Paraguayan Literature By Jennifer French
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Jennifer L. French, associate professor of Spanish and Comparative literature, will give a literary view point to one of the lesser known wars in Latin American history; The 1864-1870 Paraguayan War. The lecture will be Thursday, March 12, at 4 p.m. at Wege Auditorium in the Science Center. It is free and open to the public.The Paraguayan War of 1864-70 was one of the most destructive events of Latin American history. After five years of fighting against three neighbors - Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay -Paraguay's population was reduced by more than 60 percent. Agriculture and industry were demolished along with the most fundamental social structures. In the final battle of the war, a half a century of dictatorship ended when Marshal-President Francisco Solano Lopez was killed.
"As a literary critic, my work focuses on the problems this catastrophic war presents for individual and collective memory in Paraguay," said French.
Her lecture will focus on the 1900-1936 period known as the Reivindicacion, during which time the image of former Marshal-President Lopez was revitalized to that of "Maximum Hero." The lecture will examine the stakes at play in his vindication and the emerging mythology.
At Williams, French has been honored with Oakley, Lehman, and Class of 1950 World Fellowships. Her areas of expertise and interest include 19th century Latin America, Latin American literature, eco-criticism, Latin American cultural studies, and colonialism and post-colonialism. She is the author of "Nature, Neo-Colonialism, and the Spanish American Writers."
She received her B.A. from William and Mary and her Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
