Julie H. Rivkin (born 1952) is an American literary critic and professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

since 1982. She is best known for her publications on

literary theory Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, mo ...

and

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

, and has published several works on both subjects. Rivkin received her B.A. and

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and is currently the Associate Dean of Faculty at

, a member of the

Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "st ...

, and Vice President of the Henry James Society. Her other specializations include

American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...

and

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

(publisher of the '' Henry James Review'').

''False Positions''

In 1996, Rivkin published a book of essays titled ''False Positions: The Representational Logics of Henry James's Fictions'', which explores theoretical complications in

's novels ''

The Ambassadors ''The Ambassadors'' is a 1903 novel by Henry James, originally published as a serial in the ''North American Review'' (NAR). The novel is a dark comedy which follows the trip of protagonist Lewis Lambert Strether to Europe to bring the son o ...

'', ''

The Wings of the Dove ''The Wings of the Dove'' is a 1902 novel by Henry James. It tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her effect on the people around her. Some of these people befriend Milly with honourable ...

'', ''

What Maisie Knew ''What Maisie Knew'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''The Chap-Book'' and (revised and abridged) in the ''New Review'' in 1897 and then as a book later that year. It tells the story of the sensitive daughter of divorc ...

'', and ''

The Awkward Age ''The Awkward Age'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''Harper's Weekly'' in 1898–1899 and then as a book later in 1899. Originally conceived as a brief, light story about the complications created in her family's socia ...

''.

''Literary Theory: An Anthology''

In 1998, Rivkin, co-editing with Michael Ryan, published ''Literary Theory: An Anthology'', a comprehensive guide to contemporary Literary Theory which is used in many undergraduate and graduate courses of Literary Theory and cultural criticism at universities and colleges ranging from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

to the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

. The large anthology covers topics ranging from Russian Formalism to the

post-structuralist Post-structuralism is a term for philosophical and literary forms of theory that both build upon and reject ideas established by structuralism, the intellectual project that preceded it. Though post-structuralists all present different critiques ...

work of

Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida; See also . 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was an Algerian-born French philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in numerous texts, and which was developed t ...

and

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how ...

. It has influenced other books on the subject and has been cited in publications by Bruce McComiskey in ''English Studies'' as well as Mary Klage's ''Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed'' Mary Klage. ''Literary Theory: A guide for the perplexed. Continuum: 2006. p.163 and other publications on literary theory.

References

1952 births Living people Poststructuralists American literary critics Women literary critics American academics of English literature Yale University alumni American women critics {{US-English-academic-bio-stub