ABOUT
This Advent season, Comment subscribers are invited to explore W.H. Auden’s Christmas oratorio, For the Time Being. This four-week virtual series, hosted by Kate Harris and Laura Fabrycky, invites those who are new to the poem, as well as those who are long-familiar, to discover what Auden might have to say about our contemporary experiences of disorientation and despair amid the promise of Christmas.
SCHEDULE
Zoom events:
• Tuesday, November 29, 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. EST
• Tuesday, December 6, 8:00 – 9:15 p.m. EST
• Tuesday, December 13, 8:00 – 9:15 p.m. EST
• Tuesday, December 20, 8:00 – 9:15 p.m. EST
HOSTS
KATE
HARRIS
WRITER
MATERIALS
Participants will be asked to acquire the text, which is available through most major booksellers and many local public libraries.* We will use the 2013 critical edition with an introduction by Alan Jacobs for references and page notes. Supplemental readings and materials will be available during and after each discussion.
PARTICIPATION
Following the initial introductory session, which will provide an orientation to the poem, participants will be asked to read approximately three sections a week (about sixteen pages or four hundred lines of text) to prepare for small-group discussions.
REGISTRATION
Registration is for all four dates and will close on November 28 or when maximum capacity is reached. Not a Comment subscriber? Sign up today and save 39% off the retail cover price.
*If the book cost is prohibitive, please be in touch—we would be happy to send you a copy if it allows you to participate.
