Talk on Romantic-era philosophy set for March 13 at Lewes library

The Lewes Public Library Spoken Word Society will welcome local scholar Dr. Michael Redmond for a presentation titled “Storm, Stress and the Soul: The Romantic Rebellion” at 5 p.m., Friday, March 13, at the library, 111 Adams Ave. in Lewes, and streaming online via Zoom.

Redmond will discuss how romantic figures like Hamann, Wordsworth and Coleridge rose up against the cool confidence of the Enlightenment’s faith in reason, science and mastery of nature. He will trace how nature shifted from whirlwind and mystery to clockwork machine, to something alive, numinous and a source of wisdom and wonder, as well as how this transformation still shapes modern views of authenticity, spirituality and the environment.

Registration is required; visit lewes.lib.de.us or call 302-645-2733. At registration, participants will be asked to select in-person or online attendance.

Redmond is former president of Bergen Community College and served as professor of philosophy and religion for nearly 40 years. He holds a PhD in theological and religious studies from Drew University, and an MA in philosophy from Rutgers, complemented by graduate work in computer science and mathematics. 

This event is the third in the library’s Sublime and Dramatic: The Romantic Movement series, exploring the period of the late 18th to mid-19th century, during which European artists, composers, authors, poets and philosophers pushed back against the rationalism of the Enlightenment by embracing the sublime and the dramatic in nature, metaphysics and human emotion. The final presentation, set for Friday, March 20, will feature a literary reading from the Reader’s Theatre Troupe of the Spoken Word Society.