio program.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
