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This recording from August 16th, 2021, of Thesis Theater: Maximilian Hart ~ Draconic Speech: Truth and Lies in Le Guin's Old Speech

Signum master’s student Maximilian Hart will present his thesis “Draconic Diction: Truth and Lies in Le Guin’s Old Speech” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Maximilian’s thesis supervisor, Kris Swank.

Thesis Abstract

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series enters an ongoing dialogue about the nature of language; in it, she proposes a language spoken by dragons and wizards, “the Old Speech,” a language fundamentally unlike our human languages. It is a language in which it is impossible to lie, a language which is simultaneously descriptive and generative: to say the name of a thing is to have the thing come to be. This Old Speech is what the ancient poetic unity of language—to use Owen Barfield’s terms—might look like: a language in which the Tao, the underlying reality of a thing, is named in every word, a language in which every word is a narrative and true. However, dragons, not the titular, and ostensibly central, wizards, are the true poets of Earthsea; the dragons are the ones who see with a poet’s eye and who are actually capable of wielding the Old Speech in its ancient, unified, fully poetic sense, a sense which encompasses all shades of meaning and existence and narrative in one word. Le Guin’s Old Speech, then, can best be understood as a true language of Barfieldian ancient unity, and the dragons are not liars but poets practicing their art.

About the Presenter

Maximilian Hart is a high school English teacher and has been a student at Signum University since 2016. His academic focus is currently on studying the works of Ursula K. Le Guin and her approaches to language. When he’s not reading books for class or his own high school students’ papers, he’s spending time with his wife and children or pretending to improve at chess or woodworking.

About Signum Thesis Theaters

Each of our master’s students writes a thesis at the end of their degree program, exploring a topic of their choice. The Thesis Theater is their opportunity to present their research to a general audience, and answer questions. All are welcome to attend!

The original announcement for this event: https://signumuniversity.org/event/ma...

Signum Symposia playlist • Signum Symposia

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Recorded on April 16th, 2021.

Summer 2021 semester starts on May 3rd, 2021.

Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Summer Term (May 3 – July 23), and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can expect if they sign up, and answer audience questions.

The Summer 2021 Courses:

Exploring Star Trek – Amy Sturgis boldly takes Signum where it’s never gone before: into Star Trek!

Introduction to Old English – This course provides an introduction to Old English grammar, giving students a working reading competency in the language and the chance to put that knowledge into practice.

Tolkien’s Poetry – In this class, we will examine Tolkien’s short poetic works in detail, taking a chronological look at Tolkien’s career through the window of his poetry.

Classical Myths and Legends – This course puts the myths and legends of the Classical world in their wider cultural and historical contexts.

To learn more about Signum University, visit: https://signumuniversity.org/about/

We are open for Summer 2021 registration! For a list of upcoming courses, visit: https://signumuniversity.org/classes/future/

For more upcoming events at Signum University, visit us at: https://signumuniversity.org/event/

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The recording from December 3, 2020, of a presentation and Q&A with the editors of a new volume of previously unpublished work by Owen Barfield, the first and last Inkling. The event includes a short talk introducing Barfield’s work by the author’s grandson. The discussion is moderated by Gabriel Schenk.

The panelists:

Owen Barfield Literary Estate

For more information, please visit the original announcement page for this event.

Signum Symposia playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

For more information about Signum University and our degree program, please visit https://signumuniversity.org/

Support The Signum Scene

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