Rock Island, IL: The annual Frieze Lectures partnership between Rock Island Public Library and Augustana College looks back 100 years ago to 1915, and the famous and infamous products of a most notable year.
On four Tuesdays, from Oct. 20 to Nov. 10, Augustana College guest lecturers will consider "1915 - A Landmark Year," and events ranging from the development of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the publishing of Franz Kafka's ground-breaking novel The Metamorphosis, the release of DW Griffith's film Birth of a Nation, and of poems by Robert Frost and TS Eliot that are still read today. All of these events had their roots in 1915, and their effects still echo through our culture today, for both good and ill.
The annual partnership features four lectures by Augustana College professors (without tests or grades) and fascinating discussions afterward over coffee and cookies at the Rock Island Public Library. All presentations begin at 2:00 pm, in the Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street. This year's Frieze Lectures schedule:
October 20: Dr. Cecilia Vogel, professor of physics, on how the publishing of Einstein's Theory of Relativity in 1915 revolutionized our thinking about the universe.
October 27: Dr. Lisa Seidlitz, associate professor of world languages, on the literary impact of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, 100 years later.
November 3: Dr. Christopher Whitt, associate professor of political science, on events surrounding the 1915 release of DW Griffith's controversial Birth of a Nation and how racism in entertainment shapes politics.
November 10: Farah Marklevits, adjunct instructor in English, on the literary legacy of two great poems first published in 1915: Robert Frost's Road Not Taken and TS Eliot's Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock.
For more free programs, visit www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ or pick up a fall events brochure at the Rock Island Main Library, 30/31 or Southwest Branches.
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