About the Author

Kenneth T. Rivers is a Professor of French at Lamar University, Beaumont, in the Texas State University System. Born in Oakland, California in 1950, he went on to receive his BA, MA, and PhD in French, with a minor in History, from the University of California at Berkeley. He has authored one previous book, Transmutations: Understanding Literary and Pictorial Caricature, and many scholarly articles on a variety of subjects including the works of Balzac, Flaubert, and other authors; the art of Daumier; French cinema; French politics; and, perhaps most notably, the effects of climate changes throughout history upon European culture. Morris Gilbert Bishop (1893-1973) was one of the great literary scholars of his time and an acclaimed biographer. He championed the academic life, not only in books -- A Survey of French Literature (first and second editions) and A History of Cornell, but also by serving as President of the Modern Language Association.