Francis Dunn was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and studied Classics at Yale University. He has taught at North Carolina State University and at Northwestern University, and is now Professor and Chair at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests are in classical Greek literature, especially tragedy, and his publications include Tragedy's End: Closure and Innovation in Euripidean Drama (Oxford, 1996) and Present Shock in Late Fifth-century Greece (Michigan, 2007). 

Talk title: "The Stage on Stage: Metatheater in Greek Tragedy"

This year’s Murray Lecture will take place on March 13th, 4:00 pm, in the Conaton Board Room on the second floor of Schmidt Hall. A reception will follow.

The Robert J. Murray Lecture Series is named in honor of Dr. Robert J. Murray, professor of classics (1960-1997), for his many contributions to Xavier University and the Honors Bachelor of Arts program. The program was established in 1948 by William Hetherington, S.J. in an effort to preserve the classical Jesuit liberal arts tradition. Honors A.B. students pursue the study of Latin, Greek and philosophy over four years, in addition to the rest of the Xavier core curriculum.

This lecture series carries on the spirit of humanities education presented by these programs.