On Friday, October 9th students and professors from Loyola and other surrounding universities flocked to Sellinger Hall 004 to bear witness to the first presentation of The Loyola College Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series, given by Professor Paul Richard Blum, T.J. Higgins, S.J., Chair in Philosophy, entitled "Philosophy in Poetry: Francesco Petrarca."
Prior to the lecture Professor Robert Miola, Gerard Manley Hopkins Chair in English, gave what Professor Blum would later humorously refer to as a "eulogy," briefly summarizing Blum's years of commitment to his work and experience with the field of philosophy, stating that "[Blum] is a man who lives the life of the mind with unparalleled clarity and dedication."
After much anticipation and a rousing applause from the audience, Blum took his place at the podium, ready to share his "scat of thoughts" and discuss one of Petrarch's most famous works, Canzoniere, a collection of 366 sonnets dedicated to his love and inspiration, Laura, relating the works to his thesis, being that "… Petrarch's poems encapsulate his philosophy."
As images of medieval paintings depicting Petrarch and Laura sailed across the classroom's projector screen, Blum alternated between the recitation of English translations and playing Italian recordings of the collection's poems. Between sonnets, he provided analyses, explanations, and his own personal insights into the works and their relation to philosophy, so that anyone, whether they had a lifetime of philosophy expertise under their belt or merely a core introductory philosophy class to speak of, could understand "… Petrarch's philosophy put into verse."
Philosophy, a subject whose abstract thinking can be very difficult to grasp, was made comprehensible by Blum, as he injected spurts of humor and wit between the complex themes of the discussion, jokingly commenting on the subject matter and keeping the crowd entertained, without digressing from his point. Even freshman Brendan Finnerty, a generally mathematically minded student, thought that "Professor Blum was an engaging speaker and enlightened the audience on the works of Petrarch," additionally stating that "[after] attending his lecture, [he] became more interested in the works of Petrarch."
Blum, a highly regarded and notable philosopher with specializations in the history of philosophy, philosophy in the renaissance, Jesuit and modern scholastic philosophy, the philosophy of nature, and the philosophy of history, received his Ph.D. at the University of München in Germany. In addition to his many years of philosophical studies, he has over 200 publications to his name, and has spent months conducting research, specifically related to Petrarch and the philosophy of his poetry, in preparation for Friday's lecture.
As one of the four Distinguished Scholar Chairs in Loyola College, formerly known as that of the College of Arts and Sciences, Blum participated in this lecture series in order to "… emphasize [that] college is research oriented," in addition to "[the] goal of the [series, being] to promote conversation about scholarship among the diverse academic disciplines at Loyola…."
Although the event turned out to be quite successful, Blum admitted that he had been concerned about the attendance, mentioning that the classroom in which the lecture took place was chosen because of its relatively small size, just in case the number of attendees was not, overwhelming, to say the least. Contrary to his fear, Sellinger 004 was filled to the brim. The "… turnout was fabulous," reminiscent of the classic clowns in a car routine at the circus. Not only was every seat filled, but every square foot of carpet was occupied as well, for if there was not someone standing in your vicinity, there was most likely someone sitting next to you on the ground.
The successful outcome of this event should be a positive indicator for the future of The Loyola College Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series, which will consist of two lectures per semester, in which each presenter will speak about their most recent research. Upcoming lectures are scheduled to take place in a more spacious venue, being that of Knott Hall B03, including a presentation by Robert Miola, Gerard Manley Hopkins Chair in English, entitled, "Shakespeare and The Book of Sir Thomas Moore," on November 6th, "Authority and Freedom: Learning from the Janesnists," with John Conley, S.J., Knott Chair in Theology, and "Three Kinds of Time: Chinese Responses to Japanese Bacteriological Warfare, 1941-1945," presented by Keith Schoppa, Doehler Chair in History, both of which will be occurring during the spring semester.
For all those who wish to attend the upcoming lectures, bring your intellectual seeking minds, but leave the stadium seat cushions at home - there will be enough seats for everyone.
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