University of Virginia Library

Mental Ironies

In the lectures, Dr. Coles
will deal with some of the
ironies and ambiguities of
mental life, beginning with an
analysis of Christian and
secular assumptions about
human nature ranging from the
Old Testament to secular and
religious philosophers.

He will examine three
novels - James Agee's "A
Death in the Family,"
Elizabeth Bowen's "Death of
the Heart" and George Eliot's
"Middlemarch" – for what
they show about the
psychological issues that
children and adults must
contend with.

Dr. Coles said that the
intention of the lectures is "to
harness theological,
philosophical and literary
observations to the task of
psychological scrutiny."