W. Ralph Johnson, a distinguished professor emeritus of classics and comparative studies at the University of Chicago, will present the John and Penelope Biggs Residency in the Classics Lecture titled “The D/Evolution of Love: the Origins of Roman Elegy” at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 18 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge on the Washington University campus, located just north of Graham Chapel. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Johnson’s work is critically acclaimed. Reviewers note that his writings present refreshing interpretations of classical texts, and reveal new insights into these ancient writers and the value of their work to contemporary society.
He has written numerous scholarly articles and reviews. He is a published poet and has also authored several books, including Lucretius and the Modern World (2000), Horace and the Dialectics of Freedom (1993), The Idea of Lyric (1982) and Darkness Visible: A Study of Vergil’s Aeneid (1976).
He earned a bachelor’s and masters degrees in Latin, and his Ph.D. in classics, all from the University of California at Berkeley. He taught classics at Berkeley and later at Cornell University, before moving to the University of Chicago in 1981, where he chaired the classics department from 1983-1988. He has been the John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor of Classics and Comparative Studies since 1989 and was appointed emeritus in 1998.
The Biggs Residency in the Classics is the gift of John and Penelope Biggs, alumni of Washington University. Each spring, students and faculty have the opportunity to interact with a noted visiting scholar in the Department of Classics. During his visit, Professor Johnson will also speak on “The Temptations of Icarus: Bravado in Tristia 2” at a Monday colloquium at 4:15 p.m. in Steinberg Auditorium. The talk follows a 3:30 p.m. reception in Steinberg Art Gallery.
For more information, call (314) 935-4620 or visit the Assembly Series Web page (http://wupa.wustl.edu/assembly).