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Literary Faculty Members Present at London Conference With Archbishop of Canterbury

Paul Contino with Rowan Williams,
the Archbishop of Canterbury

 

Two members of the Seaver College faculty, Cyndia Clegg, Distinguished Professor of English, and Paul Contino, Professor of Great Books, recently travelled to England to represent Pepperdine at the “Hospitable Text” conference held at the Notre Dame Centre in London.  

“The Hospitable Text: New Approaches to Religion and Literature” conference explored the recent resurgence of interest in the relationship between religion and literature, bringing together a wide variety of scholars to examine the subject of hospitality. Contemporary theorists and theologians have paid considerable attention recently to the idea of hospitality, recognizing, among other things, the value of actively hosting viewpoints different from our own rather than merely tolerating their presence.

Contino lead a discussion of the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams’ latest book, attended by the renowned scholar and religious leader. After the discussion of Williams’ Grace and Necessity, the Archbishop was awarded the Conference on Christianity and Literature (CCL) Lifetime Achievement Award. Williams also delivered a plenary address, “Native Speakers: Identity, Grace, and Homecoming,” which focused on recent novels by Marilynne Robinson, the 2008 recipient of the CCL Lifetime Achievement Award.

Cyndia Clegg in conversation with Williams

Contino, who coedits Christianity and Literature with the Seaver College Humanities and Education Division chair Maire Mullins, also shared a panel with the editors of Religion and Literature and Literature and Theology, who cosponsored the conference with Christianity and Literature. The panel discussed the field represented by these academic journals.

Clegg, who has extensively explored British and Irish literature throughout her academic career and who has received a British Academy Fellowship numerous times over the years, presented her essay titled, “Hospitable Metaphor and the Relationship Between Religion and Literature.”

Visit the Hospitable Text Conference website for more information.