John Updike has established himself as the great literary chronicler of the American middle class and its problems, most notably through the series of novels that featured Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom as the central character. Now, he’s taken all his observations about dysfunctional families and applied them to
Shakespeare.
His latest novel, “Gertrude and Claudius,” imagines everyday life in Elsinore Castle in the time before Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” And on April 13, the renowned poet, essayist, novelist and literary critic will read from his new book as the centerpiece of this year’s School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Forum. The New York Times’ Richard Eder said, “The book illuminates questions about Shakespeare, about what a classic means and also the unexplored hills and forests that lie on either side of the path art pushes through them.”
--S.S.
JOHN UPDIKE: Thursday, April 13, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 17, Logan Hall, 249 S. 36th St.
Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form.
No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.
JOHN UPDIKE: Thursday, April 13, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 17, Logan Hall, 249 S. 36th St.
