Benedict Whalen
- Delp 301
- [email protected]
The above personal links are controlled by the individual and are not any form of representation of statement by Hillsdale College. They are provided as a convenience and views expressed on the sites may not reflect the views or opinions of the College.
“Blow, blow, thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude. Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho, sing, heigh-ho, unto the green holly. Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly. Then, heigh-ho, the holly. This life is most jolly.”— William Shakespeare, As You Like It
Faculty Information
Additional Faculty Information for Benedict Whalen
Education
Ph.D. in English, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2013
M.A. in English, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2010
B.A. in English, University of Dallas, 2008
Memberships
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Kappa Phi
Weaver Fellow, 2011-2012
Lynn M. Bennett Fellowship, 2010-2013
Rogers Fellowship, 2008-2010
Courses Taught
ENG 104: Great Books in the Western Tradition
ENG 105: Great Books in the British and American Traditions
ENG 320: Renaissance British Literature
ENG 360: Romanticism, American Renaissance and Realism: 1820-1890
ENG 401: Shakespeare’s Tragedies
ENG 401: Early Shakespeare
ENG 401: Later Shakespeare
ENG 401: The English Renaissance Lyric
ENG 401: The Metaphysical Poets
ENG 402: Hemingway and Fitzgerald
ENG 403: Tragedy: Ancient to Modern
CSP 101: The Liberal Arts Tradition
CSP 260: Shakespeare’s Ancient Rome
Publications
Lyra Martyrum: An Anthology of the Poetry of the English Martyrs 1503-1681. Editor. Providence, Rhode Island: Cluny Media, 2019.
“‘For One’s Offence Why Should so Many Fall’?: Hecuba and the Problems of Conscience in The Rape of Lucrece and Hamlet.” In “Religions in Shakespeare’s Writings,” edited by David V. Urban. Special issue, Religions 10, no. 1 (2019): 38.
“Misers of Sound and Syllable: On the Extraordinary Freedom and Expressive Possibility of Iambic Pentameter.” In “The Poetry Issue.” Forma: Classical Thought for Contemporary Culture 8 (Fall 2018): 38-42.
“The Context of Sin and Rebellion in John Donne’s ‘Holy Sonnet XIV’.” In Critical Insights: Rebellion, edited by Robert Evans, 96-111. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2017.
“Friar Laurence and Sacramental Confession in Romeo and Juliet.” In Critical Insights: Romeo and Juliet, edited by Robert Evans, 29-46. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2017.
“Private Conscience, Public Reform, and Disguised Rule in The Malcontent and Measure for Measure.” Ben Jonson Journal 21.1 (2014): 73-91.
Scholarly Service:
Reviews Editor, Ben Jonson Journal
Biography
Dr. Benedict Whalen completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Dallas, and his graduate degrees at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He then taught at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi before coming to Hillsdale College in 2014. Much of his teaching is in the literature of the Renaissance, including especially the works of Shakespeare and his fellow playwrights. He also regularly teaches courses on English Renaissance lyric poetry, including the metaphysical poets. Dr. Whalen delights in Hillsdale College’s genuine devotion to the liberal arts, and in the College’s sincere commitment to the formation of the whole person through balanced and integrated study in its core curriculum.