New Publications by Rome Faculty

On Thursday 13 March, Rome faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the publication of books by Dean Peter Hatlie and Professor Greg Roper.

Dean Hatlie's book, published by Cambridge University Press, is titled The Monks and Monasteries of Constantinople c.350-850 BC. Between 350 and 850 Constantinople emerged as both the greatest city of the Mediterranean world and a monastic centre of unparalleled importance. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, including a rich body of hagiographical evidence, Dean Hatlie's study documents the historical relationship between the city and its monks during this crucial formative period. Monks and nuns played a key role from the beginning. In 350 their numbers were few, yet their impact on local politics and the church was significant. By 850 their presence was felt everywhere - from the world of the imperial court and church, to the local economy, elite culture, social services and popular piety. This dramatic rise in the influence of local monasticism was the result of its impressive numerical growth over time, and hard-won success in adapting the singular call of the monastic life to the challenges of the great medieval metropolis and imperial capital.

Dr. Roper's book, The Writer's Workshop. Imitating Your Way to Better Writing has just been published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

The Writer's Workshop takes an approach to teaching writing that is new only because it is so old. Today, rhetoric and composition typically proceed by ignoring what was done for 2,500 years in Western education. As so many Rome students know, Dr. Roper, on the other hand, helps students learn to write in the way the great writers of the past themselves learned: by carefully imitating masters of the craft, including Cicero, Thomas Aquinas, Charles Dickens, Sojourner Truth, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway. By living in their workshops and apprenticing to these and other masters, apprentice writers-like apprentice musicians, painters, and blacksmiths of the past-will rapidly improve the complexity of their art and discover their own native voices.

Interspersed into chapters full of sound practical advice and challenging assignments are reflections on Great Ideas from "Realism and Impressionism" to "Nominalism and Modern Science." Perfect for the college or even high school writing classroom-as well as a marvelous book for homeschoolers and others who would like to improve their own writing-The Writer's Workshop is a fine practical guide, and Dr. Roper a friendly yet demanding teacher-mentor.

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