Talks & Lectures

Regular lectures take place on Wednesdays at 6.00 pm. They are organised by the Lit & Phil (you don't need to be a member in order to attend any of their public events), and tickets cost £5 per talk, from the Lit & Phil Library, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, in person, over the phone (0191) 232 0192 or online, via the Lit & Phil website. It is advisable to book seats in advance; if you reserve a ticket and are subsequently unable to attend, please let us know as we often have a waiting list.

But while Gail-Nina takes a break adter her summer of Roman lectures, her mind is at play in the margins of art ...

The Beasts in the Margins

Marginalia from the Lindisfarne Gospels
Wednesday 28th September, 6.00 pm
The bands of intricate, inter-woven arabesques of apparently abstract decoration are a defining feature of the Lindisfarne Gospels, but a closer look reveals the stylised shapes of sea birds, plus an extraordinary cat. These herald a whole tribe of marginal manuscript animals who populate illuminated borders through several centuries of differing style and content. From naturalistic depictions of real creatures to the exotic, mythical, hybrid and imaginary, these reveal the artists' invention, observation and humour.
Book online for this lecture