Robert Barsky, “The Epic Quest in Literature and in Law”

The so-called Great Books — from The Odyssey, Don Quixote and Paradise Lost, all the way to Frankenstein, Dracula and Alice in
Wonderland — are filled with heroic, foolhardy, desperate or adventurous characters questing through time and space. In this talk,
Vanderbilt University Professor Robert Barsky will provide insights into canonical epic quests, link them to the flight of contemporary vulnerable migrants, and conclude with an overview of his own epic quest, The BeltLine Chronicles, which honors the lofty objectives of the Atlanta BeltLine.

With thanks to the English Department, the MA in Engaged & Public Humanities, and the Georgetown Humanities Initiative.
Robert Barsky is a joint Professor of French and Law at Vanderbilt University, a Guggenheim Fellow, and the recipient of Rockefeller funding. He is committed to bringing the humanities to the public as evidenced by his creation of the Atlanta Beltline Chronicles, a public poetry project.

With thanks to the English Department, the MA in Engaged & Public Humanities, and the Georgetown Humanities Initiative.