Providence, RI--Five Providence College faculty members, including President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., have authored or edited books that were published since the spring of 2006.

The books include works of poetry, political science, and philosophy, with topics ranging from a translation of the first 13 chapters of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae to a comprehensive analysis of Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome.

The authors/editors and their works are as follows:

Dr. Juan Carlos Flores, associate professor of philosophy, is the author of Henry of Ghent: Metaphysics and the Trinity (with a critical edition of question 6 of article 55 of the Summa Quaestionum Ordinariarum), published by Leuven University Press (2006). The book is part of an ongoing series by Leuven University Press that features books about ancient and medieval philosophy.

In his 247-page book, Flores provides a detailed analysis of Henry of Ghent’s philosophical and theological teachings, with an emphasis on his Trinitarian writings. The book also examines how Henry—one of the most influential theologians of Europe —helped develop the Augustinian tradition in response to the Aristotelian tradition, including Thomas Aquinas.

Dr. Suzanne J. Fournier, associate professor of English, has written Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome: A Reference Guide (Praeger Press, 2006). The 150-page reference guide includes a detailed plot summary of Ethan Frome—a book that chronicles the life of a young farmer—as well as an analysis of Wharton’s style as an influential 20th century writer. The comprehensive guide also helps contextualize Wharton’s book in the American literary tradition.

An expert in American literature, Fournier said she has been a longtime admirer of Wharton and has studied her work for more than 20 years. Throughout the years, she has studied and delivered lectures on other famous works by Wharton, including House of Mirth.
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Dr. William E. Hudson, professor of political science, wrote the fifth edition of his book, American Democracy in Peril (CQ Press, 2006). The 335-page book includes several updated statistics regarding American politics and current events, as well as new charts and fresh anecdotes. Special attention is given to the 2004 presidential election.

Hudson rewrote two chapters of his book and has made extensive revisions to several other chapters.Hudson is also the co-author of Explaining Citizens’ Concepts and Models for Service Learning in Political Science (American Association for Higher Education 1997), which he wrote with Dr. Richard M. Battistoni, PC professor of political science. 

Dr. Peter M. Johnson, professor of English, guest-edited and contributed writing to a journal of prose poetry entitled Sentence: A Journal of Prose Poetics (Firewheel Editions, 2006). The 232-page book includes an array of prose poems written by prize-winning authors and poets nationwide. Johnson wrote the introduction to the book and a seven-page essay entitled “A Particular Kind of Modesty: The Prose Poetry of Gary Young.”

While the publisher chose the essays, Johnson selected all of the poems for the journal, which also features a “Views & Reviews” section highlighting other prose poetry publications.

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., president of the College and professor of philosophy, wrote The Treatise on the Divine Nature, Summa Theologiae I, 1-13 (Hackett Press, 2006). The book consists of a 151-page translation of the first 13 questions of the first part of Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae and a 203-page commentary on those questions. This portion of the Summa is a widely studied section that reveals much of Aquinas’ philosophy on God.

In his commentary, Father Shanley describes technical terms, explicates presuppositions, and helps clarify the logic of Aquinas’ philosophy. The central themes he addresses are the nature of theology, the existence of God, and the nature of God, as they relate to the first 13 questions of the Summa.  

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