Uploaded January 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"Tough Enough: Arbus, Arendt, Didion, McCarthy, Sontag, Weil"
University of Chicago
October 21, 2017
Deborah Nelson, Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature.
We hear a lot these days about how important empathy is not only in national politics but also in the workplace and school, between friends and strangers. But what if we are wrong? What if empathy isn’t what we need, but unsentimentality? This talk draws from my new book, which explores the unsentimental aesthetic, political, and ethical practices developed and defended by some of the late 20th century’s most influential women writers.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to humanities@uchicago.edu.
"Tough Enough: Arbus, Arendt, Didion, McCarthy, Sontag, Weil"
University of Chicago
October 21, 2017
Deborah Nelson, Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature.
We hear a lot these days about how important empathy is not only in national politics but also in the workplace and school, between friends and strangers. But what if we are wrong? What if empathy isn’t what we need, but unsentimentality? This talk draws from my new book, which explores the unsentimental aesthetic, political, and ethical practices developed and defended by some of the late 20th century’s most influential women writers.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to humanities@uchicago.edu.
