Humanities House
An Honors Program
Orientation in
August some time
In the future
A day in the life
Of Telemachus
And Telemache
“He called me
Telemachus?”
“You heard right. Remember the son of
Odysseus? What they
had us read over the summer?”
“Odyssey or Adventures of Ulysses?”
“Well, he’s Nestor. See, I did
my summer work.”
“Who’s Durer?
Self Portraits?
The director
imagines I have
a self to portray…”
“It’s a Picasso
already. This
Telemache
is Andromache”
“13!”
“Let’s browse
this Humanities
House while
he’s talking.”
“Nine floors.
offices, elevators,
images, and links
to everything I need.”
“But no exit.”
“Bell hop! Bell hop!”
“Even a daily
newspaper.
Who writes
this copy?”
“Times,
Globe,
Onion,
Honors
Program
Info.”
“Scroll down a couple of years…”
jj
“Back in 1999…
thesis meeting…
File that under
future plans.”
“Look at this.
Maps of Hell.
What is there here on Dante?”
was here”
“Dante Resources.
Paradise for
Dantisti. The Father
Jack Howard, S.J.”
“From
Howard
To
Dante”
“BC Dante,
Dartmouth
Dante,
Columbia
Dante,
Princeton
Dante,
Paradise, Virtual
Purgatory.”
“Scholars on the internet. Who is Robert
Hollander?”
“An expert who has her own
interactive web space adds a
Whole new dimension to her
knowledge.”
“We’re in the library.”
“Move up one
level.”
“Search.”
“For what?
Hollander?
Quick.
Before we jump
elsewhere.”
“Going up.
8th Floor.”
“Ivory tower.
Get it?”
“Here?”
“Fawlty Towers!”
“Try
Constas.
he’s the
one on the
couch.”
“Alumni.
Why alumni?”
“Networking,
mentoring,
happenings,
reading. I
just want a
good job.”
“What do they
do about music
and drama
here?”
“This is
Boston,
You know.”
“Here’s an honors
thesis in the
Arts?”
“Opera,
BSO,
And Oleanna.”
“Mamet”
“Yes.”
“Did you see
the Abraham
and Isaac?”
“Genesis 22?”
“I wonder
how many
artists have
painted this
scene?”
“No Rembrandts,
but our
art museum
brings in amazing
shows.”
“Hope?”
“Where do they
make these
sites?”
“My high school teachers
are technophobes. Same here, I bet.”
“Curriculum
laboratory.
Try that.”
“Technophobe
or
technophile?”
“I see O’Connor
has a site
devoted to
Bach and Durer.”
That’s what he
was referring to earlier.”
“Wait! Film.
Over there.
Back up the
Stairs.”
“Did you
see Andrei
Rublev?”
“Tarkovsky.
Eisenstein.
Film and
Great Books
and art.”
“Oops. My
first seminar
meeting is
tomorrow and
I’ve already got
the syllabus…
Here it is.”
“Prof.
Constas.
His is a dynamic
syllabus. It’s
calling for
a writing sample
already.
“So much writing.
Did the director
Just say
‘all writing
all the time’?
What if I suffer
from writer’s block?”
“How much?
Seven essays
first term. Then
seven more
and longer.
And longer.
Peer editing.
Thesis. ‘All the
Time’ indeed.”
“Mayday”
“I’d love to be one of these Writers Block folks.”
“Writing ;
and more writing
They do expect us to
a thesis. Look
at this.”
“Start thinking
About it now!
How weird. I’m
Still unpacking.”
“I’m Telemache.
But I’ll do my thesis
in chemistry.”
“I always tell lies.”
“You or Odysseus?
Oh, I get it. Stick to
literature”
“Thesis…
final stage in
intellectual
formation…
Let’s tune back
in with the
director.”
“A… M… I… C… O…
Your friendly
Oil company?”
“Art Museum
Image Consortium,
Telemache!”
“The Director
was just saying
we might want to
take a look around
after he’s done
with his orientation
speech.”
“Hypertext
seminars.”
“HP252.”
“Not in the
humanities.
Must be computer
science.”
“Template for student web site building.
Intriguing.”
“First year seminars
should do this, too.
I have my own web
site already.”
“I don’t.”
“Daily agenda and
minutes and
e-mail dialogues…”
“Still the texts.
And writing.
But posted for
A wider audience.”
“Today’s date…”
“10:30 web sites.
12:30? Whose?”
“Another web page template… new names.
Is there a page for each student?”
“What’s in here to do with the Honors
Program?”
“Beta Group? Let’s try it.”
“Hey. We can hop from
student to student.
Each one
adds her own unique
touches.
“Try another.”
“Here’s Beta.”
“Sibling Rivalry:
alternate versions
of Genesis…”
“This must be the whole seminar.”
“Nope. Try Gamma.”
“Ben’s page. Ben’s Homeric
Simile. And team Gamma?”
“I’m quite comfortable in this
place. A fifth dimension.”
“Telemache,
I’m taking another look at Durer
Now that I’m orientated.”
“A stack of
floors and a
library in a
menu format.
Which works
for you?”
“Blake’s book is
an 1825 web site!”
“Save it for another day.
But I’ll be back.”