Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Between medieval illumination and modern illustration, there are many examples of reading as a visual (rather than verbal) activity. Such signs have been surprisingly easy to overlook, and the early modern period has often been seen as the moment in Western culture when (under the twin forces of the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution) the eye lost its place as the most powerful organ for apprehending the world.
This illustrated lecture will use the crucial case of Erasmus - Protestant reformer and so-called Prince of Humanists - to reconsider the complex attitudes between reading and seeing in 16th-century Europe.
Professor Bill Sherman’s lecture is part of a series in memory of Lisa Jardine (1944-2015). Lisa made a huge contribution across a wide area as a Professor of Renaissance Studies, author, broadcaster, Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Agency and more.
Between medieval illumination and modern illustration, there are many examples of reading as a visual (rather than verbal) activity. Such signs have been surprisingly easy to overlook, and the early modern period has often been seen as the moment in Western culture when (under the twin forces of the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution) the eye lost its place as the most powerful organ for apprehending the world.
This illustrated lecture will use the crucial case of Erasmus - Protestant reformer and so-called Prince of Humanists - to reconsider the complex attitudes between reading and seeing in 16th-century Europe.
Professor Bill Sherman’s lecture is part of a series in memory of Lisa Jardine (1944-2015). Lisa made a huge contribution across a wide area as a Professor of Renaissance Studies, author, broadcaster, Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Agency and more.
