Department of English

• Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Fisher-Bennett Hall Faculty Lounge (room 135) and Zoom

On Tuesday, April 7, Asa Seresin will defend his dissertation "No Ordinary Love: Heterosexuality and Genre in U.S. Modernity." Asa writes:

No Ordinary Love: Heterosexuality and Genre in U.S. Modernity examines the emergence of modern heterosexual culture in American literature and film between 1890-1930, proposing that heterosexuality was often framed as unstable, anarchic, and pathological prior to the consolidation of heteronormativity. Drawing on histories of sexuality which show that heterosexuality was a new concept involving a specific set of practices – which included seriality, nonreproductivity, and a commercialized dating culture – the dissertation interrogates how constructions of heterosexuality were mediated by genre.

The defense will be a hybrid event, held both in the FBH Faculty Lounge (room 135) and on Zoom (please contact Asa for the link). The private portion of the defense will take place from 4 to 5 pm, and the public portion of the defense will take place from 5 to 6 pm, to be followed by a celebratory reception.

We hope to see you there as we congraulate Asa on this wonderful achievement!