Newswise — New York University’s Center for French Civilization and Culture will host “Inside Barthes,” a conference that gathers those who knew Roland Barthes for an inside and personal look at the renowned French scholar, to be held Oct. 15-17 at various venues on the NYU campus.
To mark the centenary of the birth of French literary theorist, philosopher, linguist, critic, and semiotician Roland Barthes (1915-1980), one of the world’s seminal intellectual figures, NYU's Center for French Civilization and Culture will commemorate this unique figure. While others celebrations of Barthes’ life will concentrate on his writings, the NYU symposium will focus on the man, whose seminars at France’s Ecole des Hautes Etudes and lectures at the Collège de France attracted a host of deeply committed students who were as much captivated by the force of his personality as by the power and subtlety of his mind.
Sessions include the following:
Thurs., Oct. 15, 7-8:30 p.m.Tishman Auditorium, Vanderbilt Hall, NYU School of Law (40 Washington Square South [at MacDougal Street])“Roland Barthes The Stranger” Julia Kristeva, a professor at the University Paris Diderot (keynote)
Fri., Oct. 16, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.La Maison Française, 16 Washington Mews (between 5th Avenue and University Place)Presentations include: “An Autobiographeme” (NYU Professor Avital Ronell); “New York: A Final Glance” (NYU Professor Tom Bishop, director of NYU’s Center for French Civilization and Culture); and “Barthes and the Love of Literature” (Dartmouth College’s Lawrence Kritzman).
Fri., Oct. 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m.5 Washington Place, room 101 (below 8th Street)“Roland Barthes Plays the Piano, Ardently, Badly” Richard Sennett, a professor at NYU and the London School of Economics (keynote)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.La Maison Française, 16 Washington Mews (between 5th Avenue and University Place)Presentations include: “Les sorties du texte” (NYU Professor Denis Hollier); “ ‘Larvatus prodeo!’ Barthes, Militant of the Social” (NYU Professor Emily Apter); and “La bonne aventure ou My Dinners with Roland” (NYU Professor Philippe Roger)
For a complete schedule of conference sessions, which will be in English and French, go to: http://bit.ly/1QA9tXJ. The conference is free and open to the public. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 212.992.9848.
Reporters wishing to attend must RSVP to James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or [email protected].
The event is supported by the Florence Gould Foundation and the French Embassy.
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