Dr. Herbert Lederer, emeritus professor and former chair of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages at the University of Connecticut, will speak at Kent State University Sept. 18 on the "Sexual Symbolism in Fairy Tales."
Lederer's talk, which is free and open to the public, begins at 3 p.m. in Room 117 of the Business Administration Building (located at the intersection of Summit Street and Terrace Drive).
"Sexual Symbolism in Fairy Tales" is a Freudian analysis of myths, legends, folklore and fairy tales from many different periods and cultures, revealing the occurrence of identical themes, motifs and sexual symbols. The evidence suggests the existence of a universal collective subconscious common to all human races and cultures, according to Lederer.
Lederer is the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of more than 20 volumes, including a Handbook of East German Drama and a Reference Grammar of the German Language. He has also directed approximately 50 German-language student dramatic productions. Professional offices held include president of the American Council for the Study of Austrian Literature, president of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages and president of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations.
In recognition of his work, Lederer has been awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Arts and Letters and the German Federal Cross of Merit.
Lederer was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. A Jew, Lederer and his family left Austria in 1938 when it was annexed by Hitler. They fled to France where Lederer served in the French Foreign Legion during Word War II. Following an internment in a North African labor camp, Lederer came to the United States in 1942 where he served in military intelligence from 1943 to 1946. He earned his bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. For more than 40 years, Lederer taught German language and literature, first at Chicago, then at Wabash College in Indiana, Ohio University, Queens College in New York and finally at the University of Connecticut- Storrs, where he was chair of the Department of German and Slavic Languages.
Lederer's appearance is sponsored by Kent's Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies and the Ethnic Heritage Program.