FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2010
Contact: Alida Bailey W 978/369-3909 | C 978/399-8229
Exploring the mystery of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller in the year of her bicentennial.
Charles Capper, Boston University professor of history and author of award winning Fuller biography, to speak at Concord's historic Colonial Inn in partnership with The Old Manse.
Concord, MA - 2010 will mark the 200th year since the birth of Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli, better known as Margaret Fuller - journalist, women's rights activist and intellectual. Many events, discussions, exhibits and presentations will take place across the US and throughout the year, though her actual birthday is the 23rd of May.
The Old Manse, in conjunction with the Colonial Inn, will host Professor Charles Capper, author of the impressive two -volume biography, "Margaret Fuller: An American Romantic Life, " as he discusses the
potent connection between Margaret and Nathaniel Hawthorne, especially during his years at The Old Manse (1842-1845).
Prof. Capper will also highlight the particular impact of Fuller's literary criticism in regards to Hawthorne's fiction, and the strangely harsh appraisal which came from Nathaniel after Margaret's dramatic death by shipwreck in 1850.
"What's unique about this talk, in a year of Fuller bicentennial celebrations, is the attention that will be paid to a major literary character within her orbit" says Capper. "Also, the powerful influence Fuller and Hawthorne had on each other, both public and private."
And yet, one needn't be entirely familiar with Fuller or her works to thoroughly enjoy Capper's discussion on her life.
"This event is for anyone who has an interest in Hawthorne, Fuller, transcendentalism, women's rights, early American literature or all of the above" says Tom Beardsley, Site Director of the Old Manse. " We're looking to reach a diverse crowd of history and literature enthusiasts with this exceptional and entertaining evening."
The event will be held on Thursday, March 4th, at the Colonial Inn, Concord. The $15 ticket price will include a special Fuller/Hawthorne-focused tour of the Manse, a pre-talk social hour with light refreshments and a cash bar, and of course, Capper's lecture.
In addition, every attendee will receive a dining gift certificate from the Colonial Inn, and $10 off a Trustees of Reservations Membership if purchased at the Old Manse before the 30th of March, 2010.
The Old Manse tour will begin at 5:00 pm, lasting for about 45 minutes. This is an optional portion of the event and can be taken on a later date. Beginning at 6:00 pm, attendees can make their way to a private room at the Colonial for socializing and meeting staff from The Old Manse. Capper's talk will begin at 7:00 pm.
To reserve a ticket (space is limited) please contact the Old Manse before the 4th of March at 978-369-3909 or email oldmanse@ttor.org.
For those traveling from out of town, reserve a room at the Colonial Inn by calling 800-370-9200 or book online at www.concordscolonialinn.com
About Charles Capper
Charles Capper came to Boston University in 2001 after teaching fifteen years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His scholarship focuses on American intellectual life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is the author of a two-volume biography, Margaret Fuller: An American Romantic Life (Oxford University Press, 1992-2007), the first volume of which won the Bancroft Prize. He is now working on a book on the Transcendentalists and the birth of Romantic democratic culture in America. He coedited Transient and Permanent: The Transcendentalist Movement in Its Contexts (1999), a collection of new scholarship on his book's central circle. He also coedited The American Intellectual Tradition, 2 vols., 6th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2010). He has received Guggenheim, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Humanities Center, and Charles Warren Center fellowships. He is the coeditor of the journal Modern Intellectual History published by Cambridge University Press.
About the Colonial Inn
Concord's Colonial Inn, which has a long and distinguished history, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original structure was built in 1716, and the property been operating as a hotel since 1889. Situated on Concord's town common, now known as Monument Square, the Inn is surrounded by many landmarks of our nation's literary and revolutionary history. Contact the Colonial at 800-370-9200 or visit them online at www.concordscolonialinn.com.
About the Old Manse
The Old Manse is a property of the Trustees of Reservations.
"The Trustees of Reservations preserves, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts."
The Old Manse is located at 269 Monument St., Concord, adjacent to the North Bridge.
For more information, contact the Old Manse at (978) 369-3909
Find us on Facebook as Old Manse
Twitter @OldManseConcord
or visit our web site at: www.oldmanse.org
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