October 08, 2008
Scholar of French literature and queer theory to speak at Clark
The Clark University Henry J. Leir Chair in Foreign Languages and Cultures will present “Beautiful Boys: Representing Gay Identity in Contemporary French Film,” a talk by Lawrence Schehr, professor of French, Comparative Literature, Gender and Women’s Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Illinois-Urbana. This free, public lecture will begin at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Dana Commons, on Maywood St.
Professor Schehr will discuss the changing image of gays and lesbians in French cinema today.
Schehr received his B.A. at Clark University and holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Johns Hopkins. Named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes académiques in 2001, Schehr is also the author of numerous books on French culture, sexuality and gender. His 2007 translation of "The Third Sex," by Willy (Collette's husband) was reviewed on the front page of the New York Times Book Review, resulting in a sell out and additional printings.
Other books by Schehr include "The Shock of Men: Homosexual Hermeneutics and French Writing" (Stanford, 1995); "Alcibiades at the Door: Gay Discourses in French Literature" (Stanford, 1995); "Parts of an Andrology: On Representations of Men's Bodies" (Stanford 1997); and "French Gay Modernism" (Illinois, 2004).
On Oct. 29, Schehr will speak with students taking the course, "Sexuality and Textuality," taught by Clark Professor Robert Tobin, the Henry J. Leir Chair in Foreign Languages and Cultures.
For more information, contact the Clark University Foreign Languages and Literatures department, at 508-793-7234.