The Play of the Imagination — This past weekend, my wife and I celebrated our 27th anniversary by taking a trip to southern Georgia. We took a ferry to Cumberland Island, which is now largely owned by the National Park Service. As we explored the island, we paid particular attention to the remains of once grand mansion known today as the Dungeness Ruins. Built by the Carnegie family in the late nineteenth century, Dungeness functioned as a secluded retreat for one of America’s wealthiest and most prominent families. By the 1920s, the family stopped using the mansion on a regular basis, and in the 1950s the mansion burned, leaving an eerie-looking skeleton made of stone, bricks and metal. Although the interior of the ruined mansion is fenced off, visitors can walk right up to the walls and peer through the barred windows,
As Nancy and I explored the Dungeness Ruins, I was reminded of the many ruined castles we visited in England while I was researching and writing A Children’s Literature Tour of Great Britain. Of course, the Dungeness Ruins are far newer than the ruined castles in England, but Dungeness sparked my imagination in the same way that the castles did. I began wondering about the people who once lived in this ruined mansion. I wondered about their stories, their secrets, and their relationships to this special place. For me, at least, ruins arouse my curiosity in ways that well-preserved historic buildings do not. I have similar reactions to yellowed letters found in attics or personal inscriptions written on the title pages of old books. What I like about such reminders from the past is that they provide plenty of room for the play of the imagination. In our work as teachers, I believe that we should nurture our students’ imaginations, and perhaps one way to accomplish this goal is to bring our students to ruins.
Engagement Seminar — The English Learning Community is holding its first Engagement Seminar with Henry Doss this Thursday in our faculty/staff lounge from 3:00-4:00. This seminar is open to all students and faculty. Please invite your students to attend.
Quirky Quiz Question — The Dungeness mansion was built by the wealthy Carnegie family. The Carnegie fortune was initially made by Andrew Carnegie. Although Andrew Carnegie became one of the richest people in America, he was not born in America. Where was Andrew Carnegie born?
Last week’s Quirky Quiz answer – Daedalus