Lopez to present talk on The Invention of Love and Kierkegaard The Department of English presents graduate student Michael Lopez speaking on "The Invention of Love: Kierkegaard and Stoppard on Owning the Self" Oct. 19, at 4 p.m. in 116 Merrifield Hall. The notoriously difficult and dense play, "The Invention of Love" by Tom Stoppard, has so far, save a few misleading theater reviews, received little critical attention. No one seems to be looking at the deep structural elements within the play, among them the ethical, religious, and aesthetic, and why of all the people to choose from, Stoppard focuses his work around the infamously private and minor poet A.E. Housman. This paper situates the play within the philosophy of Kierkegaard, whose works form the basis for existentialism and are an important system for literary analysis. Ultimately this paper will illustrate why "The Invention of Love" is important for understanding not only the differences between the ethical and aesthetic, but also the fundamental question of how to be an authentic individual. -- Rebecca Weaver-Hightower, Assistant Professor, English, rwh@und.edu, 777-6391