Culler

On Feb. 3-4, the English department will host an international conference to address the theoretical impact and importance of Jonathan Culler’s groundbreaking “Theory of the Lyric.” Culler is Cornell’s Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature.

“Theorizing the Lyric: The World Novel” conference will explore the relevance of Culler’s work both to novel studies and to larger conversations about methods unfolding in literary criticism and theory. The conference will be held in the Guerlac Room of A.D. White House, with a reception following the closing session at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 4. The conference is free and open to the public.

“We’ll be taking ‘Theory of the Lyric’ as the philosophical grounds for reflecting on how Jonathan’s work, which focuses on poetry, might be extended to other genres, most especially the novel,” said conference organizer Grant Farred, professor of Africana studies.

“Many of the speakers at the conference will address the larger implications of Jonathan’s groundbreaking interventions in poetry studies,” said Elizabeth Anker, conference organizer and associate professor of English. “We’re looking forward to vigorous discussions about the impact his work has had on the field of literary studies.”

The conference will feature opening remarks by Culler as well as talks by other Cornell faculty members. Christopher Nealon, M.A. ’94, Ph.D. ’97, chair of the English department at Johns Hopkins University, will speak on “Some Limits to Antihumanism, or, Problems With the Critique of Meaning.”

Culler began teaching at Cornell in 1977. His books have been translated into 26 languages and include “On Deconstruction: Theory and Criticism After Structuralism” (1982), “Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction” (1997) and “Theory of the Lyric” (2015). He directed the Society for the Humanities from 1984 to 1993, and he currently serves as secretary of the American Council of Learned Societies and as chair of the board of directors of the New York Council for the Humanities.

Linda B. Glaser is a staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.