Dr. Thomas Pfau: Hopkins’ Faith: Visual Attention and Poetic Form in the Journals and Sonnets

Guest:

What is visual attention? What role does visual attention play in conveying the dynamic qualities of objects around us? How is visual attention related to the Incarnation?

Dr. Thomas Pfau, Professor of English at Duke University, examines how Gerard Manley Hopkins’ concept of paying visual attention to the world around him inspired him to write a new kind of poetry in his talk entitled “Hopkins’ Faith: Visual Attention and Poetic Form in the Journals and Sonnets.” Dr. Pfau’s talk was sponsored by the English Dept. at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Listen to the talk here: