Internationally Recognized Medievalist To Speak At EIU

Oct 8, 2013 6:51 AM

An internationally recognized medievalist will visit the campus of Eastern Illinois University to speak about her work on a famous medieval manuscript.

Professor Susanna Fein of Kent State University in Ohio will present “The Literary Scribe of MS Harley 2253” on Wednesday Night at 5:00 pm in the 1895 Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Harley MS 2253 is a manuscript dated circa 1340, which is housed in the British Library’s Harleian Collection. Also known as the Harley Lyrics, the manuscript contains the largest single collection of early Middle English lyrics, and is written in English, French and Latin. The material is both religious and secular, in prose and verse, and covers a variety of genres.

Dr. Fein’s long-anticipated three-volume work on the manuscript is to be published in the spring of 2014. Attendees will be given a preview of her work on this important text. She will comment on the work of the major scribe and book production, both medieval and modern.

The lecture is presented by the EIU Medieval Studies Program, Department of English, Dean of Arts and Humanities, and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

A reception for Dr. Fein will follow the lecture. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Dr. Timothy Shonk at tashonk@eiu.edu or call 217-581-2428.