After Disenchantment

This class will be a weeklong, deep dive into the notion of "enchantment," to illuminate its aesthetic and theological dimensions, and its implications for life and faith in the present day. We will read key texts on enchantment, such as comparing primary textual examples in medieval bestiaries to Francis Bacon's scientific text, to modern accounts of enchantment from James K. A. Smith’s engagement with Charles Taylor, to bold proposals on how people in the modern age might be "re-enchanted" by authors like Alison Milbank and Owen Barfield. Alongside these readings and lectures, we will discuss the book Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro as an exploration of enchantment in the modern day.