by I am happy to announce the opening of Eloquentia Perfecta: Persuasion and Performance in Jesuit Schools – an exhibition of rare books co-curated by Paul Lynch, Associate Professor of English, and myself. We will be holding an opening reception featuring a curator’s talk by Dr. Lynch entitled, “Perfect Eloquence: Reclaiming the Jesuit Tradition for the 21st Century,” in the Pius XII Memorial Library second floor gallery on Friday, September 5, at 3:00 p.m. The rare books will be on display one floor above, in the Archives and Rare Books Reading Room (Pius 307).
The exhibition explores the Jesuit emphasis on rhetoric in education during the period before the suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773). It traces this theme from the foundational texts of the Ratio Studiorum and Constitutiones, through early writings of Borgia, Suarez, and Perpiña, and onward into the prolific output of Jesuit teachers of rhetoric throughout Europe. It looks backward at the strongest classical influences on Jesuit educational theory and practice. And it shows how the staging of dramatic works, ballets, operas, and orations were important tools used in Jesuit schools for the formation of their pupils.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, and will be on display during regular library hours through July 2015.
