Expert on Nathaniel Hawthorne to Speak about Carleton’s New Adaptation of “The House of the Seven Gables”

Robert S. Levine, professor of English at the University of Maryland, will present a lecture entitled,“Hawthorne’s ‘Dramatic’ ‘The House of the Seven Gables’” on Friday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. in Boliou Hall, room 104. Levine’s appearance is in conjunction with the Carleton Players’ production of “The House of the Seven Gables,” premiering Friday, Feb. 20 with subsequent performances on Feb. 21, 27, and 28. This lecture is free and open to the public.

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">An expert on nineteenth-century American literature and culture, Levine has edited the Norton Critical color:black">edition of “The House of the Seven Gables” and is one of the editors of The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 1820-1865.  His most recent book is entitled Dislocating Race and Nation: Episodes in Nineteenth Century American Literary Nationalism (U. of NC Press, 2008). John Stauffer of Harvard University calls this study "one of the most important works of American literary history, cultural criticism, and the contested nature of nationalism to emerge in recent years...[one that] reorients the way we think about American literary history, American history, and the past more generally."

Levine is a member of several editorial boards such as American Literature, American Literary History, and Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies. He has also served as the Director of English Honors Program from 1994-1998 and, since 1994, continues to serve as Chair of the Local Americanists Lecture Series.

The recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Senior Fellowship for University Teachers (1992-1993), Levine has published over 40 articles and reviews in numerous journals and collections such as Criticism on the Color Line: Desegregating American Literary Studies, American Literary History, Prospects: An Annual of American Cultural Studies, MELUS, American Literature, The Columbia History of the American Novel, American Literary History, and American Quarterly. Levine received his Ph.D. in English from Stanford University.

Carleton’s production of “The House of the Seven Gables” is the world premiere of the first-ever dramatization of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. Playwright Barbara Field, who also wrote “A Christmas Carol” for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, wrote the play adaptation of Hawthorne’s classic novel specifically for Carleton. The play’s composer, Hiram Titus, has also scored many Guthrie productions and Carleton’s production also features set design by Tony Award-winning designer John Arnone.

Levine’s visit is sponsored by the Department of English and the American Studies Program at Carleton. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4322.