Charlottesville Humanities Forum
Charlottesville Humanities Forum - Fall
2010 
Second Tuesday of the Month, 1:00–2:30
p.m.
Theme: Laughter in the
Dark
Texts &
Dates
September 14: Orientation, text TBA
October 12: Herzog, by Saul Bellow
(Penguin Classics)
November 16: Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo (Weaver
translation)
December 14: Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov (Penguin
Classics)
Texts
Apart from handouts distributed gratis by the moderator, new copies of assigned books can be obtained off the shelf or by special order from any local retailer, as well as from amazon.com, borders.com and barnesandnoble.com. Deeply discounted new (and variously priced “pre-owned”) copies are available from vendors associated with the on-line bookstores (click the “new and used” or “used” link on the title's descriptive page). Other reliable dealers in the secondary market include Bookfinder.com, Alibris.com, and Abebooks.com. Allow up to 2 weeks for delivery.
Method
Preparation: Each participant identifies specific interpretive problems in the assigned work and then frames a trial question and two contrasting answers. These are presented in session to launch a searching discussion by the entire group. The moderator coordinates the dialogue, poses Socratic questions, and provides relevant information, but does not lecture.
Moderator
D. L. Rubin is a Guggenheim Fellow (1980–81) and the author of several books on the baroque and classical lyric. Professor Emeritus of French Language and Literature at the University of Virginia, he is still active on Grounds, teaching critical argumentation in various programs. He also chairs the poetry board at The Virginia Quarterly Review, consults at the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, and publishes books for the research library market at Rookwood Press. From 2001 to 2008, he led Great Books discussions at JILL (now OLLI). Dr. Rubin may be reached at 971-1835 or via email at dlr93039@yahoo.com.
To Enroll
Contact the Senior Center three to four weeks before the first class. Center membership is required after attending one session as a guest. There is no extra charge for this course.