Public Lecture by Professor Rita Felski

Hooked: Art and Attachment

Professor Felski's lecture makes a case for attachment as a key word for the humanities. How does a novel entice or enlist us, how does a song surprise or seduce us? To be attached is to be affected or moved, and also to be linked or tied. It includes passion and compassion, but also political, ethical, intellectual, or other bonds. With a brief look at two common attachment devices, Professor Felski will argue that the various kinds of identification have not been given their due in criticism: meanwhile, attunement refers to aesthetic affinities - getting or not getting a work of art - that can be hard to articulate or pin down. Professor Felski will conclude by elaborating on the relevance of attachment for academic interpretation and for the classroom.

Speaker bio:

Rita Felski is William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English at the University of Virginia and Niels Bohr Professor at the University of Southern Denmark. Her recent books include Uses of Literature; Comparison: Theories, Approaches, Uses; The Limits of Critique, and Critique and Postcritique.