Fencing Bear at Prayer

Memes h/t No-EZ

A visitor from across the sea, on finding me in my cloistered office Atop her tower, a casement medieval  (in fact, it is a later imitation) shadows the Fencing Bear, and all that’s evil she quells, at least in the imagination of those across her too-divided nation who grasp at slogans, dragons, and her ditty composed so men might imitate creation. Readers, she dwelleth in no earthly city.  The ‘ivory tower’ is all too oft a motto condemning those who choose to stand aside who shun the ‘real world’ and stagger, blotto, on that thin drink receptions now provide. Chicago has its towers, South Bend its grotto. (Readers, reveal which campus others betters.) But, as Sylvester taught the infant Otto our camp is our republic, that of letters. Ivory and horn the gates, in Vergil’s tale through which our souls return to earthly joys. The ivory gate is false, those towers must fail. For ivory dreams deceive. So she deploys dragons which we must fight. Amid the noise of gunfire (take that 2nd A

Many thanks to The University of Chicago Hong Kong Campus for this opportunity to talk about my journey as a Christian and a medievalist in academia. Recorded on February 28, 2023; published March 27, 2023. Listen at The Course on YouTube and their many podcast channels (links in the YouTube description). Jody : Hello, and welcome to The Course . I’m Jody, your host today, and I’m speaking with Professor Rachel Fulton Brown from the Department of Medieval History, Fundamentals, and the College. Professor Brown is the author of Mary and the Art of Prayer, and hosts the online platform Dragon Common Room, a site for poetry and the study of symbolism. She’s here to talk to us about her career path and how she became a University of Chicago professor. RFB : My name is Rachel Fulton Brown. I’m an Associate Professor of History at the University of Chicago. My research is in the history of Christianity, particularly in medieval Europe, and I work primarily in the problems of the interpreta