Chaucer at the Speedway

USC Beaufort will present a series of public programs in March 2011 that look at the medieval Canterbury Tales from the modern perspective of one of the South’s traditions: stock car racing. The “Chaucer at the Speedway” program will culminate with a lecture by the New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb whose novel St. Dale suggests the connection between Canterbury Tales and NASCAR. SC Humanities supported this program through a Mini Grant in October 2010.

“Chaucer at the Speedway,” kicks off with University of South Carolina Beaufort English professor Dr. Robert Kilgore offering a public lecture and discussion on the moral perspective of The Canterbury Tales on March 14th at 12:00 p.m. at the Beaufort County Library. The film The Last American Hero will be screened with a literary discussion led by USCB faculty on March 18th at 7:00 p.m.  Sharyn McCrumb, eminent American author, best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, will discuss the metaphors of St. Dale in a lecture and discussion, “Grassroots Saints and Honky Talk Heroes,” on March 22nd at 7:00 p.m. at the Center for the Arts on the historic USC Beaufort campus.

“Chaucer at the Speedway” events are open to the public, free and require no reservations. Sponsors include SC Humanities, a South Carolina program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Arts Council of Beaufort County, the City of Beaufort and the SC Arts Commission; and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundations of SC; The Beaufort Inn and the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

For more information, please contact Dr. Robert Kilgore at kilgorer@uscb.edu.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.