Gary Totten, associate professor of English, recently published the article, “ ‘Objects Long Preserved:’ Reading and Writing the Shop Window in Edith Wharton’s ‘Bunner Sisters,’ ” in the Winter 2011 issue of the journal, Studies in American Naturalism. In the article, Totten examines the influence of consumer culture on Wharton’s depiction of female characters.

Totten also presented papers at two recent conferences. He presented “Zitkala-Sa and the Material Cultures of Citizenship” at the American Literature Association conference May 24-27 in San Francisco. At the conference, Totten also chaired two panel sessions and business meetings for the Edith Wharton Society, which he currently serves as president, and the International Theodore Dreiser Society. Totten was named president of the International Theodore Dreiser Society during its business meeting.

Totten attended the “Edith Wharton in Florence” conference in Florence, Italy, June 6-8, where he presented his paper, “The Politics of Affect in Edith Wharton’s Travel Writing.”

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