In the mid-twentieth century, the aphorisms of an archaic Greek thinker, Heraclitus, acquired an unexpectedly contemporary force for a French poet, René Char, and a German philosopher, Martin Heidegger. This seminar will explore the relations, echoes and affinities among those three authors, introducing students to the analysis of poetry and philosophy, reception history, and translation studies. Students will also practice first-hand archival research, working in the Firestone Library René Char Collection.
