Denison University faculty members Tony Lisska and Fred Porcheddu will speak on "Saints and Sinners, Maidens and Monsters, Philosophy and Phlogiston: Medieval Texts and their Influence" at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, in the Great Room of the Granville Inn (314 E. Broadway). The lecture is free and open to the public.

Lisska and Porcheddu will be joined by Denison senior Greta Donley, who is completing an individually designed major in medieval studies. The three will speak on the influence of medieval texts, especially those of St. Thomas Aquinas, on our own generation. Because this event is being held in conjunction with the Remnant Trust exhibition of rare documents at Denison's William Howard Doane Library, the lecture will be highlighted by the presence of several rare Medieval manuscripts.

Lisska is the Maria Theresa Barney Professor of Philosophy at Denison and the founding editor of the Granville Historical Society's quarterly newsletter, The Historical Times. He has published nearly 50 philosophical articles and book reviews and has read more than 40 philosophy papers at all three divisional meetings of the American Philosophical Association, several regional philosophy associations, and Institutes for Medieval Philosophy, among others. His scholarly work has been directed towards the texts of Thomas Aquinas, the great 13th century Aristotelian. His book "Aquinas's Theory of Natural Law: An Analytic Reconstruction" was first published in 1996 and was reprinted in 2001. His 1978 book, "Philosophy Matters," has been reprinted five times. He has lectured at colleges and universities all over the country and at national gatherings such as the American Catholic Philosophical Association, The International Thomas Aquinas Society, the Thomas More Society and the Smithsonian Institute. He's been awarded the Sears Teaching Award at Denison and in 1994 received the Carnegie Foundation United States Baccalaureate Colleges Professor of the Year Award. Lisska earned a bachelor's degree from Providence College, a master's from St. Stephens College and a doctorate from Ohio State University.

Porcheddu, an associate professor in the Department of English, has been a member of Denison's faculty since 1992. He regularly teaches a survey course on medieval and Renaissance British literature, as well as upper-level courses on Chaucer, Tolkien, the Arthurian and Charlemagne legends, literary history, and the English Language. Since 1996, he also has offered courses on sexuality and culture in support of Denison's Queer Studies concentration. He is the author of studies or translations of Middle English, Old French, and Old Norse texts, and is currently at work on a book called "The Texture of the Times: Antiquarian Book Clubs and the Representation of Medieval Textuality," which is the result of his long-standing interests in bibliography, medievalism and scholarly eccentricity. He earned a bachelor's degree at Denison and holds master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio State

The Remnant Trust is a public educational foundation based in Hagerstown, Ind., that encourages learning by enabling people to view and actually touch early editions of important works. Among the 54 titles being exhibited this semester in Denison's library are the first book printing of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (1863) and the first English edition of Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776). Among other treasures, the collection at Denison includes an illuminated Latin manuscript of the Magna Carta on parchment (c.1350), the third edition of The Declaration of Independence (1776), the first printing of the Bill of Rights (1789), and the first printing of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (1862).

For more information on the Remnant Trust exhibit at Denison, visit the college's Web site at: www.denison.edu/offices/provost/remnanttrust/

- DU -

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Lecture by two Denison professors and a current student, "Saints and Sinners, Maidens and Monsters, Philosophy and Phlogiston: Medieval Texts and their Influence" at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, in the Great Room of the Granville Inn (314 E. Broadway). The lecture is free and open to the public. To confirm, call (740) 587-6592.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575