Using a 1768 portrait of American Revolution patriot Paul Revere, Barbara Carpenter discusses the interrelatedness of the arts,and the translation of a specific event into literature and myth. From there she moves to discuss Revere’s house as an example of architecture suited to a particular climate and class and to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s (author of the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”)place in the American Renaissance. In the process the speaker touches on the close connections among the various arts, the disciplines of the humanities, the processes by which each is enhanced in conjunction with others, and the complex ways in which all these elements of our culture help us to know our roots and who we are in relation to each other, ultimately helping us to find meaning and significance in our own individual roles and actions.
Speakers Expertise:
Dr. Barbara Carpenter is the former director of the Mississippi Humanities Council. Much of her career has been spent studying and discussing the importance of literature, history, art, and providing insights into our own cultures and the cultures of others in creating meaningful lives for ourselves as well as understanding our roles and relationships within our own communities and society at large. Prior to joining the MHC, Dr. Carpenter taught college English for fifteen years at Southeastern Louisiana University, St. Joseph Seminary College, and the University of Southern Mississippi. As an element of programming for the Columbus Quincentenary, she developed, secured funding, and oversaw the council’s ethnic heritage project, serving as editor for
Ethnic Heritage of Mississippi and coeditor for
Ethnic Heritage of Mississippi: The Twentieth Century, both published by University Press of Mississippi.
