The Pensive Citadel

The Pensive Citadel is a collection of essays by Victor Brombert, a professor of literature, reflecting on his life of learning within a university world that has changed since the 1940s. The essays range from meditations on laughter and jealousy to new appreciations of Shakespeare, Montaigne, Voltaire, and Stendhal, and demonstrate Brombert's intellectual mobility and openness to change.

Format: Hardback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 06 October 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

In his reflective volume, The Pensive Citadel, Victor Brombert delves into a lifetime of learning within a university world that has undergone significant transformation since his arrival at Yale on the GI Bill in the 1940s. Despite the sweeping changes, much of Brombert's extensive experience as a reader and teacher remains deeply familiar: the joys of rereading, the profound insights gained from engaging with students, and the enduring value of literary works. The collection of essays in this book spans a range of topics, from meditations on laughter and jealousy to fresh appreciations of Brombert's lifelong companions, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Voltaire, and Stendhal.

A veteran of D-day and the Battle of the Bulge, who bore witness to history's darkest nightmares firsthand, Brombert approaches literature with a lightness of spirit, advocating for intellectual mobility and embracing change. The Pensive Citadel serves as a tribute to a life dedicated to literary study, highlighting the profound lessons that can be gleaned from immersing oneself in the works that shape one's cultural heritage.

Dimension: 216 x 140 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226828664