Series Description
In the modern media we often hear remarks about the unprecedented nature of many things: political disputes, government actions, violence, social changes, and more. Yet how far are these really new? Join Langara faculty as we explore some fascinating events, personalities, and writings from the past, which also allow us to reflect on how far what we see in the world today is truly without precedent.
Entry is free for Langara students.
All lectures will take place on the specified dates from 6:00–7:30 pm at either:
Vancouver Public Library Central Branch
350 W Georgia Street
Vancouver, B.C., V6B 6B1
or
Vancouver Public Library Kitsilano
2425 Macdonald Street
Vancouver, B.C., V6K 2G6
October 22, 2026 at VPL Central Branch
with Shannon Page (English)
“Heaped with Bloody Slaughter”: Lucan’s Bellum Civile and the Ancient Origins of Horror
Left unfinished due to the poet’s untimely death in 65 CE at just 25 years old, Lucan’s narrative of the Roman civil war between Caesar and Pompey breaks all the rules of the epic tradition. Gone are the gods and heroes of Homer’s Iliad or Virgil’s Aeneid; here one finds only graphic depictions of dismembered bodies, headless corpses, and necromantic witches. The poem’s combination of sinister supernational omens and gruesome violence paints an image of martial conflict that is more nightmare-inducing than noble. Though horror is most often regarded as a modern genre with beginnings in 18th century gothic literature, scholars of Greek and Roman literature have noted that the emotional “grammar” of violence, death, and fear it employs is far older. Taking this view of horror as an affective category, rather than a genre, this presentation explores Lucan’s convention-spurring epic as an early example of a literary work whose purpose is to evoke fear, disgust, and suspense in its audience. That Lucan was also a favorite of later literary heavy-weights, such as Percy Shelley – husband of Mary Shelley, whose novel Frankenstein revolutionized both horror and science fiction – hints at the wide-sweeping but under-explored influence of Bellum Civile on modern horror.
November 12, 2026 at VPL Kitsilano
with Niall Christie (History)
Shajar al-Durr: From Slave to Sultana of Egypt
In May 1250, a former slave woman named Shajar al-Durr (“spray of pearls”) was elevated to the position of sultana (ruler) of Egypt. Even before then she had already become an influential figure in the country, having married a previous sultan, helped him to run the state, and swiftly taken over its defence against crusaders when her husband died in 1249. Shajar al-Durr’s reign was brief, lasting less than three months, but she continued to be a pivotal figure in the sometimes literally cut-throat politics of Egypt until her death in 1257.
Although not the first woman to rule a Muslim state during the middle ages, she was the first of slave origins to do so, and thus her rise was unprecedented. In this presentation we will explore the origins, rise, demise, and later memory of this remarkable woman.
December 3, 2026 at VPL Central Branch
with Stephen Phillips (Political Science)
The Prime Minister versus the Governor General: the King-Byng Affair at 100
In 1926, Governor General Lord Byng denied the request of Prime Minister Mackenzie King for a dissolution of Parliament. This unprecedented exercise of the reserve powers of the Crown provoked a political furore that came to be known as the King-Byng Affair. To mark its centenary, this lecture will recount the unusual circumstances that produced the impasse, the remarkable way in which it was resolved, and the key claims that were raised—some legitimate, others spurious—about responsible government and even Canadian independence. That the King-Byng Affair continues to be debated today attests to its continuing relevance.
February 4, 2027 at VPL Central Branch
with David Borys (History)
Heroes on the Homefront: Canada’s Unprecedented Second World War Shift to Total War
During the Second World War, Canada’s home front was transformed at a staggering pace as the nation mobilized for total industrial war. Factories roared to life, cities expanded overnight, and millions of Canadians found their lives reshaped by the demands of a global conflict. The war unleashed sweeping political, economic, and social change: women entered workplaces in unprecedented numbers, a struggling Depression-era economy was reborn into an industrial powerhouse, and the foundations of Canada’s modern social welfare state began to take shape. Yet this transformation also exposed a darker side of wartime Canada, as the government curtailed civil liberties and targeted vulnerable communities in the name of national security. It was a period of ambition, sacrifice, innovation, and injustice — one that ultimately propelled Canada onto the world stage as a wealthy and influential post-war nation.
March 4, 2027 at VPL Kitsilano
with Kina Cavicchioli (English)
Lewd Women: The First Actresses on the English Stage
On December 8, 1660, the London audience attending the new King’s Company performance of Shakespeare’s Othello witnessed something unprecedented: the roles of Desdemona and Emilia were played by women. Until that evening, all female roles in the English public theatre had been played by boys and men.
Why had there been no women on the English stage before 1660? Why were women suddenly permitted to perform? Who were these women – the first English actresses – and what impact did they have on the evolution of English drama?
Join me to explore these questions as we go behind the scenes at London’s Drury Lane theatre, still in use today, and meet some of the extraordinary women who trod those boards almost 400 years ago: Nell Gwyn, famous for sexy “breeches roles”; Anne Bracegirdle, the original heroine of William Congreve’s (still hilarious) comedies of manners; and Elizabeth Barry, the legendary tragedienne who could make any audience weep.
April 15, 2027 at VPL Central Branch
with Stefan Haag (English)
A (Somewhat) Humorous Look at Cheating in the Campus Novel and Today’s Illegitimate Uses of A.I.
Starting in the 1950s, the campus novel has accompanied universities and colleges in their trials and tribulations. I’d like to look at select examples of cheaters in the campus novel to probe attitudes (of the cheaters and of those who catch them) and how they may have changed over time and especially today vis-à-vis illegitimate uses of A.I. Having taught for over 35 years in post-secondary institutions, I’d also like to draw on my experience with cheaters. The humour comes in because the campus novels often satirize encounters with cheaters, while the real-world encounters at times seem closer to satire than reality.
