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Romances & Renaissance & Restoration, oh my! Broadly interested in exploring and discussing current topics in early literature. From dipping our toes into medieval matters to debating the effectiveness of Shakespeare in adaptation to discovering the gems of Restoration theater, we are interested in literature pre-1800. If this interests you, and you would like to join us in our discussions and events, please click the button below to join our mailing list.
Meeting Information
The Method & Madness Reading Group will typically host formal text study meetings during even numbered weeks, and we will devote the odd numbered weeks to meetings for independent scholarly pursuits. These meetings are designed to be low stress spaces to discuss literature and build community, and we would love to see you there!
Our fall theme is “What dreams may come”: Sleep and Dreaming in Premodern Literature”
In early texts, many genres form around the concept of dreaming We also get different accounts of dreams in different texts. Premodern authors were also interested in understanding and explaining what was happening to the human body, mind, and spirit during the process of sleep and dreaming.
This quarter we will be exploring the themes of sleep and dreaming and how they are depicted in premodern literature. What do dreams tell us about our desires when we’re awake? How do early modern texts understand dreams as articulating the desires of the waking? Are dreams and sleep related to the imagination? Does the inability to fall asleep limit the ability to create? How do people acquire knowledge through sleep? Do dreams hold authority, and how does it create this authority? We welcome you to join us as we think through the implications of this theme through a variety texts and scholarship!
- Time: Wednesdays, 12-2PM
- Place: HIB 411
Winter 2026 Schedule*
Wednesday, Jan. 14: Text Study of Early Modern Dreams: early modern treatises on sleep/dreams; Pilgrim’s Progress opening; The Tempest, Caliban’s dream
Friday, Jan. 16 at 12PM: “Shakespeare, the Cosmos, and the Reaches of Infinity:” Please join us for lunch and a guest lecture by Jane Hwang Degenhardt, who visits us from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The lecture will be held in HG 1010. Please RSVP for lunch. (this is a co-sponsored event, please note the change in our typical meeting location and time)
Wednesday, Jan. 21: Independent study
Wednesday, Jan. 28: Text Study of Samuel Pepys‘s Diary on His Dreams
Wednesday, Feb. 4: Independent Study
Wednesday, Feb. 11: Text Study of Chaucer’s Book of the Duchess
Friday, Feb. 13 at 12PM: Welcoming Shakespeare: A Lecture by Andrew Hiscock: Please join us for a talk by Andrew Hiscock, who is a 2026 Fulbright Scholar in Residence. The talk will be held in HG 1030. Please RSVP for lunch. (this is a co-sponsored event, please note the change in our typical meeting location and time)
Wednesday, Feb. 18: Independent Study
Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2-4PM: Kirk Davis Jr. Annual Public Shakespeare Lecture: BIOphelia: Please join us for a performance and talk-back. The event will be held in HG 1030. RSVP Recommended. (this is a co-sponsored, please note the change in our typical meeting location and time)
Wednesday, Feb. 25: Faculty Meeting (TBA)
Wednesday, Mar. 4: Independent Study
Wednesday, Mar. 11: Film Screening
*Schedule Subject to Change
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