On King Lear, The Confessions, and Human Experience and Nature

What can the aged Lear and the young Augustine have to say to each other? Kim Paffenroth coaxes them to speak to us as only a great teacher can, with eloquence and insight. -- James J. O'Donnell, Classics Scholar, University Librarian, Arizona State University, USA
Beautiful, moving, and deeply personal. Kim Paffenroth 'yokes' together these magnificent texts from Shakespeare and Augustine and delivers us remarkable new insights gleaned from 35 years of loving engagement. -- Mark Roosevelt, President, St. John's College, USA
In search of 'timeless eternal truths,' Paffenroth brings into conversation a fifth century author and a sixteenth century author. Differing in historical context, experience, and perspective, St. Augustine and Shakespeare’s Lear nevertheless share the condition of speaking from pressured and vulnerable seasons of life: Shakespeare’s Lear is old, and Augustine’s Confessions recall and relive his painfully disoriented youth. Paffenroth demonstrates that insights emerge when texts interact, challenging readers to reconsider the protagonists’–and possibly our own–assumptions about language, love, and loyalty. -- Margaret R. Miles, Emerita Professor of the History of Christianity, The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, USA