Christopher Ricks, an esteemed professor in the Editorial Institute and the Core Curriculum here at BU, recently gave a lecture to the CC201 students on Milton and Blasphemy. This lecture discusses the incredible sensitivities of the word blasphemy, what it means to blaspheme, and how anti-blasphemy laws still impact our society today. He also discusses blasphemy in conjunction with Milton’sParadise Lost, and how the two are inextricably connected. This is exemplified in the following quote from the lecture:
“Now I have a general position here, which is that unless a religious work is accused in some way, is open in some way to the accusation that it is blasphemous, it won’t be a great religious work. That is, it will have ‘played safe’ — and no great art, or great thought, or great personhood is ever achieved by playing safe” (Ricks).
Core community members who would like to listen to the full lecture can do soHERE.
