Post by Amy Beinecke

May I distill the profundity of wonder that the Graduate Institute at St. John’s has sparked in me this summer as I have begun the literature segment part-time. It has far surpassed what I thought might stir in me. There is an enduring brilliance in the rich legacies my peers and I find through the ink, beautifully smithed language, and the contrasts of The Great Books. We are 5 weeks (55 clock hours) into our Seminar and Tutorial classes. While that saturation has allowed us to deeply tangle with and contemplate the works we have read, we’ve just barely begun to tap into a timeless and vast world of verse, tragedies, epic poetry, plays, meditations, and prose. Each is plump with artful pokes and prods that make us laugh, cringe, weep, scoff, feel compassion, fear, disgust, nostalgia, wonder and so much more. The living and breathing nature of our sessions leaves me in awe and immensely honored to spend time with my curious peers and tutors. The pivotal works we have read and discussed so far remind me that there is a priceless gift for all of humanity which is forevermore recorded in them. Their pages are at the ready to quench the curious thirst of those willing to dive in. There are wide ranging surprises and complexities within them which allow each reader to practice the art of being human through the process of witnessing. These works generously give readers one opportunity after another to make more sense of the collective consciousness we wily humans share. I’m feeling deep gratitude and joy to be a Johnnie and to have begun this transformational journey at St. John’s. ♥️