Inaugural
C19 Circuit Event: 
A Reading of "Philip,
or The Indian Chief"

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The inaugural C19 Circuit event was a resounding success. On February 14th, 2015, a public reading and discussion of a previously unknown nineteenth-century manuscript play was staged at Chicago’s Newberry Library. This fascinating original play set during King Philip’s War was written by Jehiel Lillie, a 26 year-old cadet at the Norwich Military Academy, and was performed at the academy in 1838 by a troupe of fellow students. Couched in self-consciously Shakespearian language and situations, “Philip, or the Indian Chief” provides a romanticized but complex account of Native and British interactions. The play assesses the mixed motivations that prompt war and explicitly critiques the notion of “a war of extermination.”

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Sponsored by The Newberry Library, C19: The Society of Nineteenth-Century Americanists, and The Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago, the event was free and open to the public.                                                                                              

This well-attended event brought together scholars in literature and history, as well as members of the community. C19 is grateful to everyone who participated and attended, particularly on a cold winter's day.

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The C19 Circuits is a new program piloted by the C19 Executive Committee, in the spirit of the nineteenth-century lyceum circuit. These Circuits will offer varied, small-scale regional events in the non-conference year. Please contact hester.blum@psu.edu if you are interested in hosting an event.

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