On Saturday, October 25, the English department of Concordia University Irvine hosted a small academic gathering called a lectio, examining two plays of William Shakespeare. Two DRBU representatives attended: teaching fellow Petra Lambertson and admissions counselor Justin Howe. They joined faculty members from Concordia, Biola University, and UC San Diego in shared inquiry on Shakespeare’s texts. The event was supported by the Association for Core Texts and Courses, of which the participating schools are members.

The lectio format brings together a small group, usually twelve, to read one or a few great books in a discussion-based style. Instead of presenting full papers as at a conference, lectio participants lead discussion on a portion of the text. They may offer framing context, propose key ideas or themes, or simply ask questions. The resultant conversation is rich and wide-ranging, as it moves throughout the text and shifts among the perspectives of the participants.

October’s lectio looked at Shakespeare’s Hamlet and King Lear. Each participant took responsibility for one act of one of the plays, leading the discussion for half an hour. The group explored Hamlet in the morning and Lear in the afternoon. The Hamlet session considered questions on the ghost, Claudius and Polonius, Hamlet’s madness, Ophelia’s death, the natural and the unnatural, and the play’s surprising moments of comedy. Discussion of Lear examined politics and love, the schemes of Regan and Goneril, Edmund’s villainy, Lear’s childishness and change, the reunion of Edgar and his father, and the death of Cordelia, who survives in the sources Shakespeare used to write his play.

Brief descriptions, of course, cannot capture the living spirit of shared inquiry in action. Both DRBU delegates enjoyed the experience immensely. Less formal than a conference, the relaxed format allowed for an enriching, deeply engaged meeting of minds, embodying the best of how discussion helps us learn from and alongside one another.

DRBU intends to host a similar lectio event in the near future, examining Buddhist core texts. Most ACTC member institutions focus on the Western tradition, so DRBU can offer participants an introduction to the rich transformative tradition that continues to inspire students and practitioners 2400 years along.