at The Pennslyvania State University, University Park, PA
Welcome to the Penn State Early Period Studies Group wiki. The EPSG is a university-sponsored organization consisting of graduate students from a diverse range of fields within the Humanities--including Art History, Comparative Literature, English, and History--with concentrations in a variety of historical periods, from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. Our goal is to promote interest in all aspects of early European culture and society, to open dialogues that broaden our knowledge of the period, and to explore connections to popular culture.
The EPSG is pleased to announce a new exhibit, "Imagining China: The View from Europe, 1550-1700," at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. The exhibit will run from September 18, 2009-January 9, 2010. The following is excerpted from the Folger's description:
Early modern Europeans imagined China as a land of wonder, of riches, and of enormous opportunity. Rare books and maps from the Folger collection, along with items from the Library of Congress and the Walters Arts Museum, capture England's dawning cultural awareness and admiration of things Chinese.
Exhibition Highlights
• Early maps of China. From the Greek scientist Ptolemy in the 2nd century to Marco Polo over 1,000 years later, Europeans were endlessly curious about the vast empire to the east.
• Rare Chinese porcelains. Exquisite porcelain pottery was highly valued by European collectors, so that the place name, “China,” became synonymous with china dishes.
• A multilingual Bible. The Chinese text included in the Bible is not actually a translation of sacred scripture, and was added in as a curiosity.
• Woodcuts and early illustrations. As Europeans explored eastward, depictions of wildlife, people, and other aspects of China were popular parts of travelers’ stories.
For questions regarding the exhibit, you can contact the Folger directly at 202.544.4600, or visit the following link:
The EPSG meets twice during the fall semester and twice in the spring with a session devoted to each of the following historical periods: the Middle Ages, the Sixteenth Century, the Seventeenth Century, and the Long Eighteenth Century.
The EPSG also hosts a number of events throughout the academic year (listed below). Check here for information and updates regarding group activities:
Paper Forum
Visiting Speaker Series
Annual EPSG Social
Film Showings
The 2009-10 officers of EPSG are Katharine Cleland (President), Ryan Hackenbracht (Vice President), Gabriel Ford (Treasurer), Sarah Breckenridge (Secretary), and Paul Zajac (Web Manager).
For questions or comments, or to be added to the EPSG listserv, please contact Ryan atrjh317@psu.edu.
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