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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies cordially invites you
to attend the sixth lecture of our 2014-2015 series, to be held </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">tomorrow</span></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">,
February 6, at 4:00 p.m.</span></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"> in <b>Room 090</b> of the <b>18<sup>th</sup> Avenue Library</b> at OSU.</span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">Our speaker will be <span class="apple-style-span"><b>Fiona Somerset</b>,
</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">Professor of English and and Co-Director of the Medieval Studies Program at the
<span class="apple-style-span">University of Connecticut </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">(<a href="http://english.uconn.edu/fiona-somerset/">http://english.uconn.edu/fiona-somerset/</a>)</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">.
</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">Professor Somerset will present <b>“In cuntrey hit is a comune speche”: Vernacular Legal Theory in Mum and the Sothsegger [Silence and the Truthteller]</b>”,
the abstract for which may be found below.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">As usual, the lecture will be followed by an informal roundtable discussion
with the speaker, and light refreshments will be served. This year, before each lecture, we will also host an “open forum” (<b>2:30 p.m., 455 Hagerty Hall</b>) that will provide</span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">
a unique opportunity for students and faculty to learn about the academic and career background of the visitor in an informal, conversational environment. For questions or more information on this new feature, please contact
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><a href="cmrs@osu.edu">cmrs@osu.edu</a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">.
<span class="apple-style-span">We look forward to seeing </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">you tomorrow!</span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="color:#1F497D">The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies presents<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;color:#1F497D">“In cuntrey hit is a comune speche”: Vernacular Legal Theory in
<i>Mum and the Sothsegger</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size:19.0pt;color:#1F497D">Fiona Somerset<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D">Professor of English</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D">Co-Director, Medieval Studies Program<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D">University of Connecticut</span></b><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="color:#1F497D"><img border="0" width="150" height="150" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D03BB4.9D0E8170" alt=" "></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#1F497D">6 February</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#22497C"> 201</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#1F497D">5</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#22497C">,
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#1F497D">4</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#22497C">:00pm, 090
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#1F497D">18<sup>th</sup> Avenue
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#22497C">Library</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D">It is not a new insight that what is probably the early fifteenth century’s most sustained and thoughtful response
to Piers Plowman, the alliterative, allegorical dream vision <i>Mum and the Sothsegger</i>, is also a sophisticated critique of political corruption in contemporary England. What has not yet been addressed among studies of the poem’s political allegory and
use of personification, though, is the extent to which its critique hinges upon a specific medieval legal idea whose implications continue to haunt us even up to the present day: that one person may be held responsible for (and even punished for) another’s
sin because he or she has consented to it by remaining silent. Crucially, the poem insists (as in my title) that this theory is common knowledge, the property of all. My current book project focuses on the history of this idea, and its deployment in allegorical
poetry and rhetorical prose between the late twelfth and mid fifteenth centuries. In my paper at OSU I’ll show what this broader perspective can contribute to our reading of
<i>Mum and the Sothsegger</i></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D">**For more information, please visit
<a href="http://cmrs.osu.edu/events/2014-2015-lecture-series">http://cmrs.osu.edu/events/2014-2015-lecture-series</a>.**<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:17.4pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">-- </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:13.5pt;background:white">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><img border="0" width="224" height="45" id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image003.png@01CEA252.0CAEBFC0" alt="The Ohio State University"><br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#BB0000;background:white">Nick Spitulski</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Program Coordinator</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (<a href="http://cmrs.osu.edu/" target="_blank">http://cmrs.osu.edu</a>)</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Center for the Study of Religion (<a href="http://religion.osu.edu/" target="_blank">http://religion.osu.edu</a>)</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Diversity and Identity Studies Collective at OSU (<a href="http://disco.osu.edu/" target="_blank">http://disco.osu.edu</a>)</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">454 Hagerty Hall, 1775 College Rd., Columbus, OH 43210</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:#333333">
</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">614-292-7495 (CMRS) / 614-688-8010 (CSR)</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#333333">
</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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