Robert Kaske (1921–1989) was an American professor of medieval literature who founded the medieval studies program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He published lengthy interpretations of Beowulf and of poems and passages by Dante and Chaucer. Kaske particularly enjoyed solving difficult, puzzling passages in works such as Pearl, Piers Plowman, the Divine Comedy, The Husband's Message and The Descent into Hell. In 1975 he was appointed chief editor of the journal Traditio. Over the course of his career he collected what one former student termed "most of the awards and honors possible for a medieval scholar", including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies, and two Guggenheim Fellowships. In 1988 Kaske published Medieval Christian Literary Imagery: A Guide to Interpretation, which colleagues called a "magisterial work".
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kaske
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1816:
Facing rising discontent in France, Louis XVIII was forced to dissolve the Chambre introuvable, the legislature dominated by Ultra- royalists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambre_introuvable
1887:
A fire that killed 186 people broke out at the Theatre Royal, Exeter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter_Theatre_Royal_fire
1964:
Hurricane Cleo dissipated after causing 156 deaths, mainly in Haiti, and causing roughly US$187 million in damages across the Caribbean and southeastern United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Cleo
1975:
Squeaky Fromme, a devotee of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate U.S. president Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Gerald_Ford_in_Sacramento
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
zakat: (Islam) Almsgiving, one of the five pillars of Islam, in the form of an annual tax on certain types of property which is then used for charitable purposes. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zakat
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Faith brings recognition that our quest never leads us to certainty. We are always uncertain, always in doubt that our way is God's way. That self-doubt makes it possible to be reconciled to one another. It is faith that makes the reconciling work of politics possible. --John Danforth https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Danforth