Hello, scholars! Today we look at some sizzling hot takes, looted and fairly acquired art, and more. Read on:
- Love the book, hate the fanfare: Associate professor of English at Montclair State University and The Atlantic contributor Patricia A. Matthew discusses her mixed feelings on Jane Austen, her work, and the admiration the author often stirs in lovers of literature.
- A 2300-year-old Greek vase depicting the college-favorite Dionysus has been relinquished by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the authorities after learning that the piece had been stolen some 40 years back in Italy.
- Rembrandt’s Abraham and the Angels (now on view in the Frick Collection), alongside other Abraham-centered works created over the course of the artist’s career, reveal the artist’s dedication to exploring all of the facets of the patriarch’s life.
- Hot take: Kids can handle Shakespeare in all his filthy, 16th-century glory. (Parents who agree may consider bringing their children to Shakespeare on the Common.)
- 100 years have passed since a silent protest parade took place on Fifth Avenue in New York, during which 10,000 African-Americans–W.E.B. Du Bois among them–marched in what would become a milestone in the civil rights movement. This year, on July 28th, protesters who participated in The People’s Silent Protest Art Walk decried the same kinds of injustices that Du Bois witnessed in his time and that carry on today.
The original silent protest in 1917 in response to the East St. Louis riots. (via Library of Congress)
There you have it! We hope the upcoming week is filled many knowledges and ice cold beverages.
