Dr. Carol M. Bove, professor of French at Westminster College, recently presented a paper at the International Conference on Literary Theory: China and the World in Beijing, China.

Bove's paper, "The Role of China in the Work of Julia Kristeva," deals with the way French-Bulgarian writer Julia Kristeva uses China in her novel. Kristeva believes Western countries such as the United States and France should be interested in China because of its rich history and experiments in socialism.

"The paper stimulated a lively discussion among the Chinese, American, and Italian professors at the session," said Bove. "Kristeva's ideas met, as they often do, with many different reactions. Some believe her views are idealized and not historically accurate. While others, myself included, believe that in a different form socialist ideas are still relevant in today's world."

Bove, who has been with Westminster college since 1984, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and her master's and Ph.D. from the State University of New York, Binghamton.